Series on Musicians-III Sangeetha Kalanidhi Maharajapuram Santhanam
Rasika's musician is only word that comes to my mind when i think of Santhanam mama. Its a privilege to talk about mama. I think one of the earliest memories of mama's concert was in the late 80's when he performed at Shanmukhananda Hall, Mumbai. I might have been hardly 4 years then. He sang an amazing saveri RTP and O Rangasayee.Santhanam mama and kamboji, mohanam are synonymous. At this instance i would like to express my gratitude to my guru and one of our family friends Mr. Ramachandran and family in mumbai for sharing their recordings and introducing me to his music. Well my parents were crazy about him since he used to perform with his father. My grand-father, a staunch follower of Maharajapuram school in particular even today believes that nobody can bring bhavam in ragam like mama did. Well as a student of music, what mesmerized was the way he used to build up a ragam. He was very particular that a musician shouldn't tease the audience and should show the essence of ragam in the very first phrase. It would be difficult to pick one particular piece and analyse it. How can one take away the credit for his effort on Oothukadu masterpieces. His viruttam before Kuzhuldi Mannamellam brings tears in my eyes. Wonderful musician that he was, i would like to share the other side of this personality with you. I remember i was hardly six years, when mama was staying in our building at Mr.Ramachandran and family's residence. He was magnanimous to accept our invitation and joined us for lunch. I was naive enough not to recognise him, so didn't permit him inside. Disappointed, he went. The same day evening he joined for dinner, I was surprised to see him. His sense of humour is known to all. Looking at me he sarcastically commented and told my grand father that she is smart enough not to allow strangers in to her house. I think its his blessing that has enabled to enjoy and appreciate music. Unfortunately i never got many opportunities to attend his concerts. To my memory I would have attended hardly four or five. I don' t remember anything. But thanks to some of the recordings, i am able to enjoy the sweet nectar.

One of my earliest favourites has been undeti ramudu in harikamboji. His sancharam cannot be described. At the same time his rendition of Kamboji and O Rangasayee would transcend anyone to a different world. I am sure he would transcend us to the bhoolakam. His brilliance is also visible in his compositions which are sung widely by many today. His respect for maha periyaval can be seen in all his compositions. Whether it is Basant Bahar thillana or Chandrasekahara in Hindolam, each and every piece is structured so beautifully. What amazed me most was the way he used to structure his concert. Every piece that he would include, makes so much sense when you analyse. It makes more sense when you sing a gahana ragam like nattai or gowla, it gives scope to a vocalist to sing in the higher octaves, thus clearing his throat. Evenly structured, everything would be in right proportion. Earlier i had said that he was a rasika's musician. I have heard a lot about how he used to sing each and every request and never disappoint rasikas. I think one could call him a pysician who understood the pulse of the audience. Hailing from the Thyagaraja sishya parampara, he had a special liking for tyagaraja's krithis. Lets accept the fact that tyagaraja's krithi evokes emotional feeling much better than Syama Satri's or Dikshitar's. Its just that are much easier than the latter. However other two composers have given gems to our music. This is like asking who is my favourite my mom or my dad. I like trinity's compositions. Its just that tyagaraja is special :)

I can keep talking about Santhanam mama and his music. Just like MLV amma and MS amma, santhanam mama is an integral part of my life. At every stage his music has influenced me.