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        Kalaimamani Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavathar(1912-2004) was an outstanding exponent of Harikatha Kalakshepam for more than five decades. He was also a great performing artist in the field of Carnatic Music in the early phase of his life before he took his final decision to devote himself completely to Harikatha Kalakshepam under the divine benediction of Paramacharya of Kanchipuram in 1954. He was born in Mannargudi in the old Thanjavur district of Madras Presidency in 1912 to Rajam Iyer and Meenakshi Ammal. He had his training in classical Carnatic music under Ettayapuram Rajagopala Bhagavathar, son of the distinguished Ramachandra Bhagavathar, Dasavadyam Salem Veeraraghava Bhagavathar and finally Sangeetha Kalanidhi Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer. An interesting point to be noted in this context is that Ramachandra Bhagavathar belonged to the family of the great Muthuswamy Deekshadar. Sambasiva Bhagavathar completely imbibed the texture and spirit of the classical style of Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer. He was in the first batch of students at the Annamalai University Music College, but had to discontinue his education there on account of family reasons.

At the age of 21, he gave his first Carnatic Music concert at the Perambur Sangeeta Sabha, Madras in 1933. It was a five-hour programme. Viswanatha Sharma accompanied him on the Violin, Ramanathapuram Eswaran on the mridangam, Umayalpuram Viswanatha Iyer on the gatam, Venu Naicker on the ganjira and Velu Chettiyar on the dholak. Tiger Varadachariar strongly recommended Sambasiva Bhagavathar's name to the Corporation Radio when it was first introduced in the middle 1930s. In 1940, the great film singer M K Thiagaraja Bhagavathar sat through the classical music performance of Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavathar at Triplicane and paid a wholesome tribute to his exposition of 'Shanmugapriya Raga'. Great violinists like Mysore Chowdiah, Kumbakonam T K Jayarama Iyer, Thiruvalangadu Sundaresa Iyer, Marungapuri Gopalakrishnan, Papa Venkatramaiah and Lalgudi Jayaraman had accompanied Sambasiva Bhagavathar in his music performances. Likewise, eminent Mridangists like Venu Naicker, Azhaganambia Pillai, Thanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer and Velur Ramabadran adorned his concerts. Great Gatam Vidwans like Umayalpuram Viswanatha Iyer and Coimbatore Rajappa Iyer were very fond of playing for the music of Sambasiva Bhagavathar.       Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavathar switched over from the field of Karnatic Music to the performing arena of Harikatha Kalakshepam with splendid ease and enthusiasm in 1954. What made him take this fateful decision is an interesting story. In fact, he was not fully equipped for the art of delivering a musical discourse. Yet, when one of the Harikatha Kalakshepam exponents failed to turn up for an already notified programme at Sri Tyagaraja Sangeeta Vidwat Samajam, Mylapore in 1954, Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavathar took a decision to march into the void and gave a splendid solo Harikatha performance which revealed his hidden talents, vast knowledge and immense capability.

Mannargudi Sambasiva Bagavathar (1912 - 2004)

         Instantaneous public response to this great performance and increasing offers to render similar expositions elsewhere, naturally forced Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavathar to devote himself completely to Harikatha Kalakshepam as a supreme mission of his life. In order to perfect his technique, he submitted himself to the discipline of specially studying the nuances of Harikatha from Madurai Narayana Bhagavathar and Saraswatibai. No wonder he made history as a great practitioner of the theory and art of Harikatha Kalakshepam for more than 50 years.

        His composing acumen lay in his tour de force to successfully pilot thematic musical discourses. Immense musicianship, vast repertoire of songs and free style of exposition added to his profound interest in delving deep into the reputed works of Masters and highlight their bhava, rasa and message soon crowned his Harikatha performances with great success and popularity. Eminent violinists and percussionists came forward to accompany him in all his performances. Sambasiva became a Bagavathar when Musiri Subramaniya Ayyar, prime exponent of 'Bhava-rasa', hailed him as a - Bhava-Rasa-Katharathnakara.
 

Panchaloka Idol of Saint Thyagaraja installed by Mannargudi Sambasiva Bagavathar at Shri Thyagaraja Sangeetha Vidwad temple at Mylapore, Chennai.

        Apart from being a great exponent in the field of Harikatha Kalakshepam, Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavathar was also a great composer. He showed his genius at the age of 13 when he was studying at the Ramakrishna Mission Home, Mylapore in 1925. When his school teacher snubbed him for having composed a crisp poem called 'Sunflower', Sambasivan with tears in his eyes, challenged the teacher to put him to test. When the teacher asked him to compose a song on the title 'Fountain' given on the spot, Sambasivan burst out into a song on 'Fountain' to the great admiration of the teacher and the total amazement of the students. This was his maiden feat in composition. An Asukavi, he could compose on any subject ex tempore. It is not therefore surprising that in his later life he blossomed into an outstanding composer of songs in Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and even in English.

        Apart from 3000 songs in different languages, he also composed more than 200 kritis and varnams, besides hundreds of 'Nirupanams' for musical discourses. 108 select songs composed by him have been published in the form of a book titled 'Sangeeta Ratnamala'. The great musicologist Prof T R Subramaniam has paid a great tribute to Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavathar for his unsurpassed brilliance in seizing the spirit of the sound of sense and the sense of sound in all his compositions. Sambasiva Bhagavathar had mastered all musical forms such as 'Kriti', 'Javali', 'Thillana' and 'Ragamalika'. He has given a number of musical CDs and cassettes. He served as a lecturer in Katakalakshepam at Tamilnadu Government College of Music Chennai and also as an Inspector of Music and Dance Schools in Tamilnadu on behalf of the Tamilnadu Iyal Isai Nataka Sangam. He trained many students in the art of music and Kathakalakshepam. Many of his students were indeed outstanding like N C Vasanthakokulam, Violin M Chandrasekaran, K V Krishnan, Lalitha Alladi Ramakrishnan, Jaya Krishnan and others. In Harikatha his students included Susheela Achudaraman, Gowri Rajagopal, Shyamala Ramacharan and others. He received several awards, honours and titles. Government of Tamilnadu gave him the Kalaimamani award. His other awards included

        Harikatha Kalakshepa Jyothi, Katha Ratnakara, Sangeetha Sahitya Jyothi, Sangeetha Ratnam, Harikatha Sironmani, Harikatha Ratna, T T K Vageyakara Award, etc.

        In the beginning phase of his career as a composer, he did not follow the practice of inscribing his Mudra on his compositions. On one occasion, his great Guru, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer ordered him to compose a song on the spot. Sambasiva Bhagavathar responded with his musical piece 'Nathupai Neegu Dayaleda' in Raga 'Atana' and Thalam 'Kandachapu'. Upon this composition, Sambasiva Bhagavathar inscribed his Mudra 'Sambasiva' for the first time which then became a settled fact in the remaining days of his life. In 1937 when he was accompanying Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer on his way to Calcutta by train, Sambasiva Bhagavathar composed his famous song Neerajadala Nayana in Raga 'Mand'. Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer passionately fell in love with this song and made it popular throughout the country by singing it himself in most of his public performances.

        Another interesting story about Sambasiva Bhagavathar as a composer is this. Once when he got an opportunity to sing at the Samadhi of Saint Thyagaraja at Thiruvaiyaru, he had the good fortune of suddenly meeting his Guru Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer also on that occasion. Overwhelmed and inspired by the presence of his Guru, Sambasiva Bhagavathar poured out a beautiful composition in Tamil from the deep cavity of his heart as a mark of tribute to his great Guru. The Pallavi in Tamil was Guruvai Ninaindhuruhu Mada Maname in Raga 'Poorvikalyani'. Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer embraced his disciple and blessed him. It was a moment of glory for both the Guru and his Sishya.

        In his life time he gave more than 1000 carnatic music concerts and 7000 Harikatha Kalakshepam performances all over India. Musical legends like Papanasam Sivan and Musiri Subramaniya Iyer have recorded their rich tribute to the musical versatility of Sambasiva Bhagavathar.

        The most outstanding achievement of his life was the role he played in the development and growth of Sri Thyagaraja Sangeeta Vidwath Samajam, Mylapore, Madras for over six decades as Treasurer and Secretary. This institution was established in 1929 by Tiger Varadachariar, Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar, T L Venkatrama Bhagavathar and Parur Sundaram Iyer. Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavathar has installed a beautiful Panchaloka Thyagaraja idol at the Vidwath Samajam Temple at Mylapore.

        He passed away in 2004 at the age of 92 leaving behind him a rich and unmatched cultural and musical heritage for all time to come.