Thirumarugal Natesapillai Rajarathinam Pillai (27 August 1898 – 12 December 1956) or TNR[1] was an Indian Carnatic musician, nadaswaram maestro, vocalist and film actor.[2] He was popularly known as "Nadaswara Chakravarthi" (literally, the Emperor of Nadaswaram).
T. N. Rajarathnam Pillai | |
|---|---|
 Rajarathnam Pillai on a 2010 stamp of India.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Balasubramaniam |
| Also known as | TNR |
| Born | 27 August 1898 Thiruvaduthurai, Madras Presidency, British India (now Tamil Nadu, India) |
| Died | 12 December 1956 (aged 58) Madras, Madras State (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu), India |
| Genres | Carnatic music |
| Occupations | Nadaswaram Performer |
| Instruments | Nadaswaram |
| Years active | 32 |
Film career
editHe featured in the main role as the 16th century Tamil poet Kalamegam.[3] He also appeared briefly as a Nadhaswaram player in the film Thiruneelakantar (1939 film).[4]
Titles, honors and service
editRajarathnam Pillai was a recipient of many titles, none of them official or academic. He was popularly known as Nadaswara Chakravarthi meaning Emperor of Nagaswaram.[5] He is believed to have promoted nadaswaram and tavil players for recognition as musicians in their own right and it is thought that his lead was recognised when the Madras Music Academy conferred the title of Sangeetha Kalanidhi (doctor of music) on fellow nagaswaram exponent Thiruvizhimizhalai Subramania Pillai in 1956. In spite of his fame and following, there is no formal or official account of his life readily available in Tamil or another language.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "The Emperor passes". The Hindu. 7 December 2007. Archived from the original on 8 December 2007.
- ^ Vijaya Ramaswamy, Jawaharlal Nehru University (2007). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Scarecrow Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-8108-6445-0.
- ^ Blast From the Past - Kalamegham 1940, The Hindu 21 September 2007
- ^ M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar Filmography
- ^ "Reader-friendly approach". The Hindu. 14 January 2007. Archived from the original on 17 January 2007.