Manjapara Devesa Bhagavathar Ramanathan (20 May 1923 – 27 April 1984) 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 ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

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 ...

who created a distinctive style of singing rich in Bhava and Laya. He was considered for the

Madras Music Academy Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more ...

Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sangita Kalanidhi () is the title awarded annually to a Carnatic musician by the Madras Music Academy. From 1929 to 1941, the award did not exist. The award was conceived in 1942 by Academy President K. V. Krishnaswami Iyer and on 1 January 1 ...

award in 1983. However, the award for that year was given to

Sripada Pinakapani Sripada Pinakapani (3 August 1913 – 11 March 2013), was a medical doctor, administrator, professor in medicine, and carnatic musician. He received Sangeetha Kalanidhi award in 1983. Pinkapani was born at Priya Agraharam of Srikakulam d ...

Biography

Manjapara Devesa Bhagavathar Ramanathan was born in Manjapra, Palakkad District,

Madras Province The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency in ...

(now

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

), India on 20 May 1923, as the son of Devesa Bhagavathar and Seethalakshmi Ammal. His father Devesa Bhagavathar was a music teacher by profession. Ramanathan did his schooling in ASMMHSS Alathur in Palakkad and graduated with a BSc degree in

Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

from Victoria College, Palakkad. On completion of his studies, he traveled to

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

along with his father to improve his musical talents. During the same time,

Rukmini Devi Arundale Rukmini Devi Arundale (née Sastri; 29 February 1904 – 24 February 1986)Sharma, Shoba and Gangadean, Ashok (January 31, 2004 Naatya.org. Retrieved on 10 December 2018. was an Indian theosophist, dancer and choreographer of the Indian cl ...

initiated a new course on ''Sangeeta Siromani'' at

Kalakshetra Kalakshetra Foundation, formerly simply Kalakshetra, is an arts and cultural academy dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art and crafts, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music. Based in ...

. Ramanathan auditioned for the course and was the only student to be selected for the first batch commencing in 1944. Soon, he emerged as Tiger Varadachariar's favorite and was his closest disciple when the latter died in 1950. After his graduation, Ramanathan continued as an assistant to his guru and later became Professor of Music at Kalakshetra. He also served as the Principal of the College of Fine Arts at Kalakshetra.

Music career

Renderings

Ramanathan was known for his unique style of singing. In addition to having an extremely deep, booming voice, he rendered songs at an extremely slow pace, thereby allowing ample time for the listener to catch every phrase of a composition and gauge its meaning. He also sang with adequate ''bhava'' or expression. Ramanathan has sung in most Carnatic music

ragas A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, from the perspec ...

such as '' Sahana, Sri, Anandabhairavi, Reethigowla'' and '' Yadukula Kambhoji''. Other favorite ragas of his include ''

Kedaram Kedaram (pronounced kēdāram) is a rāga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of ...

Kambhoji Kambhoji or Kambodhi is a popular Raga in Carnatic Music. It is classified as a derived raga from 28th Melakartha, Harikambhoji, and has existed since the 7th century. Scale The scale of Kambhoji is also said to have been derived from Camb ...

'' and ''

Hamsadhwani Hamsadhvani (meaning "the cry of the swan"), is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of Carnatic tradition of Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale). It is a ''janya'' rāga of the ...

''. As he himself once admitted, his ''Vilambita Kaala Gaanam'' renderings during

Kathakali ''Kathakali'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kathakaḷi ) is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Theatre of India, Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These vers ...

dances had influenced his music and style of singing. Though Ramanathan is identified with his "trademark" slow pace of singing, he did include a few relatively brisk renderings in his concerts off and on. His style of rendering was very different from the rather brisk style of rendering that had become quite popular then. Due to this, he also received a fair share of criticism from some music critics. During the rendering of krithis, he sometimes made alterations and embellishments to the lyrics. One highlight that his rasikas would always remember is starting the krithi from the ''anupallavi'' and then going to the ''pallavi''.

Compositions

Ramanathan composed more than 300 songs in carnatic music in

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 ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

. He used the word ''Varadadasa'' as his

mudra A mudra (; , , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As well as being spiritual ges ...

, in respect for Tiger Varadachariar, his teacher. Some of his famous compositions are:

Awards

For his contributions to music, Ramanathan was awarded the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

by the Government of India in 1974 and the

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 ...

in 1975. He received the

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultu ...

in 1966. The Indian Fine Arts Society bestowed upon him the title of ' Sangeetha Kalasigamani' in 1976. He also served as a member of the

's Experts Committee. He was also considered for the Academy's

award in the 1983–84 season though he did not get the award.

Death

Ramanathan died after a long illness on 27 April 1984 at the age of 61.

Legacy

Ramanathan's legacy has been kept alive through his albums and private recordings. ''M.D. Ramanathan, A Unique Octave in Music'' by Madhu Vasudevan, which was released in 2003, is a fitting tribute to the legend.

References

''Unsung Genius'' Hindu May 2008

* * * Kuppuswamy, Gowri and Hariharan, M. (1981), Index of Songs in South Indian Music, B. R. Publishing Corporation, Delhi. * Rajagopalan, N. (1991), A Garland, Bharitiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay.

Clips of M.D.Ramanathan

External links

Website of M.D.Ramanathan
*
Growing in stature

Article on Ramanathan
(Word document) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramanathan, M D Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Carnatic composers Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 1923 births 1984 deaths Government Victoria College, Palakkad alumni Kalakshetra Foundation alumni 20th-century Indian male classical singers Indian male composers 20th-century Indian composers Musicians from Kerala People from Palakkad district Indian music educators Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award