Palavesam Arunachalam (26 April 1921 – 6 April 1964) was a popular

nadaswaram The Nagaswaram (nādḥasvaram) is a double reed wind instrument from South India. It is used as a traditional classical instrument in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala. This instrument is "among the world's loudes ...

player. He was popularly known as Karukurichi Arunachalam after Karukurichi, his native village in the

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tami ...

District of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

Life

Arunachalam was born in 1921 to Palavesam and Chellammal. Arunachalam's father, who was allegedly impressed by the fame and prestige enjoyed by musicians, especially

players, wanted to become a nadaswaram player himself. Another account says he was inspired by the virtuosity of the nadaswaram player Koorainadu Natesa Pillai. Though Arunachalam's father trained for several years, he was not successful. Arunachalam's father taught him to play the nadaswaram. Arunachalam trained further on the nadaswaram under Kattumalli Subbiah and Vilathikulam Swamigal, and under Kalakkad Subbiah Bhagavatar and Kalakkad Ramanarayana Bhagavatar for vocal music. Arunachalam's break came when he not only had the opportunity to meet Pillai, but also accompanied him on stage when one of Pillai's deputies, Natarajasundaram Pillai, fell ill just before a concert. Impressed with Arunachalam's talent and love for the art, Pillai embraced Arunachalam as his full-time student (Gurukulavasam). Arunachalam honed his skills under the guru over the years and established a name for himself. Arunachalam quickly became a much sought after artist. Arunachalam's fame soared when he played for the Tamil movie ''

Konjum Salangai ''Konjum Salangai'' () is a 1962 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language musical film, musical dance film directed by M. V. Raman. The film stars Gemini Ganesan, Savitri (actress), Savitri, R. S. Manohar and Kumari Kamala. It was released on 14 J ...

'', in which the hero is a nadaswaram player. The song "Singaravelane Deva" was a hit and often played at local events. Though he did not continue acting, his career as a musician flourished. E.V.Saroja , T. R. Ramanna, M.K.Radha,

Rajaji Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and Indian Independence M ...

T. D. Kusalakumari Thanjavur Damayanthi Kusalakumari (6 December 1937 - 7 March 2019) was an Indian actress and dancer. She featured in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam language films. Early life Born in Thanjavur, Kusalakumari is a niece of T. R. Rajakumari. Her bir ...

were very close relatives of him.

Death and legacy

Arunachalam died suddenly at the age of 43 on 6 April 1964 at the peak of his fame. Even today, his recordings are often played at weddings and auspicious occasions in

and among Tamil communities outside India.

References

{{Reflist 1921 births 1964 deaths Nadaswaram players Indian musicians