TS Tatachar:
TS Tatachar,
an accomplished Violinist, is a retired staff artist of AIR Bangalore. He accompanied many
famous musicians over the years including Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.
(Interview conducted on
April 25, 2001 at about 6.00 p.m. by Vinjamuri's daughter Sandhya Vinjamuri-Giri at the
house of Sri TS Tatachar, at #1 Putta Ranganna Street, Seshadripuram, Bangalore - 560020.
English translation script to conversation Video and Audio taped. This also includes
additional comments from the write-up of TST on Vinjamuri written on November 28, 2000,
written at the request of Radha Sreevaran-Vinjamuri of Bangalore)
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Vinjamuri was a good friend of mine. It was in 1942 that he came to Mysore Akasavani for the first time. Before that he came to Mysore to give a Kutcheri. At that Kutcheri I also played (Violin) for him. When I played he understood me and we got intimacy between us. After that, in the due course, he sang five or six Kutcheries and I played for all those also. Then, they called him for Akashvani Program. When he came the first time, he stayed at Chmundeswari Hotel there. Then we got intimacy and then he started coming to my house, even when he came to Mysore on invitation from the palace. I was playing for him at the Akashavani all the time. When he came he used stay in our house only. One time, he stayed in our house for one or two months. It was a small house; it |
was in olden days; he used to take oil bath and everything and stayed in our house. He always treated everybody with equal affection without being proud of his being a big artiste. He was like one in the family. He was a humble man. During that stay, I have accompanied him at Anandabhavan and for a few other concerts.
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(When he came here) He would sing and I would play
and I will tell him some Kritis, in that way we used to exchange. He taught Sudha Madhurya
and other songs, I still remember, I wrote down all those Kritis. He said that as I have
done a lot for him, he should do something for me and arranged for my accompaniment for
him in Rajamundry. For that Rajamundry Kutcheri, I came to Madras and ate in your house
and he and I went to Rajamundry from there, together. Rajamundry Kutcheri too was a
success; we got very good name. I had to play for VV Satagopan also the next day; they put
me for two Kutcheries. So, he told me to stay back and he left after his Kutcheri.
After a few more times of his coming to Mysore, there was to be a change; the then chief minister K. Hanumanthayya wanted the Mysore Akashavani to be shifted to Bangalore. The last Kutcheri in Mysore was that of Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar as per the wishes of CM. For his sake I too stayed back. I did not come for the opening here. I thought how could I leave him and also I wanted to play for him, so I stayed back. |
| The last Kutcheri was in Mysore Akashavani and then started
in Bangalore all India Radio. After that I did not meet him too many times. He came here
seven or some years ago. He came to my home and we were talking for some time. His Music was of olden day's style; it is Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar's style. He had great voice (Ghana Sruthi Sareeram). It reaches upper octaves (Thara Panchamam) very easily. It is Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar's style; Birkas (Gamakam) used to come out very well. Apart from that, he did not have calculations like today; no one had too many calculations in those days; nowadays it is becoming too much; he used to sing Sarva Laghu Swaras very well. He was a very good singer; only people with audience attraction were given Kutcheries in Mysore. |
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He had the capacity to take the audiences with him to the divine world. His ragalapana made people spell bound. He would present even the toughest raga or kriti with atmost ease. He had a very good name. He sang for many years. I remember his singing Sudha Madhurya in Sinduramakriya. Because we knew Telugu, we used to talk only in Telugu. We were very good friends. He was a very simple man and a himble person without any Bheshajam. We were all charmed by his life-style. After taking a very heavy oil bath, he would settle for a very simple meal with Rasam Sadam. He would say "Onnum Vendam ma, Rasam sadam podum, srama pada vendam".
I accompanied your father in Mysore a lot and also in Rajamundry. In those days there were not many Kutcheries in Bangalore, only in Mysore. I did not accompany him in any other place. I did not accompany him in the presence of the Maharaja of Mysore. In AIR as I was a staff artist I played for all his programs.
Your father had a wonderful personality; he used to be taller than I am; I am pretty tall, he used to be more than I am. He had white skin. Good robust body and smiling face. In Hyderabad he had the accident, otherwise very good personality. He was a very good man and a very good friend.
Mrs. Tatachar:
He was not a conceited man. He used to be very friendly with everyone asking how are you and what is the cooking to day! He would come right in; it was a small house then. He would be so respectful. It used to be so nice. That's why his blessings are with all his children. When it comes to singing, when someone sings Sudha Madhurya, I will come and tell him (Mr. Tatachar) "see someone is singing Sudha Madhurya". I like that song very much. His Ramabhakthi samrajyam and Sudha Madhurya Bhashini still reverberates in my ears. There is no one like that in Music in the present days. We cannot find people like that anymore. That kind of respectful behaviour is not to be found. If people have a little money they will be treated high, otherwise low.
(Sent a Thank-You card and a personal letter along with the picture of Mrs & TS Tatachar taken during the interview, also a picture of Vinjamuri - June 2001)BACK TO: Others About About Vinjamuri Home Page