56 Young Nadaswaram Artistes To Honour Legend T N Rajarathinam Pillai In Mumbai’s Two-Day Musical Tribute

Mumbai: The haunting strains of the Nadaswaram will fill parts of central Mumbai this weekend as 56 young artistes come together to honour legendary Nadaswaram exponent T N Rajarathinam Pillai on the occasion of his 128th birth anniversary.

Two-Day Programme Begins At Shanmukhananda Hall

The two-day programme, organised to commemorate the legacy of the celebrated musician and encourage the next generation of Nadaswaram artistes, began on Saturday evening with a concert at Shanmukhananda Hall in King’s Circle. Fifty young fellowship artistes performed as an ensemble, led by Shanmukha Rathna Vyasarpadi Kothandaraman.

S Ramesh, 31, Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, attended the programme as the chief guest.

56 Artistes To Lead Nadaswaram Procession On Sunday

The celebrations will culminate on Sunday morning, when 56 young Nadaswaram artistes will assemble at Gokul Hall near Kikabhai Hospital. Following a one-hour performance at a temple, they will set out at around 7.30am towards Shanmukhananda Hall, creating a rare spectacle as the musicians play the traditional wind instrument during the procession.

K A Vishwanathan, a Nadaswaram aficionado, said he was hoping the weather would remain favourable for the performance. “There have been occasions when rain has disrupted the event,” he said.

Organisers Hope Weather Remains Favourable

The artistes will be felicitated at a programme at Shanmukhananda Hall at 10am, where they will be presented with the Shanmukhananda Nadaswara Chakravarthy T N Rajarathinam Pillai Fellowship. Minister Ramesh will present the fellowships.

Born in 1898, Rajarathinam Pillai, who died in 1956, is regarded as one of the greatest exponents of the Nadaswaram. Often described as the Carnatic music equivalent of the shehnai, the Nadaswaram occupies a distinctive place in South Indian classical music and temple traditions.

The gathering of dozens of young musicians in his memory is intended not merely as a tribute to a towering figure of the past, but also as an effort to ensure that the rich Nadaswaram tradition continues to flourish among a new generation of performers.

With the young artistes playing together, Sunday morning’s procession and subsequent felicitation are expected to offer Mumbai a distinctive musical experience while bringing the city’s Carnatic music communities together in celebration of one of the instrument’s most celebrated masters.

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