 Thiruvengadu Jayaraman – Scholarly musician
 A Vedic scholar clad in the traditional panchakacham and forehead smeared with sandal paste does abishekam to the icon of Tyagaraja on Pushya Bagula Panchami at Tiruvaiyaru. Guess the name of the person? He is none other than Thiruvengadu Jayaraman who is a Vedic pundit amongst musicians.
Hailing from an erudite family of Vedic scholars, he branched off into music because of his grandmother. Spotting the musical fire in the child, she paved the way for his musical career. Melattur Swaminatha Dikshitar taught him the initial lessons - ‘Bala
Patam’.
Since he wanted to pursue music, he went to Mayavaram from his hometown Thiruvengadu. “It is only luck and divine grace which made me come under the tutelage of Madurai Mani Iyer and Vembu Iyer,” quips Jayaraman in a voice choked with emotions.
 His gurukulavasam, which spanned almost two decades, was a turning point in his life. Jayaraman used to walk from Thiruvengadu to Mayavaram to learn lessons from his guru. After staying in Madurai Mani Iyer’s house for a couple of days, he used to return on foot.
After some time, he was asked to stay with them. “I owe my success to my gurus,” declares a faithful Jayaraman. They were instrumental in shaping his musical career and he travelled through the length and breadth of India with them for a dozen years. His maiden concert at Thiruvengadu Ahoresswarar temple created ripples in the music fraternity.
In Mayavaram, many stalwarts used to visit his guru’s house to discuss the divine art which made him assimilate the technicalities in music. In fact, it was a launch pad for his future endeavours. Gifted with a strong voice and resonant timbre, he carved a distinct identity for himself. “I tagged along with my guns when they shifted to Chennai and I continued to be one amongst them,” declares Jayaraman. His practice session used to be for a fairly long time.
 Jayaraman is completely committed to classicism and does not detract from the prescribed format. He is an ‘A’ grade artiste from AIR Chennai and is heaped with encomiums from people and the press.
A professional to the core, he plays the role of a performer and teacher with panache. He holds his gurus on a pedestal and emulates them. Jayaraman’s life revolves around the life and times of Madurai Mani Iyer who is a Musical Messiah. “I am blessed to have been Madurai Mani Iyer’s protégé,” states Jayaraman. He walked down the corridors of time and made us catch a glimpse of Mani Iyer’s musical ingenuity.
Thiruvengadu Jayaraman’s
contact address: 8, 2nd Cross Street,
Vijayanagar,
Velachery, Chennai – 600 042.
Phone: 2454919
E-mail: remaco@vsnl.com
Mira
mira60@rediff.com
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