Music lovers, disciples and family members come together to celebrate Thanjavur Upendran’s expertise on the mridangam.
His 25th year Remembrance Day will be held on July 24. A day-long event, in association with Narada Gana Sabha, will bring alive his journey in percussion. His facility with the left-hand added an edge to his unique playing style.
The programme, curated by Neyveli Narayanan and Thanjavur Murugabhupathy, will begin with concerts at 9 a.m., followed by a Tala Malika by Haridwaramangalam A.K. Pazhanivel (thavil) and B. Shree Sundar Kumar (ganjira). The pre-lunch session will end with Saketharaman’s recital.
Carnatica Brothers will begin the post-lunch session with their concert at 2.30 p.m. followed by Ronu Majumdar’s collaborative performance with Nirmala Rajsekar (veena), K.V. Prasad (mridangam) and Ramdas Palsule (tabla).
Eminent artists will pay tribute at 6 p.m. The highlight of the programme will be Sanjay Subrahmanyam’s recital at 7.15 p.m. Leading accompanists will participate as a mark of respect to Thanjavur Upendran. Born into a family of musicians and freedom fighters, Upendran had his initial training in mridangam under Thanjavur Rajam Iyer, and later, under Palghat R. Mani Iyer.
At the age of 10, he made his concert debut, when he accompanied Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar. With his passion and hard work, he rose to be an eminent mridangist, who accompanied stalwarts of the time.
He was also involved in various temple committees, which conducted music festivals that showcased up-and-coming artists. He encouraged the system of senior artists accompanying youngsters. A devotee of Swami Haridhos Giri, he played for him at his bhajans. He taught mridangam for free to those sincere in learning the art. He brought back konakkol to the stage by introducing Tiruchi Thayumaanavan.
