Semmangudi, the consummate performer

On the eve of his birth anniversary, a look at what made Semmangudi and his music so popular

One of the travails that present Carnatic musicians face is the strong competition from musicians who have passed a long time ago. Blame it on the recordings or the proliferation of YouTube releases, but the artistes of yesteryear continue to remain in our minds, sometimes much more than current performers. Semmangudi is definitely one such artiste. Like other top-ranking performers who remained in the limelight for much of their lives, he understood the need for audiences and the necessity to remain relevant. How much this mattered to him I realised when, in the final years of his life, I happened to call on him in the company of my guru, V. Subrahmaniam. The Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer Golden Jubilee Trust had been set up by the maestro’s disciples when he completed 50 years as a performing artiste. My guru being one of Semmangudi’s prime disciples was at the forefront of celebrating his birthday each year and we visited him to formally invite him to the event. “Will there be an audience,” was his first and only question. Not for Semmangudi the pretence that he did not need audiences and sang only for his inner satisfaction. On the day of the event, Semmangudi arrived at the venue well before time. He had had a cataract surgery and was wearing dark glasses. After coming in, he peered through those glasses and was visibly upset to see many empty rows. “Kootame illiye (there is no crowd),” he said. VS sir assured him that it was not yet time and more people would come in soon. And sure enough they did, filling all the seats by the time Semmangudi took to the stage. He was delighted. And he spoke for 20 minutes, giving the audience plenty to ponder over and laugh at. “Carnatic music is not something tangible like a soap,” he said. “Audiences come, sacrificing other avenues of entertainment, and when they leave, all they have with them is a sense of happiness. It is the duty of the artiste to ensure they get that.” This was a statement he often made and he repeated it on this occasion too. Coming from him it was a homily. Many management books have been written on this dictum, but with far less effect.