Tiger Varadachariar (1876–1950) 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 from what is now the

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 state of

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 ...

M. D. Ramanathan Manjapara Devesa Bhagavathar Ramanathan (20 May 1923 – 27 April 1984) was a Carnatic music composer and vocalist who created a distinctive style of singing rich in Bhava and Laya. He was considered for the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Ka ...

was his student.

Early life

Varadachariar was born on 1 August 1876 in Kolathur, Chingleput district. Masilamani and Pedda Singaracharyulu encouraged him in his musical pursuits, and he studied under Patnam Subramania Ayyar for three years from the age of fourteen. However, financial family constraints required the young Varadachariar to take a position with the Survey Department at

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

. He continued to pursue his musical interests, however, and when living in

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 ...

, he attracted the attention of Krishnaraja Wodeyar, who honoured him with the title of '

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

' and presented him with a 'thoda'. Tiger Varadachari had lived for many years in Kaveripatnam then Salem District (now Krishnagiri). His humble home is still available as unaltered in Periyar St, Kaveripatnam. Many of Varadachariar's family members also pursued careers in music. His father Ramanujachariar was a musical discourser, his brother K.V. Srinivasa Ayyangar was a

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

, and another brother K.V. Krishnamachariar was a

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.

player. Varadachariar also noted that he learned much from the singing of his sister.

Music

Varadachariar composed 'Eediname Sudinamu' for C.Rajagopalachariar's visit to Kalkshetra in 1948 as Governor General. 'Nidu Charanamule' (Simhendramadyamam) under the

signature A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, Handwriting, handwritt ...

of Tyagaraja is actually a composition of the 'Three musketeers of Kaladipet', the Tiger Brothers.

Awards

Varadachariar was awarded the

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 ...

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 ...

in the year 1932.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varadachariar, Tiger 1876 births 1950 deaths Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Sangeetha Kalanidhi recipients 20th-century Indian male singers 20th-century Indian singers 19th-century Indian male singers Singers from Tamil Nadu Singers from British India