Madurai Thirumalai Nambi Seshagopalan (born, 5 September 1948) is a noted

Carnatic Carnatic may refer to: *Carnatic region, Southern India *Carnatic music, the classical music of Southern India *, the name of several ships *, a minesweeper of the Royal Indian Navy *, the name of several ships of the Royal Navy See also *Karnata ...

singer, musician and composer. He was awarded 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 ...

in 2006. As well as being a master of the

veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( IAST: vīṇā), is any of various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps.

and

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

, he is an exponent of

harikatha ''Harikatha'' (Kannada: ಹರಿಕಥೆ : ''Harikathe''; Telugu: హరికథ : ''Harikatha;'' Marathi: हरीपाठ '': Haripatha'', ), also known as ''Harikatha Kaalakshepam'' in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam(), is a form of Hindu ...

Early life

Though T. N. Seshagopalan uses 'Madurai' in front of his name, he was actually born in

Nagapattinam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam district. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...

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 ...

, as the son of Thirumalai Nambi Iyengar and Thiruvenkatavalli Ammal. He first learnt under his mother, and later under tutelage of Ramanathapuram C. S. Sankarasivan. He holds a degree in science from

Madras University The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

and a degree in music from

Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) is a public state university located in Madurai city, in southern Tamil Nadu, India, that was established in 1966. MKU is one of the 15 universities in India with the University with Potential for Excellence sta ...

where he later served as professor of music.

Music career

He is proficient in rendering Harikatha and performs as per the guruparampara of Harikesanallur

Muthiah Bhagavatar Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (15 November 1877 – 30 June 1945), commonly known as Muthiah Bhagavatar, is one of Carnatic classical music's famous twentieth-century composers. He also created about 20 ''ragas''. Early life Muthiah was bo ...

. Seshagopalan continues to increase his wide repertoire with compositions of his own. He is noted for his own elegant

thillana A Tillana or thillana is a rhythmic piece in South Indian Carnatic music that is generally performed at the end of a concert and widely used in classical indian dance performances. It was popularised by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, M Balamuralikrish ...

bhajan Bhajan is an Indian term for any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Dharmic religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root w ...

s, namavalis and

abhang Abhanga is a form of devotional poetry sung in praise of the Hindu god Vitthal, also known as Vithoba. The word "abhang" comes from ''a'' for "non-" and ''bhanga'' for "ending" or "interrupting", in other words, a flawless, continuous process, in ...

s. He is equally at home with North Indian ragas and has participated in several jugalbandhis. Noted singer

Gayathri Girish Gayathri “Kalaimamani” Girish is a Carnatic vocalist. She undertook an archival project titled “Azhwargalum Amudha Tamizhum” to render the Azhwar Pasurams (Naalayira Divya Prabhandham, Divya Prabandams) on DD Podhigai television every we ...

is his disciple.

Tours

In 1984 he was invited to sing at the Adelaide International Festival in Australia (and included performances Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and New Zealand). In 1987 he was India's cultural ambassador to Russia. He has performed in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Bahrain and Sri Lanka and has visited and performed in the United States of America numerous times.

Film

In 1983 he produced and played hero in a Tamil movie "Thodi Raagam". He also acted as Prashanth's father in ''

Jambhavan ''Jambhavan'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by A. M. Nandakumar. The film stars Prashanth, Nila and Meghna Naidu, while Vivek, Vijayan and Vijayakumar play other pivotal roles. Featuring music composed b ...

'' (2006). The song "Innarul Tharum Annapoorani" is from the Tamil movie Athma (1993), directed by Prathap Pothan. It features Ramki, Rahman, Kasthuri, and Gouthami, with music composed by Ilaiyaraaja, lyrics by Vaali, and vocals by T. N. Seshagopalan. The song is a devotional piece dedicated to Goddess Annapoorani, expressing reverence and seeking her blessings.

Awards and titles

*Harikatha Chudamani awarded by the Krishna Gana Sabha in the presence of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Sep 2014 *Gayaka Sikhamani awarded by Chodiah Memorial Trust Mysore in January 2007 *''

2006'' awarded 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 ...

- 2004 *"SangeetaSaagara" by CMANA, NJ, USA 2007 *''Sulakshana Gana Vichkshana'' - by H. H. Srimad Andavan Swamigal Srirangam - 1993 *

Sangeetha Kalasikhamani Sangeetha Kalasikhamani or Sangita Kalasikhamani (Sanskrit: ; from sangeetha = music, kala = art, sikhamaṇi = gem of a diadem or crest) is the title awarded yearly to an expert Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidi ...

, by The Indian Fine arts Society, Chennai - 2000 *''Kumaragandharva Rashtriya Sanmaan'' - Kumaragandhrva Foundation Mumbai 2002 *''Nadhabrahmam'' - Indian Fine Arts Texas USA - 2002 *Musician of the Year 1999-2000 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) ...

*President Award 2000 - by Sangeet Natak Academy, Central Government *''Tiruppugazh Mani'' in 1964 *''Gana Bhoopathi'' by the Tamil Sangam of Olavakod in 1967 *''Sangeetha Kala Sagaram'' by Sri

Jayendra Saraswathi Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal (born Subrahmanyam S/O Mahadeva Iyer; 18 July 1935 – 28 February 2018) was the 69th Shankaracharya Guru and head or pontiff (Pïțhādhipati) of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Subraman ...

Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Moolamnaya Sarvagnya Peetham, is a Hindu religious center of Vedic learning, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near the Kamakshi Amman Temple of the Shaktism ...

*''

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government ...

'' by Tamil Nadu Government in 1984 *''Isai Selvam'' by Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr.

Karunanidhi Muthuvel Karunanidhi (3 June 1924 – 7 August 2018), also known as Kalaignar (Artist), was an Indian writer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for almost two decades over five terms between 1969 and 2011. He had the ...

. *''Isai Kalai Vendan'' by Australian Foundation of Canberra - 1998

References

External links

Madurai T. N. Seshagopalan interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seshagopalan, Madurai T. N. 1948 births Living people Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Harikatha exponents