Superstar of yesteryears. Any comment or remark or explanation about his skills on his field will be of no use and the writer will never justify his writing. Such a great Bhagavathar this field has ever produced. He was a Trier, a true performer, perfectionist. More over I remember the way he was loved by the audience. He was considered equal to any Film personalities or Great Carnatic musicians of those days. The crowd puller himself, I wondered why this man is glowing? He never applied any cosmetics but looked very fresh and beautiful even ordinary layman will not take back his eyes leave alone the ladies gathering. He was first in everything. When he danced the crowd went berserk. When he enacted Bakthi Stories like Daksha yagnam, crowd hailed his conversational skills. I will never hesitate to tell you all that, he was the one turned the attention of ordinary people towards Namasankeerthanam. It was not accepted to most artistes of those days. But this service of him, has made tremendous effect among public and more and more people have organized bhajan activities elsewhere in Tamilnadu and neighbouring states.
He was a Sanskrit Scholar, being born in a highly religious family learnt Vedas & Sastras, He learnt Bharatha Natyam in Pandhanallur School and Music from his own relatives. He performed pure south indian traditional bhajans and for attracting more people enacted devotional dramas and dance. (In those days public were reluctant to attend Bhajans owing to various Socio-Relegious-Political climate)
I cannot forget the "Sandhana Kaattukkulle". You can visualise the real Oonjal flying back and forth in front of your eyes. You can see Lord Rama going to Forest and after penance returns to Ayodhya victorious, adorns the throne with Maa Sita in his "Bhavayami Raghu Ramam". Lord Shiva's celestial dance in "Daksha Yagnam".The climax of Bakthi as depicted by Saint Meera Bai, in his "Nimmadhi Adaindhen". An everlasting performance of a Kurathi(Mountain Girl) in which I have seen people cry virtually when he tells his own story dubiously that of the kurathi.
I have not given enough, I have just started.....One thing is for sure....Whatever tactics we do nowadays to pull and keep the audience, for spreading the Namasankeerthana, are from this Great Bhagavathar only. We have been blessed to be associated with him. Words will do nothing to show you the picture of my mind..Let me close this now and I fondly remember His Sishyaas E.K.Srinivasan, E.K.Jayaraman, Serukalathur Narayana Sivam, Thiruvaiyaru Venkatarama Iyer, N.S.Venkataraman, T.N.Mahadevan, Srivanjiyam Gopalan, Nannilam Ramanadhan, Srivanjiyam Murali about whom I shall upload Photos and clips.
My sincere Namaskarams to this Great Bhagavathar 'SRIVANJIYAM M.RAMACHANDRA BHAGAVATHAR"