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 Alathoor
Brothers Sivasubramania Iyer and Srinivasa Iyer were uncrowned
monarchs of laya, who strode the world like colossus. They were
united by a divine decree though both hailed from different
families.
Music brought them together and their chemistry worked
marvelously. The brothers enraptured the rasikas with their
nectarine flow of music. Though Sivasubramania Iyer (Subbier)
and Srinivasa Iyer have merged with the Music Muse yet their
monumental music permeates the world.
 My rendezvous with Thyagarajan (son of Subbier, Retd
principal, National College, Trichy) gave me a peep into their
lives. It was like sailing into the pages of history. Who will
be able to provide us with interesting and informative details
about them? Who else but Subbier’s son, Thyagarajan? He
venerates his ancestors and elucidates about the brothers who
have enriched Carnatic music.
The younger of the two brothers Sivasubramania Iyer’s father,
Venkatesa Iyer, was a catalyst in bringing out their talents and
named them Alathoor Brothers. Sankara Srowdhigal, Srinivasa
Iyer’s father, was instrumental in putting his son under the
tutelage of Venkatesa Iyer.
A scion of Jata Vallabhar lineage, Subbier had the fortune of
being groomed under his father Alathoor Venkatesa Iyer belonging
to the sishya parampara of the bard of Tiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja.
Subbier’s grandfather Venkatarama Jata Vallabhar, who lived in
Thiruvaiyaru, was proficient in Jata, a complicated method of
chanting the Vedas. This hallowed spot resonated with bhajans.
Those days had an impact on Venkatesa Iyer. Music coursed
through his veins and he used to sing in the sruti of the
nagaswaram. He desired to learn music and was placed under the
tutelage of Guddi Krishna Iyer in Thiruvaiyaru.
 The family shifted to Alathoor, near Trichy, and he came
under the fold of Sentalai Govindaswami Pillai, a renowned
nagaswara vidwan. Fuelled by the passion of unravelling the
nitty-gritty of music, Venkatesa Iyer designed a harmonium and
mastered the art of playing it himself.
He used to sing while playing the harmonium which marked a
new epoch in music. Playing harmonium while singing is the
hallmark of the Alathoor school of music.
While tutoring students in bala padam, Venkatesa Iyer was
keen that anuswaram should be brought out as it is indispensable
to Carnatic music.
The Spartan training under Venkatesa Iyer made the brothers
shine as Pole stars in the musical firmament. Subbier’s teaching
skills showcased his prodigious talent. Let us see at what age
he embarked upon a musical voyage.
(To be continued)
(My special thanks to Trichy Murali for arranging a meeting
with Thyagarajan.)
Mira
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