Chittoor Subramanyam Pillai was the man instrumental in building Sri Thyagaraja Mandapam brick by brick, which not only introduced the music festival cult in Tirupati, but also stands synonymous to anything on classical music. Rich tributes were paid to the doyen music at a programme organised last week by Hyderabad-based Sri Subramanya Sangeetha Kshetra at Sri Thyagaraja Mandapam. Chittoor Subramanyam’s daughter Chittoor Revathy Ratnaswamy, who is the managing trustee of the Sangeetha Kshetra, gave a concert titled ‘Sampradaya Sangeethanjali’ along with her disciples and went nostalgic on her father’s contributions. Not only classical songs, he’s adept in light music, she said, recalling his songs Madhura Nagarilo in Raga Ananda Bhairavi and Mavalla Kadammo.
Sri Thyagaraja Trust Chairman K.V. Ranganathan recalled Sri Subramanyam’s role in bringing fame to his home soil, in spite of his fruitful stints elsewhere. TTD’s Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishat Special Officer S. Raghunath saw the need to install Subramanyam’s statue to perpetuate his glory and highlighted his contribution in shaping the TTD-run Sri Venkateswara College of Music and Dance, Tirupati, as its founder Principal. Abhyudaya Foundation (Kakinada) Chairman Badam Madhava Rao recalled the ‘Guru Parampara’ tradition adhered to by him.
The event was marked by an impressive violin recital by M. Chandrasekharan, who was later felicitated along with musicians Peri Pullela Somayajulu, Pudukkottai R.Ramanathan and Pudukkottai R. Krishnamurthy. Chitti Vishnupriya, a Hyderabad-based educationalist and Y.V.S. Padmavathi, principal of the music college spoke, while the Sangeetha Kshetra’s Secretaries L. Ravichander and A.R. Latha took part.
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