 Morsing maestro Srirangam Kannan
 To master a Grecian instrument - morsing - is as difficult as scaling Mt Everest.
(The instrument is also called Jews' harp.) Srirangam Kannan, an eminent vidwan, found morsing very interesting. Hailing from Srirangam, a vibrant holy town, he chose to pursue his musical career in morsing. A bank employee, his unquenchable thirst to learn morsing made him seek the guidance of M Rajaram a noted
mridangist.
Advanced training under Kalaimamani Pudukottai Mahadevan, a renowned morsing vidwan honed his skills. After office hours he would practice for a fairly long time to achieve perfection.
Kannan cherishes the morsing presented to him by Mannargudi Natesa Pillai, a leading morsing vidwan. He was transferred to many places and thus could not concentrate on the morsing. After five years of hiatus, he settled down in Chennai, as per Lalgudi Jayaraman’s advice, to pursue music.
 Kannan became an ‘A’ grade artiste in the AIR Chennai and his fame spread far and wide. A defining moment in his life was when he was inducted into Guru Karaikudi Mani’s 'Sruthilaya'. It was Karaikudi Mani who channelised his potential and embellished his playing techniques which made him strike an immediate rapport with the audience. From then onwards there was no looking back.
He started accompanying the upper crust of musicians. It is rather amazing to know that he could manage two streams with great élan. Karikudi Mani’s ensemble would rehearse umpteen times before performing at various places, declares Kannan. His marathon practice session was a launch pad for his future endeavours. Since Kannan would reach Karaikudi Mani’s place after office hours, he would be served light refreshment and then their practice would start. “Karaikudi Mani would take personal care in my wellbeing,” says Kannan in a voice choked with emotion. His deep sense of gratitude to Karaikudi Mani is amazing.
Kannan has been accompanying the upper crust of musicians for almost three decades. “Every concert is a lesson to me,”quips Kannan and opines that learning is a never-ending process. Great maestros like Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Palakkadu Raghu and T K Murthy, and many laya vidwans have taught him the nuances of the art. He feels that an accompanist should be mentally alert and follow the main artiste carefully. Morsing plays a vital role in enhancing a concert.
 Kannan is a widely travelled person and has earned laurels for his steadfast partnership as an accompanist. He nostalgically recalls his European and Asian tours with the crème de la crème of the music world which will be etched in his memory forever.
He has been heaped with awards and honours including the prestigious Kalaimamani award in 1998. His lifetime achievement award in the field of music for morsing from Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, came as the icing on the cake in 2003. His lec/dem at Music Academy
under the guidance of Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman during the 2005 December music season about the ‘Unique percussive language of morsing’ was a great success.
He owes his success to the Almighty and his mentor Karaikudi Mani. He is blessed to have been graced by Swami Suraja Nanda, who is Karaikudi Mani’s guru. He is also thankful to his colleagues in the bank who have been very supportive. His family has been a great source of strength, he declares.
Kannan can be contacted at:
15-G-8th Main Road,
Kasturba Nagar,
Adyar,
Chennai-20.
Ph.2441 1343
email id: srgmkannan@yahoo.com
website: www.srirangamkannan.com
Mira
mira60@rediff.com
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