Madurai Thirumalai Nambi Seshagopalan (born, 5 September 1948) is a noted Carnatic singer, musician and composer. He was awarded 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 ...

Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sangeetha Kalanidhi or Sangeeta Kalanidhi (Tamil: சங்கீத கலாநிதி, Sanskrit : संगीत-कला-निधि) (''sangeetha'' = music, ''kala'' = art, ''nidhi'' = treasure or ocean) is the title awarded yearly to ...

in 2006. As well as being a master of the

veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps.< ...

and

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

, he is an exponent of

harikatha ''Harikatha'' (Kannada: ಹರಿಕಥೆ : ''Harikathe''; Telugu: హరికథ : ''Harikatha;'' Marathi: हरीपाठ '': Haripatha'', ), also known as ''Harikatha Kaalakshepam'' in Telugu and Tamil (), is a form of Hindu tradition ...

Early life

Though T. N. Seshagopalan uses 'Madurai' in front of his name, he was actually born in

Nagapattinam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...

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 ...

. He first learnt under his mother, and later under tutelage of Ramanathapuram C. S. Sankarasivan. He holds a degree in science from

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

and a degree in music from

Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) is a public state university located in Madurai city, in southern Tamil Nadu, India, established in 1966. MKU is one of the 15 universities in India with the University with Potential for Excellence status, wh ...

where he later served as professor of music.

Music career

He is proficient in rendering Harikatha and performs as per the guruparampara of Harikesanallur

Muthiah Bhagavatar Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (15 November 1877 – 30 June 1945), commonly known as Muthiah Bhagavatar, is one of Carnatic classical music's famous twentieth-century composers. He also created about 20 '' ragas''. Early life Muthiah was bo ...

. Seshagopalan continues to increase his wide repertoire with compositions of his own. He is noted for his own elegant

thillana A Tillana or thillana is a rhythmic piece in Carnatic music that is generally performed at the end of a concert and widely used in classical indian dance performances. It was popularised by Dr. M Balamuralikrishna and some other musicians A Til ...

bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

s, namavalis and

abhang Abhanga () is a form of devotional poetry sung in praise of the Hindu god Vitthal, also known as Vithoba. The word "abhang" comes from ''a'' for "non-" and ''bhang'' for "ending" or "interrupting", in other words, a flawless, continuous process, in ...

s. He is equally at home with North Indian ragas and has participated in several

jugalbandhi A jugalbandi or jugalbandhi is a performance in Indian classical music, especially in Hindustani classical music but also in Carnatic, that features a duet of two solo musicians. The word jugalbandi means, literally, "entwined twins." The duet ca ...

s. Noted singer

Gayathri Girish “Kalaimamani” Gayathri Girish is a Carnatic vocalist. Her introduction to music began as a child at the age of 6 years under the guidance of her mother Padmini Srinivasan. She subsequently came under the tutelage of Vidwan Vaigal.S.Gnanaskand ...

is his disciple.

Tours

In 1984 he was invited to sing at the Adelaide International Festival in Australia (and included performances Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and New Zealand). In 1987 he was India's cultural ambassador to Russia. He has performed in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Bahrain and Sri Lanka and has visited and performed in the United States of America numerous times.

Film

In 1983 he produced and played hero in a Tamil movie "Thodi Raagam". He also acted as Prashanth's father in ''

Jambhavan ''Jambhavan'' is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by A. M. Nandakumar and produced by Rajalakshmi Kalaikudam. The film stars Prashanth, Meera Chopra, Nila and Meghna Naidu, while Vivek (actor), Vivek, Vijayan (stunt coordinator) ...

'' (2006).

Awards and titles

*Harikatha Chudamani awarded by the Krishna Gana Sabha in the presence of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Sep 2014 *Gayaka Sikhamani awarded by Chodiah Memorial Trust Mysore in January 2007 *''

2006'' awarded by

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 ...

- 2004 *"SangeetaSaagara" by CMANA, NJ, USA 2007 *''Sulakshana Gana Vichkshana'' - by H. H. Srimad Andavan Swamigal Srirangam - 1993 *

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 ...

, by The Indian Fine arts Society, Chennai - 2000 *''Kumaragandharva Rashtriya Sanmaan'' - Kumaragandhrva Foundation Mumbai 2002 *''Nadhabrahmam'' - Indian Fine Arts Texas USA - 2002 *Musician of the Year 1999-2000 by

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. History It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...

*President Award 2000 - by Sangeet Natak Academy, Central Government *''Tiruppugazh Mani'' in 1964 *''Gana Bhoopathi'' by the Tamil Sangam of Olavakod in 1967 *''Sangeetha Kala Sagaram'' by Sri

Jayendra Saraswathi Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya (born Subramanyam Mahadeva; 18 July 1935 – 28 February 2018) was the 69th Shankaracharya Guru and head or pontiff (Pïțhādhipati) of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Subramanyam Mahadeva Iyer w ...

Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Sri Kanchi Monastery or the Sarvagna Peetha, is a Hindu institution, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near a temple dedicated to Goddess Sri Kamakshi (Durga, ...

*''

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...

'' by Tamil Nadu Government in 1984 *''Isai Selvam'' by Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr.

Karunanidhi Muthuvel Karunanidhi (3 June 1924 – 7 August 2018) was an Indian writer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for almost two decades over five terms between 1969 and 2011. He was popularly referred to as Kalaignar (Art ...

. *''Isai Kalai Vendan'' by Australian Foundation of Canberra - 1998

References

External links

Madurai T. N. Seshagopalan interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seshagopalan, Madurai T. N. 1948 births Living people Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Harikatha exponents