Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (19 May 1890 – 23 January 1967), popularly known as ''Ariyakudi'', was a

Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

, born in Ariyakudi, a town in the present-day

Sivaganga district Sivaganga District is one of the 38 districts (an administrative district) in Tamil Nadu state, India. This district was formed on 15 March 1985 by trifurcation of Ramanathapuram district into Ramanathapuram district, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunaga ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. Ariyakudi developed a unique style of singing which came to be known as ''The Ariyakudi Tradition'' and is followed by his students. He is credited with establishing the modern '' katcheri'' (concert) traditions in Carnatic music. In 1954, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English language, English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture (India) ...

, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. This was followed by

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

in 1958.

Early life and background

Ariyakudi was born in Ariyakudi, a village in the southern

Karaikudi Karaikudi is the largest city of Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the centre of the Karaikudi Metropolitan Area, the 21st largest urban Agglomeration of Tamil Nadu based on 2011 census data. It is part of the area ...

town in present-day

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

, on 19 May 1890. He studied under Pudukottai Malayappa Iyer and Namakkal Narasimha Iyengar in his early years. Later he studied for several years under Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar, the senior most disciple of Patnam Subramania Iyer. He married Ponnammal (in 1909) and the couple had two daughters. Later he set up another house with Kanjanur Sundarambal Dhanammal, who was a devadasi and became his student after which there was some kind of an association.

Career and legacy

He made his debut at Tyagaraja Aradhana in 1918. The doyen of Carnatic music, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, is known to have remarked, "I was greatly influenced by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. I do not want another life. But if there is one, I want to be able to sing like Ramanuja Iyengar". And another maestro, G N Balasubramaniam, a contemporary of Ariyakudi, is known to have prostrated in front of him out of respect. Ariyakudi formed a formidable partnership on the concert platform with

mridangam The ''mridangam'' is an ancient percussion instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion in ...

maestro Palghat Mani Iyer and two had a strong friendship born out of mutual respect. Palghat Mani Iyer is reported to have said, "Annaa (

Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar (born Vaidyanatha Iyer, 28 August 1896 – 16 October 1974) was an Indian Carnatic music singer from Kerala. He was born in Vatakara, Kerala, and moved to Palakkad along with his family during his childhood.L. R. ...

) and Iyengarval (Ariyakudi) are like my two eyes".

Disciples

Ariyakudi's famous disciples include V Sadagopan K V Narayanaswamy, B. Rajam Iyer, Alepey Venkatesan, Madurai N. Krishnan, and Ambi Bhagavathar. He also had regular interactions with M.S. Subbulakshmi and shaped her musical interests.

Awards

* Sangeetha Kalanidhi award (1938) *

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

(1952) * Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1954) * ''Isai Perarignar'' (1950) by

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

Isai Sangam,

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

* ''Gayaka Shikhamani'' by

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

darbar * ''Sangita Ratnakara'' by

Vellore Vellore ( ), also spelled Velur, is a sprawling city and the administrative headquarters of Vellore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Palar River and surrounded by the Javadi Hills in the northeastern ...

Sangeetha Sabha * '' Sangita Kala Shikhamani'' by

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n Fine Arts Society, Chennai *

award by

in 1958

Bibliography

References

External links

*
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar Home Page
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iyengar, Ariyakudi Ramanuja 1890 births 1967 deaths Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Sangeetha Kalanidhi recipients Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts People from Sivaganga district Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship 20th-century Indian male classical singers Singers from Tamil Nadu