The guru-sishya parampara in vogue in Tamil Nadu makes the performer, young or old, exhibit his lineage in his concerts. The inimitable musical genius Sri Dakshinamurthi Pillai of Pudukottai was well-versed in playing mridangam and kanjira. He had trained many students and notable among them were Dakshinamurthi Achariar and Tiruvenkatathayya of Madurai.

R Thayumanavan is an off-shoot of this musical tree. Disciple of Dakshinamurthi Achariar, Thayumanavan is involved in celebrating the guru pooja of Dakshinamurthi Pillai who later became a hermit and was called ‘Sri La Sri Chinmayananda Mouna Guru. Leading the life of a recluse, he was a treasure trove of knowledge.

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As a mark of respect, Thayumanavan of Trichy has been performing guru pooja for several years. He is a genius in the musical fraternity. He has trained several disciples who are scattered around the globe. Joining hands with their guru, his disciples make it an annual event.

Even this year, they celebrated the guru pooja at Trichy. Since Dakshinamurthi Pillai was a Muruga devotee, abishekam was performed for Lord Muruga at a nearby temple followed by special aarthi and goshti ganam by musicians. As annadhanam is a part and parcel of any musical festival, food was served to the musical congregation.

Stalwarts like clarinet vidwan Tanjavur Veerasamy and Nagaswara vidwan Kasim Babu and troupe participated to pay obeisance to the great musical savant. The musical soiree had several renowned artistes performing there Kuzikarai Viswalingam, Karaikudi M S Mani, Senthangudi Jayaraman, Mandolin U P Raju, T K V Ramanuja Charyulu and Ambujam Vedantam, Madipakkam Murali, Madipakkam Suresh, Trichy Murali, Adambakkam Shanker and the grand old man of mridangam world, Madras Kannan, participated.

The trust honours two senior vidwans every year. Gifts and cash awards are presented to them. This year, the award winners were Cheranmadevi L.N. Somayajulu, a famous vocalist, and Nagaraja Rao, ghatam vidwan.

Thayumanavan does not collect money or accept donations. The expenses for the pooja are borne by his beloved students and himself. Thayumanavan’s devotion to his guru is amazing. Under his stewardship, his disciples are also doing yeoman service to the musical world. They followed their guru’s footsteps to make this guru pooja a grand success.

R Thayumanavan can be contacted at:
Gurupriya Laya Vidyalaya Trust
20, Palayam Bazaar,
Woraiyur,
Trichy
Phone: 0431 – 276 0216