There’s a beauty and purpose to the rhythm that Thanjavur R Ramamoorthy taps out on his mridangam when he poses for our photographer. It’s a measure of the expertise that has seen Mr Ramamoorthy accompany classical dancers and musicians over six generations. The craft, even if for a photograph, must always come first.
Mr Ramamoorthy, who was recently honoured with a lifetime achievement award by Trichy Carnatic Musicians (TCM), has a treasure trove of anecdotes related to working with the stalwarts and newcomers of the world of performing arts.
At the age of 89, it is not easy for him to clearly enunciate words. He has to rely on his family members to interpret his speech for outsiders. But Mr Ramamoorthy still has plenty to share, in a conversation that runs into a few hours as boyhood memories intermingle with performing history at his home in Puthur, Tiruchi.
Born on June 15, 1929 in Thanjavur to Rathnam Pillai and Krishnammal, Mr Ramamoorthy’s family had early links to music and dance. Rathnam Pillai was a highly-regarded violinist (a disciple of Tirukodikaval Krishna Iyer), who had accompanied accomplished Carnatic vocalists like Koneri Rajapuram Vaidyanathar Ayyar, and later, Thyagaraja Baghavathar.
Mr Ramamoorthy’s aunt Veenabhashini was a Sadir/Bharatanatyam exponent, and his father-in-law was Tirukadaiyur Chinniah Pillai, a versatile Tavil Vidwan.
Child prodigy
Ramamoorthy lost his father at the age of 5. “Since I wasn’t good in studies, I dropped out of school at the age of 9 and started learning mridangam from Bhairavam Pillai, who used to stay in the street next to our house in Thanjavur,” he says. “It was Bhairavam Pillai who later sent me to Thanjavur Vaidyanathan Ayyar for further training.” Mr Ramamoorthy’s eyes well up with tears often when he speaks reverentially about his gurus, who, family members later reveal, were more like his parents than teachers.
His talent was honed first on a wooden replica of the instrument that would help his tender fingers adjust to tapping out beats in quick succession. “In those days, young mridangam players would first accompany the live music of the dance performances, then graduate to Harikatha (tales from the Hindu epics). Playing for Carnatic singers and instrumentalists was the highest level for students,” says Mr Ramamoorthy, who recalls playing the mridangam for many dance recitals by Bharatanatyam legend Rukmini Devi Arundale.
Mr Ramamoorthy made his debut ( arangetram ) at the age of 12, in 1941. His confident style, gleaned from his gurus with great efficiency and authenticity, showed that he was indeed a child prodigy. Among the many concerts that he was a part of, accompanying the flautist Palladam Sanjeeva Rao in Tiruvayaru made the young Ramamoorthy’s name.
At the age of 16, he was appointed by the All India Radio (Tiruchirappalli) in 1945, as an ‘A’ Grade artist. His AIR career, which spanned 44 years, saw him accompany many artists from Marungapuri Gopalakrishna Iyer, Karur Chinnnaswamy Iyer, Semmangudi Narayanaswamy Iyer, Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Kumbakonam Rajamanickam Pillai, Alathur Brothers, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, Musiri Subramania Iyer, Semmangudi R Srinivasa Iyer, GN Balasubramaniam, Mysore T Chowdiah, MM Dandapani Desikar, MS Subbulakshmi, DK Pattammal, ML Vasanthakumari, Madurai S Somasundaram, Veena S Balachander, Maharajapuram Santhanam, Lalgudi G Jayaraman, MS Gopalakrishnan, M Balamuralikrishna, DK Jayaraman, TM Thiagarajan, Palghat KV Narayanaswamy, N Ramani, Madurai TN Seshagopalan, TV Sankaranarayanan and Mandolin U Srinivas to TM Krishna and many others.
He retired from AIR in 1989 as a ‘Grade 1’ artist.
A man of willpower
As we meander down the lanes of recollections, we realise that the humble Mr Ramamoorthy prefers to shun all talk about himself. Keeping a low profile has always been his style. “We all have heard of Mr Ramamoorthy, in the music circles, but it took us several years to actually track him down,” says Carnatic vocalist R Kashyap Mahesh, a member of the Trichy Carnatic Musicians, a Facebook group of music lovers in the city. “Artists of Mr Ramamoorthy’s calibre should be recognised and supported more by the Government,” he adds.
Mr Ramamoorthy suffered a stroke in 1991, at the age of 62, which left him immobile for a brief while. “My father is a man of great willpower,” says his daughter R Veenabhashini. “He urged his doctor to cure him just so that he could resume playing the mridangam.” Mr Ramamoorthy overcame the more debilitating effects of the stroke with rigorous physiotherapy, and soon, he was back on stage, with his beloved mridangam.
“Father played in concerts regularly until 2005, when we suggested that he should slow down and start enjoying his retirement years,” says Ms Veenabhashini, who is an assistant engineer at AIR Tiruchi.
Mr Ramamoorthy was very keen on educating his five sons and five daughters, because he had dropped out of school after Class 3. His wife Kunjammal passed away in 2005. The close-knit family takes care of the patriarch with an affection and an indulgent sense of pride that is heartening to see.
“I am a very small speck in this world ... Without my gurus, where would I be?” says Mr Ramamoorthy.
