Dec 3rd is Shri Maharajapuram Santhanam’s birthday. Dr Ganesh Radhakrishnan, his disciple and Carnatic Vocalist emailed this to me three and half years back.
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dear shri suresh,
Thanks for the mail. My Guru was a great devotee of Mahaperiyava. He
has composed a thillana and three other songs on His Holiness which he
rendered in almost all concerts as also in cassette recordings.
I had the opportunity of singing with my guru as vocal support since
aug 87 till 23rd june 92 (his last concert in manjakkudi village). I
had the wonderful chance of accompanying my Guru to have darshan of
Mahaswamigal and also sing along with my Guru and get the prasadam
from His Holiness. many times. My Guru had lot of cherishable
experiences with the Saint – out of the many one experience my Guru
narrated very often is given below:
When Shri Maharajapuram Viswaantha Iyer was residing at Nungambakkam
and Mahaperiyaval was camping at a place adjacent to his house and was
in mounavratha. One evening when Shri MVIyer was singing at his house
“vinayakuni” and singing neraval at “anadharakshaki sri kamakshi”.
Suddenly Mahaperiyaval got up from his seat walked and reached shri
mviyer’s house and entered. An agitated Sri MViyer then performed
namaskaram and periyaval said “your singing made me come out of the
house” – of course out of the mounavratha also. That time Sri mviyer
had a desire in his mind. He wanted mahaperiyaval to gift the
rudraksha combined spatika mala that periyaval used to wear. But he
did not get this in his life time.
Later when my guru visited Sri periyaval at Satara one evening,
periyaval asked him to sing Mohanam in detail. Then when my guru asked
if he could leave the saint asked him to stay that night. Early in the
morning when my guru heard some sound in the adjacent room, and when
he opened the window, he was surprised to see periyaval cleaning his
staying place on his own. periyaval on seeing my guru thro the window
asked him to come and sing mohanam ragam “evaruru ninuvina” again. My
guru sang and periyaval gave prasadam and permitted him to leave. My
guru left with heavy heart as he was expecting that gift that his
father wanted to receive. My guru would have waked some 100 feet.
Suddenly the mutt staff asked him to come back to periyaval as
instructed by HIS HOLINESS. My guru rushed back to the saint. A
smiling saint removed the rudraksha cum spatika mala and presented it
to my Guru. My Guru was in tears. May be this was the beginning of the
honours that my Guru received which even his father did not.
ganesh
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