How T.M.  Thiagarajan’s open-minded approach made him the musicians’ musician

Remembering TMT, a musicians’ musician

The greatness of the music of Carnatic vocalist T.M.  Thiagarajan, whose birth centenary falls on May 28, was predicted even when he was a boy by theatre personality Avvai T.K. Shanmugam.  He had just joined as a child artiste in Shanmugananda Sabha while it was camping in Thanjavur, and Shanmugam has recalled his talents in his memoir  Yenathu Nataka Vaazhkai.  

“I was attracted by his voice and knowledge in music. In the play Abimanyu Sundari, he was given the role of Sundari. Teaching songs to him gave me immense pleasure. He rendered the songs with sangathis never used by anyone in the past,” writes Shanmugam.  

He also predicted that he would not stay long in theatre.   “In Valli Thirumanam, he was cast in the role of Valli. When he sang the  virutham ‘Yentha maanida vedar Neerkaan’ in Sankarabharanam, I would also be there as hunter. I would lose myself in his music. I thought he would one day leave theatre and become an outstanding singer. My hunch did not go wrong,” Shanmugam further writes.  

Thanjavur Mahalingam Pillai Thiagarajan, known as TMT in the music world, was born into a family of traditional musicians.  His father Mahalingam Pillai was a mridangam player, and his younger brother Angusamy too, showed enormous talent as a percussionist, but he died young. 

 TMT grew up at a time when the streets of Thanjavur were filled with music and the milieu is captured by T. Janakiraman in his masterpiece  Mohamul.   “Is there any other place than Thanjavur where one could listen to pure music for free? The utsav organised by Vasu at Hanuman temple in  Venkatesaperumal Street, the utsav at Sivagangai Hanuman temple, the Kanda Sashti festival, organised by textile shop Sambu Iyer at Mela Veedhi Viswanathar temple, the Ramalingar puja organised by Rajamanickam Chettiyar, the aradhana for the idols worshipped by Tyagaraja at Vagappaiyer Street and the festival at Kali temple in South Main Street, to cite a few. There is no dearth of music throughout the year,” writes Jankiraman.  

TMT’s residence itself remained a miniature Thanjavur, and he had explained it while reminiscing about G.N. Balasubramanian’s (GNB) first concert at Thanjavur, where it was not easy for a musician to pass muster. Besides TMT’s father, there was Thanjavur Vaidhyanatha Iyer (Palghat Mani Iyer’s guru),  Melattur Sami Iyer, Gottuvadhyam Duraiappa Bhagavatar, Kittu Iyer, Srinvasa Iyengar and Mannargudi Rajagopala Pillai who all would be present in those concerts.  

“There were ten of us who would sing at my residence every day. Mridangam support would be offered either by Palghat Mani Iyer or Thanjavur Vaidhyanatha Iyer. Someone else would play the kanjira. Whoever visits Thanjavur would come to our house and perform,” he recalled.