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Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar a.k.a. Vaidyanatha Iyer (1 September 1896 – 16 October 1974) was a
Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
singer from
Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...
(state of
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
). Known by his village name ''Chembai'', or simply as ''Bhagavatar'', he was born to Anantha Bhagavatar and Parvati Ammal in 1896, into a
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...
Brahmin family in Perakkool Madom (Parvati Ammal's birth home), adjacent to
Lokanarkavu Lokanarkavu Temple is an ancient Hindu temple situated in Memunda 4 km from Vatakara, in Kozhikode District, North Malabar region of Kerala state of south India. Lokanarkavu is a short form of ''Lokamalayarkavu'' which means ''lokam'' ( ...
near
Vatakara Vatakara, also spelled Vadakara (formerly Badagara), , french: Bargaret, is a Municipality in the state of Kerala, India. Vatakara is located between Kannur and Kozhikode. The municipality of Vatakara covers an area of and is bordered by ...
on
Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed ...
day. He lived here until he was five years old. The family later shifted to Palakkad.L. R. Viswanatha Sarma (1954), ''Chembai Selvam'' (Biography of Chembai), 1954: Amudha Nilayam Ltd. Chembai was noted for his powerful voice and majestic styleN. Pattabhi Raman and K.S. Krishnamurthi, ''Sruti'', Issue 98, November 1992 of singing. His first public performance was in 1904, when he was nine. A recipient of several titles and honours (including the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1951), he was known for his encouragement of upcoming musicians and ability to spot new talent. He was responsible for popularising compositions like ''Rakshamam Saranagatam'' and ''Pavana Guru'', among others. The music critic 'Aeolus' described him as "the musician who has meant the most to Carnatic Music in the first fifty years of the 20th century." His prominent disciples include Chembai Narayana Bhagavathar, Mangu Thampuran, Guruvayur Ponnammal,
T. V. Gopalakrishnan Tripunithura Viswanathan Gopalakrishnan (born 11 June 1932 in Tripunithura, Kerala), known as TVG, is a Carnatic and Hindustani musician from Cochin, Kerala, India. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2014. Ea ...
, V. V. Subramaniam,
P. Leela Porayathu Leela (19 May 1934 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian playback singer, Carnatic vocalist and a music director. She has recorded more than 5,000 songs in various Indian languages including Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, ...
, K. G. Jayan, K. G. Vijayan, K. J. Yesudas, Kudumaru Venkataraman and Babu Parameswaran, among others. He also mentored many young accompanists, including
Palghat Mani Iyer Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer (1912–1981), born Thiruvilvamalai Ramaswamy was one of the leading mridangists in the field of Carnatic music. He, along with his contemporaries Palani Subramaniam Pillai and Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy, are ...
,
Lalgudi Jayaraman Lalgudi Gopala Iyer Jayaraman (17 September 1930 – 22 April 2013) was an Indian Carnatic violinist, vocalist and composer. He is commonly grouped with M.S. Gopalakrishnan and T.N.Krishnan as part of the violin-trinity of Carnatic Mu ...
,
M. S. Gopalakrishnan M.S. Gopalakrishnan, a.k.a. MSG, (10 June 1931 – 3 January 2013) was a violinist in the field of Carnatic music. He is commonly grouped with Lalgudi Jayaraman and T.N.Krishnan as part of the violin-trinity of Carnatic Music. He was awarded ...
,
T. N. Krishnan Trippunithura Narayana Krishnan (6 October 19282 November 2020) was an Indian Carnatic music violinist. Along with Lalgudi Jayaraman and M. S. Gopalakrishnan he was considered part of the violin-trinity of Carnatic music. He was awarded the Mad ...
,
Palani Subramaniam Pillai Pazhani Subramania Pillai (1909–1962) was a well known Carnatic music percussionist. He, along with his contemporaries Palghat Mani Iyer and Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy, are revered as the "Holy Trinity of Mridanga". He was adept i ...
and
L. Subramaniam Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (born 23 July 1947) is an Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music. Early years Subramaniam was born in Madras, Madras Presidency, Br ...
. Memorial music festivals have been held in his honour annually since his death in 1974, the most important being the annually celebrated
Chembai Sangeetholsavam Chembai Sangeetholsavam is an annual Carnatic music festival held in Guruvayur by the Guruvayur Devaswom (similar to the Thyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyaru) in memory of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, one of the titans of Carnatic classical mus ...
.


Early life

The family's connection with classical music spans five centuries. Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar's father, Anantha Bhagavatar, was a violinist and singer from Chembai, near Palakkad, to whom a local Maharaja awarded the title "Ghana Chakratanam", indicating his mastery of a special closed-mouth style of singing
tanam {{Use Indian English, date=July 2020 Tanam or Taanam (pronounced tānam) is one of the methods of raga improvisation (''manodharma'') in the Carnatic classical music tradition, suited mainly for vocal, violin and veena. Tanam consists of expa ...
. At age 3, Chembai began to learn
Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
from his father in the customary
guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
- sishya tradition, and also began violin and flute training in 1912. Chembai is also one of 12 names of Sirkazhi, the birthplace of saint Gnanasambandar 7th century CE in TN.


Singing career

Some of the noteworthy early events that helped shape Chembai's career include his ''arangetram'' (debut concert) in
Ottapalam Ottapalam, (also spelled Ottappalam) is a town, taluk and municipality in the Palakkad district, Palakkad District, Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ottapalam taluk. Ottapalam is located about 36 km from district head ...
in 1904, performances at
Vaikom Vaikom, , is a municipal town and a capital town of Vaikom Taluk, situated in the northwest of Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. The town is also noted for its role in the Indian independence movement for being the venue of Vaikom ...
and
Guruvayur Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...
in 1907, his year with
Kaliakudi Natesa Sastry S. M. Natesa Sastri (1859–1906) was a polyglot, scholar in eighteen languages and authored many books in Tamil, Sanskrit and English. His scholarliness over Tamil and Sanskrit languages got him the title "Pandit'. Life Natesa Sastri was bor ...
(1909) and the accolades he received from
Palghat Anantharama Bhagavatar Palghat Anantharama Bhagavatar was a noted exponent of Carnatic vocal music who lived between 1850 and 1920. He was a native of Palakkad, Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, fo ...
(1911). Between 1913 and 1927, he performed at many different music festivals and sabhas, notably including the
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 ...
and the often forgotten Jagannatha Bhakta Sabha. Chembai in 1952 he had lost his voice and couldn’t chant the name of his favourite deity, Guruvayurappan. He prayed fervently and apparently his prayers were answered when a stranger gave treatment to his voice for 18 days in Poomallianmana in Kerala at the residence of Nilakantan Namboodripad. He came around and was able to sing with increased vigour. Since then, he donated the majority of his earnings to Guruvayoor temple.


Release of recordings

Chembai has many
phonograph A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
recordings to his credit, recorded from 1932 to 1946. Those were the days before the advent of the concert
microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public ...
, and a singer was entirely dependent on the timbre and reach of his voice for a successful concert. Chembai was blessed with a voice of great depth. Further, the perception that Chembai's repertoire of songs was limited is highly incorrect. The number of different compositions he recorded is in the hundreds (let alone the total number he performed in concerts and on radio during his career).


Lalita Dasar Kritis (1945)

Chembai's old friend, T. G. Krishna Iyer, from
Tripunithura Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...
, had settled in
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(now
Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
) and offered a house to Chembai on Palace Road near
Santhome Santhome is a locality in Mylapore in Chennai city (formerly Madras) in India. History The word ''Santhome'' or ''San Thome'' is derived from Saint Thomas. The tradition is that he was martyred in AD 72 at St.Thomas Mount in the city, and was ...
. He had composed some 155
kriti Kriti may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kriti (music), a format of musical composition typical to Carnatic music * ''Kriti'' (film), a 2016 Hindi-language short film * Kriti TV, Greek TV station People with the name * Kriti Bharti, Indi ...
s in
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
,
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
,
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...
and
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
under the mudra 'Lalita dasar' and requested Chembai to popularise them. Chembai set the kritis to classical music and got them published under the name ''Lalita Dasar Keertanaigal''. He made it a practice to sing these kritis in most of his concerts. He also released a record containing selected kritis from Lalita Dasar's kritis like Evariki Telusunamma (
Dhanyasi Dhanyasi is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a ''janya'' rāgam (derived scale) from the 8th '' melakarta'' scale ''Hanumatodi''. It is a ''janya'' scale, as it does not have all the seven ''swa ...
), Ennil Kaninda ( Shankarabharanam), Pavana Guru (
Hamsanandi Hamsanandi (pronounced hamsānandi) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a hexatonic scale (''shadava'' rāgam, which means "of 6"). It is a derived scale (''janya'' rāgam), as it does not have ...
), Varijadala Lochani (
Arabhi Arabhi or Aarabhi (pronounced ārabhi) is a ragam (musical scale) in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music). It is a ''Janya'' raga (derived scale), whose ''Melakarta'' raga (parent scale, also known as ''janaka'') is '' Shankarabharan ...
), among others.


Performing ability and style

Chembai had a vigorous, strong, vibrant, ringing and resonant voice. He would sing in a clear, open-throated style that requires high levels of physical and mental endurance to pull off, yet, he did so in a seemingly effortless manner. He had a wonderful sense of accurate kala pramana (time measure). He could do a
niraval In Carnatic music, Neraval also known as Niraval or Sahitya Vinyasa is the elaboration and improvisation of melody for a particular line. Usually, just one or two lines of text from the song (from the charanam part of the kriti) are sung repeated ...
and swaraprastara from any given point, which bespoke of mental alertness in a concert. His empathy for his accompanists and disciples was noteworthy and he would go to great lengths to encourage them. Other stalwarts have admired the strengths in Chembai's singing. For instance, upon witnessing that Chembai was able to sing three major concerts in a single day, Sangeetha Kalanidhi G. N. Balasubramaniam is said to have remarked "These are not ordinary men. These are the
Asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indian religions, Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Deva (Hinduism), Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhism, Buddhi ...
s of the music field. If I sing one concert, I need to rest the whole of next day". Legendary percussionist
Pudukkottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai Dhakshinamoorthy Pillai (1875–1936), was a leading mridangam and kanjira artist who accompanied musicians in Carnatic music concerts from 1875 to 1925. Pillai took lessons from Pudukottai Manpundia Pillai and was influenced by the music of Th ...
would call him "Laya Brahma" for his impeccable grasp of tala and laya. Sangeetha Kalanidhi K. V. Narayanaswamy has also remarked on Chembai's ability to hold notes aligned perfectly to sruti for extended intervals of time.


Disciples

Chembai had many students, including K. J. Yesudas and many noted musicians like Sangeetha Kalanidhi
T. V. Gopalakrishnan Tripunithura Viswanathan Gopalakrishnan (born 11 June 1932 in Tripunithura, Kerala), known as TVG, is a Carnatic and Hindustani musician from Cochin, Kerala, India. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2014. Ea ...
, P. Leela, and the Jaya-Vijaya twins, Kudumaru Venkataraman, Paramasivan Bhagavathar and others.


Death

Chembai died suddenly on 16 October 1974, aged 78, of a cardiac arrest. Shortly before that, he performed his last concert at Poozhikkunnu Sreekrishna temple in
Ottapalam Ottapalam, (also spelled Ottappalam) is a town, taluk and municipality in the Palakkad district, Palakkad District, Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ottapalam taluk. Ottapalam is located about 36 km from district head ...
(the venue of his first concert), and concluded the concert with his favourite song "Karuna Cheivan Endu Thamasam Krishna" (''Why is there so much delay in conferring your mercy, Krishna?''). He was talking to his disciple Olappamanna Vasudevan Namboothiripad when he suddenly collapsed and died. His nephew said he had always spoken about an easy death, and had attained it.''Bhakthapriya'' magazine, 2004 He was cremated in his birth village. He was survived by his wife and daughter, both of them who died later. The Govt. Musical College in Palakkad was renamed as 'Chembai Memorial Govt' Musical College' in his memory.


Awards and titles

Chembai received several awards and titles during his career, most notably including: * "Gayana Gandharva" (a title bestowed by
Kalki Krishnamurthy , birth_name = Ramasamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy , birth_date = , birth_place = Puthamangalam, near Manalmedu , death_date = , death_place = Chennai, India , occupation = journalist, critic and writer , nationality = Indian , education = H ...
in 1940) * Sangeetha Kalanidhi (1951; highest accolade in Carnatic music) *
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
(1958) *
Sangeetha Kalasikhamani Sangeetha Kalasikhamani or Sangita Kalasikhamani (Sanskrit: saṅgītakalāśikhāmaṇi) (sangeetha = music, kala = art, sikhamaṇi = A gem of a diadem or crest) is the title awarded yearly to an expert Carnatic music Carnatic music, kno ...
(1964; by The Fine Arts Society, Chennai) *
Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
(1973) – The Padma Bhushan is a national award bestowed by the President of India on select musicians and other eminent people. Chembai was selected to receive the award in 1973 from the then president V. V. Giri. * The Department of Posts, Govt of India released a special issue stamp in Chembai's birth centenary year (1996).


Music festivals

Chembai had been conducting a music festival in his native village from 1924 onwards. This was continued by his family and now by Chembai Sreenivasan and Chembai Suresh (C. A. Subramanian). The concert, called Chembai Ekadasi Music Festival, is held annually in February–March. Chembai also held a music festival on
Guruvayur Ekadasi Guruvayur Ekadasi in Guruvayur is the 11th day of Vrishchika. It falls in the Mandala season. The Navami (9th day) and Dasami (10th day) are also important. Vilakku Ekadasi starts a month before with offerings by individuals, families and organ ...
Day (mid-November) at Guruvayur every year. This festival, now called
Chembai Sangeetholsavam Chembai Sangeetholsavam is an annual Carnatic music festival held in Guruvayur by the Guruvayur Devaswom (similar to the Thyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyaru) in memory of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, one of the titans of Carnatic classical mus ...
in his honour, is officially conducted by the
Guruvayur Devaswom Board Guruvayur Devaswom Board is a Statutory and Independent body created for the governing and management of 12 temples in Kerala assigned to it. With the passing of Madras Regulation Act in the year 1817, temples were brought under the control of E ...
.


Guruvayurappan Chembai Puraskaram

The Sri Guvayurappan Chembai Puraskaram, awarded by Sree Krishna Temple,
Guruvayur Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...
, is instituted in Chembai's memory of the late Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. This award, comprising a cash prize of INR 50,001, a gold locket of Sree
Guruvayurappan Guruvayurappan ( ml, ഗുരുവായൂരപ്പന്‍, (transliterated guruvāyūrappan)) also often rendered Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu worshipped mainly in Kerala. He is the presiding deity of the Guruvayur temple, w ...
, a citation and ponnadai, is usually presented during the annual Chembai Music Festival. The recipients of the Chembai puraskaram include: *Saxophonist
Kadri Gopalnath Kadri Gopalnath (6 December 1949 – 11 October 2019) was an Indian alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and one of the pioneers of Carnatic music for that instrument. Early life Born in Sajeepa Mooda village in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada ...
(2013)Chembai Puraskaram for Kadri Gopalnath
''The Hindu'', 31 October 2013.
*Carnatic musician
Trichur V. Ramachandran Trichur V. Ramachandran(born 1940) is a Carnatic music vocalist. He received the most prestigious award of Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2012 from the Madras Music Academy. He was born in 1940 in Thrissur, Cochin State. He gave ...
Chembai award for 2012 announced
''The Hindu'', 2 October 2012.
*Veena maestro
A. Ananthapadmanabhan A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to: Science and technology Quantities and units * ''a'', a measure for the attraction between particles in the Van der Waals equation * ''A'' value, a measure of ...
(2011) *Carnatic musician K. G. Jayan (2010) *Carnatic vocalist Parassala Ponnammal (2009) *Mridangam maestro
Mavelikkara Velukkutty Nair Mavelikkara Velukutty Nair (Malayalam: മാവേലിക്കര വേലുക്കുട്ടി നായർ) was an Indian mridangam player. Life Mavelikkara Velukkutty Nair was born on 2 October 1926 in Chettikulangara (near Mavel ...
(2008) *Carnatic vocalist
M. Balamuralikrishna Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna (6 July 1930 – 22 November 2016) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist, musician, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer, and character actor. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in ...
(2007) *Violin maestro
M. S. Gopalakrishnan M.S. Gopalakrishnan, a.k.a. MSG, (10 June 1931 – 3 January 2013) was a violinist in the field of Carnatic music. He is commonly grouped with Lalgudi Jayaraman and T.N.Krishnan as part of the violin-trinity of Carnatic Music. He was awarded ...
(2006) *Carnatic musician and mridangam maestro
T V Gopalakrishnan Tripunithura Viswanathan Gopalakrishnan (born 11 June 1932 in Thrippunithura, Tripunithura, Kerala), known as TVG, is a Carnatic music, Carnatic and Hindustani music, Hindustani musician from Cochin, Kerala, India. He was awarded the Madras Mu ...
(2005)


See also

*
Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
*
List of Carnatic singers Carnatic music is the classical music of South India. The following lists provide links to concert artists who have been widely recognised. Vocalists - born before 1800 * Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma, born 1724 *Tyagaraja, born 1 ...


References


External links

*http://chembai.com *https://web.archive.org/web/20060610105948/http://chembaismruthi.org/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20070104210611/http://www.cmana.org/cmana/articles/gmcm.htm * accompanied by
Chowdiah Tirumakudalu Chowdiah ( kn, ಸಂಗೀತ ರತ್ನ ತಿರುಮಕೂಡಲು ಚೌಡಯ್ಯ) (1895 – 19 January 1967) was a violin maestro from India in the Carnatic classical tradition. Early years Chowdiah, was born in ...
on the violin and
Palghat Mani Iyer Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer (1912–1981), born Thiruvilvamalai Ramaswamy was one of the leading mridangists in the field of Carnatic music. He, along with his contemporaries Palani Subramaniam Pillai and Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy, are ...
on the
Mridangam The mridangam is a percussion instrument of ancient origin. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion instrument. A related instrument is the ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chembai Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Carnatic instrumentalists Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeetha Kalanidhi recipients 1896 births 1974 deaths People from Palakkad district Singers from Kerala 20th-century Indian male classical singers