Who can deny the contribution of Thanjavur to Carnatic music? The sound of tradition emanated here and still resonates in this land that produced many maestros of nagaswaram and thavil, instruments which have become synonymous with the district. But vidwans Karakurichi Arunachalam (nagaswaram) and Valayapatti A.R. Subramaniam (thavil) are exceptions as they rose to stardom without the Thanjavur tag. Seshampatti T. Sivalingam belongs to this rare group.
Seshampatti is a hamlet located in Dharmapuri district where Sivalingam grew up. He is the first musician to have made a name from among players domiciled in that area. He was trained by his father, Teerthagiri, and started accompanying him at temple festivals at Salem, Dharmapuri, Bangalore and Hosur.
Recalling his journey, Seshampatti says, “Nagaswaram artist Tiruvenkadu Masilamani was so impressed by my playing that he suggested that I move to Thanjavur to hone my skill. But my father refused to let me go, since he wanted me to take care of the family’s agricultural land and continue to accompany him at temple concerts.
“My Thanjavur dream kept haunting me and one night I ran away to Salem and from there boarded a bus to Thanjavur. I was thrilled to see lush green paddy fields with ponds and small lakes surrounding them. The fertility of the region was a big contrast to the dry region I came from.”
Sivalingam, then 17, decided to go to Keevalur, where he trained under Keevalur Ganesan for about six months. “I wrote a letter to my family telling them about my whereabouts when I came to know that they were worried about me. My sister still has that letter,” he laughs.
Seshampatti was keen to join the Madras Music College, but was refused admission by Veerusamy Pillai, the thendirector of the college, due to age issues. Later, impressed by his perseverance Pillai allowed him to join the college.
“There I came across Keeranur Ramaswamy Pillai who was teaching nagaswram. The training I received from him shaped my music. After that I learnt from Tiruvarur Latchappa Pillai,” he says.
An ‘A’ grade artist of AIR, Seshampatti has performed across the globe and is the recipient of several titles and awards (Kalaimamani and Sangeet Natak Akademi). He considers the recognition from The Music Academy (TTK Memorial award) as a milestone in his career spanning 50 years. “I wish AIR also employs nagaswaram and thavil players as staff artists, which will help these musicians financially.”
Though he continues to play at temple festivals and marriages, the maestro rues that accompanying temple processions have become difficult with increasing traffic congestions. “Except for those who value our talent, not many kalyana kutcheris come our way these days,” he adds.
Even today Sivalingam practices at least for an hour and attributes his success to sustained sadagam. “There is no substitute for hard work,” he emphasises.
He has many disciples but has stopped taking formal classes at home. His students attend his concerts, which they treat as a practice lesson. “Listening to the music of the masters is as important, which is how I improved my playing. Though I could not hear my idols Tiruvavaduthurai Rajarathinam Pillai (TNR) and Karakuruchi Arunachalam live, their recordings were a rich source of inspiration. Their technique paved the way for the future generations. TNR, especially, showed us how to the play the suddha mädhyamam with ease on the nagaswaram,” he says.
Seshampatti visits the U.S. regularly to stay with his son, who is employed there and is an accomplished violinist.
“I may travel all over but my heart lies in Chennai, particularly Mylapore, where I live. Nothing gives me more joy than taking a walk around the temples in the area in the evening,” he smiles as he gets ready for the photo shoot.
