During my morning walks, I have met this vidwan (for a change in a track suit and canvas shoes) a few times and been enriched by his nuggtes on sangita sampradaya and sastras in both of which his calibre seemed to be of a high order. And he made constant mention of his guru.
The year was 1991 and the day Makara Sankaranti. During a felicitation for his 87-year-old guru, this vidwan was asked to present a vote of thanks. Impressed by his lines, the guru interrupted to announce, “He is already a popular musician. Watch out! When this boy, my disciple, turns 50, he will earn a name for himself in the art of Harikatha. I may not be alive then, but most of you here will live to see my prediction come true.” The guru was Ramanathapuram C.S. Sankara Sivan and the disciple – Madurai T.N. Seshagopalan.
TNS has gone on to collect accolades, awards and titles, including Sangita Kalanidhi. And his guru’s words came true when he recently received the Harikatha Choodamani Award conferred by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha . Earlier recipients are Kalyanapuram Aravamudhachariar and Thanjavur Kamala Murthy.
“My mother was my first guru in Harikatha,” begins TNS, going down memory lane. “I won the Governor Bishnuram Medhi Medal for the best all-rounder when I was seven. I was studying at the Sambandamurthy Elementary school in Madurai. I won the first prize in extra-curricular activities - singing, scouts, athletics, acting and Harikatha. My headmaster Ganapathia Pillai helped me with songs, composed by him, including the narration for the story titled, ‘Gandhi Mahan Charithram.’”
‘Pazham Nee Palani’ on Lord Subramaniacame the next year. TNS had to enact the characters - Pillaiyar with an innocent gait and Murugan expressing anger after having lost the prized fruit to his brother. The songs were composed by his mother, and were well-received. TNS sings one piece.
Before taking to classical music, TNS had presented yet another Harikatha on Pt. Nehru, titled ‘Manidarul Maanikkam’ with songs based on film hits. This got him a big fan following.
“I grew up in Madurai listening to stalwarts in Harikatha such as Embar Vijayaraghavachariar and Thanjavur Kamala Murthy. I never missed Kripananda Variyar’s discourses. Ki.Va. Jagannathan and Kundrakudi Adigalar were my favourites too. I was a regular at the Karaikudi Kamban Vizha where ‘Tamizh Kadal’ Rayaso mesmerised the audience with his speeches.”
Seshagopalan cites references from their discourses and sings a few lines, showing the kind of impact those stalwarts had on him. When, in 2004, Sankara Sivan’s disciples decided to celebrate his centenary, many among them goaded Seshagopalan into doing something different as his offering. TNS headed to the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple to offer his prayers. Sitting in a corner near Meenakshi’s shrine, he started writing a script, which he finished after the ardhajama puja (midnight). It was a Harikatha on his Parama guru Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavatar titled, ‘Gayaka Sikhamani Charithram.’ On Makara Sankranti day in 2004, musician T.N. Seshagopalan launched himself as a Harikatha artist. What was planned for 90 minutes went on for four-and-a-half hours!
TNS has presented Harikathas on various topics such as ‘Tamil Tyagayya’ (on Papanasam Sivan), Ramayanam (Valmiki and Kamban), Krishna Leela Tarangini and Nandanar Charithram. Recently, during the 150 year celebration of Swami Vivekananda, he offered ‘Moola Murthiyum Utsava Murthiyum,’ juxtaposing Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda.
A keen observer of his surroundings, he puts to use this ability in his performance. His sense of humour comes in handy while presenting the kalakshepams. TNS insists on the need for humorous anecdotes to take the audience along.
His penchant for thematic concerts - on Kamba Ramayanam, Naalayira Divya Prabhandam, Tiruvarutpa, Thayumanavar and Kaviyarasu Kannadasan - has helped him acquire knowledge on various subjects.
His experiences with the doyens of Carnatic music and association with his guru have held him in good stead. His expertise in Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu is evident when he quotes fluently from the works of Tyagaraja, Annamayya, Valmiki, Kamban and so on.
The marathon conversation has not brought down TNS’s energy level. He is as fresh as he was at the beginning. How? “Talking or singing, maintain the same sruti. Never abuse your voice by indulging in ranges that don’t suit you.” He then shifts gear to describe Harikatha and its grammar.
