Vid. T V SHANKARANARAYANAN
(1945-2nd Sep 2022)
Om Shanthi.
The year was 1979. A few of we young music lovers in Hassan were running a Gayana Sabha (we were the first to conduct ticketed music concerts in Hassan).
At that time we had arranged for a Violin solo of M S Gopalakrishnan, a stalwart at that time. At the end of the concert we asked him to suggest a few names for the next concert. Immediately he suggested the name of young Vocalist of those days…….T V SHANKARANARAYANAN (TVS).
Our next concert was TVS. That night TVS was in a class of his own. He thundered through his high pitched tone, stressing on higher octaves. When he sang Madurai Mani hits like ‘sarasa sama gana, Eppo vaare varu and the English note,’ elders had no doubt that he was a disciple of that late Maestro.
Next morning when I accompanied him to the nearby bus stand, TVS was more than humble in talking to a young novice like me. He humbly asked how was the concert yesterday. In my layman’s words I told him that his singing at higher octaves was very impressive. Young TVS was more than happy while receiving my compliments.
Since then I have heard him live not less than 20 times. Every time I have found new new dimensions in his singing to explore. I liked his dynamic tone, its versatility without compromising on the bhava part. His duet with noted violinists and the tala artists was worth watching. Unlike many stalwarts of today, he was well disciplined and always sang to the delight of his audience. I rate him as the best vocalist of our times.
Nephew and disciple of the late Maestro Madurai Mani Iyer, had a long singing career of over 5 decades. Padma Bhushana TVS was a connoisseur of pure classics and was a Mano dharma exponent. While he carried his master’s school of music, I don’t find anybody who can carry forward his school.
Sorry to note that our MADia has hardly covered the news of his passing away.
May his soul rest in peace.
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