Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam (or Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam) (born 25 November 1956) is a
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 ...
Vidwan from a family of traditional musicians in the
Tanjore district Thanjavur District is one of the Districts of Tamil Nadu, 38 districts of the States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur. The district is located in the delta of the Cauvery River ...
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 ...
,
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 ...
. He is currently staying in
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 ...
.


Early life

He initially began vocal training under his mother Sangeetha Vidushi Smt. T. R. Anandavalli and eventually started playing the Mridangam under the guidance and tutelage of his maternal uncle Mridangam Maestro Thiruvaarur Sri Krishnamurthy in gurukulavasam style. He began accompanying his musician mother in concerts from the age of nine and at the age of sixteen, he moved to Chennai, the cultural hub of Carnatic Music, performing widely in all prestigious
Sabhā A sabhā in Ancient India was an assembly, congregation, or council. Personified as a deity, Sabhā is a daughter of Prajapati in the Atharvaveda. The term has also given rise to modern terms of Parliament of India, such as Lok Sabha (Lower H ...
s and organizations. As a young mridangist, he won a number of prizes in all the Sabhas in Chennai. Due to his exceptional talent, the
All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...
gave a double promotion to him when he was promoted from 'B' to 'A' grade, bypassing the 'B high' grade. Soon after this rare achievement, he went on to attain the coveted Top grade from the All India Radio, making him one of the most celebrated artists at a very young age. He also had the rare privilege of playing at the opening ceremony of the
1992 Summer Olympic games The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
held in Barcelona, Spain. Sri Bakthavathsalam was attracted to spirituality even as a child. This naturally drew him to all the religious ashrams and mutts in South India. Over the years, he became very close to the heads of several mutts, ashrams, and spiritual Gurus. Naturally, he felt very blessed to be conferred his first title, “Mridanga Vadya Mani” by Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekara Saraswathi Swamigal of Kanchi Mutt. He was the youngest to receive this award among many other veterans.


Style

Though he belongs to the Tanjore style of playing, he developed his own individual style, which focuses on the overall up-gradation of the concert as a whole and not just the rhythm side alone. He is known for his vigorous and energetic playing and also his expertise in playing for varieties of
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 and compositions. In the year 1984, after hearing him play at the Music Academy in Chennai, Pt.
Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...
invited him over to join his ensemble for an international tour. He has trained many disciples all over the world in his Laya Madhuraa School of Percussion. Many of his disciples are star performers accompanying all the top-ranking and popular artists of today. Some have their own schools in different parts of India and abroad (New Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka, Canada, USA, etc.). Many of his students are also teaching at schools and universities.


Career

Dr. Bakthavathsalam holds a formidable achievement of playing for numerous yesteryear artists and more importantly, has accompanied three generations of musicians in his career. Dr. Bakthavathsalam has represented the country in many cross-continent and cross-cultural festivals held across the globe as an ambassador of Indian Classical Music and performed alongside many veteran musicians, both from the Indian system as well as many Western and contemporary systems of music. He has played in a number of fundraising concerts for different social and national issues like the Kargil Fund for the soldiers who lost their lives fighting for India, the Shankara Nethralaya, the Cancer Society, The Banyan, and many others. He has also given many lecture demonstrations and concerts for the youth under the organization
SPIC MACAY ''Spic'' (also spelled ''spick'') is an ethnic slur used in the United States for people from Latin American countries and states. Etymology Some sources from the United States believe that the word ''spic'' is a play on a Spanish-accented pron ...
and has represented
ICCR The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 Apri ...
in many musical ventures across the country and around the world, to create awareness and interest in students for classical music. He was awarded the Sangeeth Natak Akademi award by the President of India and the Kalaimamani award by the Tamil Nadu government. Several Sabhas in Chennai and other places have honored him with Lifetime Achievement awards and titles. He has established a unique outfit of traditional Carnatic music – LAYA MADHURAA “Divine Ensemble” which features traditional instruments like the Nadaswaram, Flute, and other percussion instruments and is much sought after in all social functions. He is the first classical artist in the South to have an exclusive fan club in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, where his fans conduct music festivals, awareness programs, and other social events in his honor. His contribution to classical Carnatic music in the last fifty years has been tremendous and he hopes to continue this worthy effort in the future for the benefit of society. For over seven years, Dr. Bakthavathsalam also served as Secretary of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Mummoorthigal Jayanthi Vizha festival held at the Arulmigu Thyagarajaswamy Temple in
Thiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing and mea ...
every year, where numerous artists take part and pay their tribute to the great composers and to the great trinity by offering timeless compositions and renderings to thousands that gather inside the temple premises. The whole event is a week long affair of grandeur and celebration of the beauty of Tamizh culture, heritage, and art.


108 Laya Madhura Mridanga Yagna

During the 68th birthday celebrations of Parama Pujya Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji in May 2010, the first-ever of its kind musical presentation “ Laya Madhura Mridanga Yagna" led by Mridanga Maestro Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam was organized at the Avadhoota Datta Peetham in
Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
. This concept devised by Swamiji had 108 mridangam artists from all over India participating in it. Based on a new
raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...
"Sachchidananda" dedicated to Swamiji, it explored the concept of "four" in melody and rhythm. The number four has a special significance – we have Brahma, the creator having four faces, the four vedas, the four seasons, the most common beat in classical music is made of four units, and so on. This unique musical offering was also based on the concept of four. The 108 mridangam artists were divided into four groups, representing the four varieties of rhythm namely – Chatusram, Tisram, Khandam, and Misram. The raga "Sachchidananda" is woven around the four notes – Sa, Ga, Pa, and Dha, and the mrudangam was also tuned to each of these notes by the four groups. Apart from playing intrinsic patterns, the four groups also presented four Korvais. With the blessings of Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji and ably led by maestro Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam, "Laya Madhura Mridanga Yagna" explored the multihued colors of melody and rhythm in the most exquisite manner and transported the listeners to a totally meditative plane. This extravagant effort got due recognition and was officially included into the prestigious Limca Book of Records.


76 Mridanga Yagna

He has also led similar concerts in India like the 76-Mridangam Ensemble in Kanchipuram, which was held in commemoration of the 76th birthday celebrations of Pujya Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swami, Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, Kanchipuram.


Laya Madhuraa School of Music

Sri Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam is the founder, director of the "Laya Madhuraa" School of music, which has its headquarters at Chennai, Coimbatore, and
Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Laya Madhuraa School of Music was inaugurated in the year 2000 with the aim to nurture and train young talents in Mrudangam, the mother of percussion in the field of South Indian Carnatic Music. The school has evolved systematic training methodologies and has been successful in producing numerous Mrudangam artists all over the world. It is also presently working on conceptualizing innovative percussion ideologies and introducing the nuances of Layam and Nadhaam of the Mrudangam even to a common man to realize the values of the Indian traditional arts. Laya Madhuraa School of Music also actively organizes the "LAYA MADHURAA SANGEETHOTHSAVAM" every year in Chennai. Every year during this festival, one Carnatic music veteran and one staunch promoter of Carnatic music are honored for their contribution to music. Further, the festival also features a series of concerts on all five days by eminent musicians and through this event, promotes talented youngsters and provides a platform to many promising young musicians to showcase their abilities.


Laya Madhuraa Divine Ensemble

He has created his own troupe of music ensembles named "LayaMadhura". In this ensemble he has named it as a divine ensemble by including instruments like the
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 ...
,
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
, and
flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
as melodic instruments and the mridangam,
kanjira The kanjira, khanjira, khanjiri or ganjira, a South Indian frame drum, is an instrument of the tambourine family. As a folk and bhajan instrument, it has been used in India for many centuries. The kanjira's emergence in South Indian Carnatic m ...
,
ghatam The ghaṭam ( sa, घटं ''ghaṭaṁ'', kan, ಘಟ ''ghaṭah'', ta, கடம் ''ghatam'', te, ఘటం ''ghatam'', ml, ഘടം, ''ghatam'') is a percussion instrument used in various repertoires across India. It's a variant ...
,
morsing The morsing (also mukharshanku, mourching, morching or morchang; Sanskrit: दंत वाद्यन्तरात्मसत्रस्य, Telugu: మోర్సింగ్, Kannada: ಮೋರ್ಸಿಂಗ್, Rajasthani: मोर ...
, and
tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల ...
as percussion. All the artists in his group are of a high caliber.


CD albums

He has to his credit two solo audio albums viz."Laya Madhuraa" and "Thala Bhakthi", and has also provided accompaniment in numerous cassettes and CDs for top-ranking artists. He has also released a CD "rhythmic symphony", a percussion jugalbandi with Pandit Anindo Chatterjee on the
tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల ...
. The latest twin CD album is the "divine ensemble" which is the new novel instrumental ensemble he has evolved with instruments like the nadaswaram, violin, flute, ghatam, kanjira, morsing, and tabla.


Awards and accolades

* "Laya Chelvam" from Muthamizh Peravai presented by Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu "Kalaignar" Dr. M. Karunanidhi *Honorary Doctorate degree, International Tamil University, Hawaii, USA *Lifetime Achievement Award by the Santhi Arts Foundation & Endowments (SAFE), Chennai *Lifetime Achievement Award by Carnatica, Chennai *Lifetime Achievement Award by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai *Kalaimamani from the State Govt. of Tamil Nadu *Sangeetha Choodamani from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai *Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar from Sangeet Natak Akademi - India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama *Arsha Kala Bhushanam from Pujyasri Swami Dayananda Saraswati *Isai Chelvam from Muthmizh Peravai *Mridhanga Vadhya mani *Mridhanga Nadha mani *Tamizh Isai Vendhar, Kartik Fine Arts, Chennai *Mridhanga Kala Bharathi Gana Sabha
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
*Laya Vadhya Samarat Indian Classical Musicians Federation, Kumbakonam *Mridhanga Chakravathi by Nemili Bala Thirupruasundari Bala Peetam *Thala Vidhyadhara Sudha by Sakthi Arul Koodam Narpavi,
Tambaram Tambaram is a southern suburb of Chennai, India. Located in the Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu, it is governed by Tambaram City Municipal Corporation and is a part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area. Etymology Tambaram is an ancient town ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakthavathsalam, Thiruvarur 1956 births Living people Indian percussionists Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award People from Tiruvarur district