Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Remembering musicians of the recent past
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kvchellappa
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Joined: 04 Aug 2011, 13:54

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by kvchellappa »

RIP. Coincidentally, yesterday was skandha shashti.

Agnostic
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Joined: 17 Jul 2015, 11:02

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by Agnostic »

He had mesmerizing and captivating voice!

The information he took part in freedom movement in 1936, he was severely beaten up by police, consequently he lost vision in his left eye is unknown to many of us I guess..

VK RAMAN
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by VK RAMAN »

Mesmerizing voice and tunesmith, he will be remembered for his melodious renditions of bakthi paadalkaL. RIP.

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by rshankar »

May his soul rest in peace.

cacm
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Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by cacm »

GREAT MAN & BHAKTHI ORIENTED SOUL. Grew up with him from age 6 (for 75 years) & his presentations STILL INSPIRE ME....VKV

parivadini
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Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 22:44

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by parivadini »

This was one of the first videos we shot for Parivadini. We wanted to do a good job of editing before publishing it. We never came around doing this. We are publishing this today as a tribute to the legend.

The incident that he describes approximately goes like this:

When he was travelling by foot across the country, he was hijacked by the dacoits of the Chambal valley who suspected him to be a Police Officer in disguise. When he mentioned to them that he was just a singer, they gave ahim a harmonium and made him perform. Upon his singing, they were convinced that he wasn't a cop and helped him back on his way. Please excuse the poor audio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Vjzz1dFYg

VK RAMAN
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Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by VK RAMAN »

Thanks parivadini.

arasi
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Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by arasi »

Parivadini,

Sound problems aside, your description of PithukkuLi Murugadas is spot on. A unique artiste and individual he was.

As VKV says, his singing used to charm us when we were children. A great voice which sang with clarity and feeling.

Some time in the eighties, he did come to the US and we heard him sing in the same joyous manner about murugan...

thanjavooran
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by thanjavooran »

RIP
For the first time I heard Solladi sivasakthi from his voice 65 yrs back still comes to my mind.
Thanjavooran
18 11 2015

grsastrigal
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Joined: 27 Dec 2006, 10:52

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by grsastrigal »

Interesting story, why he got the name "Pithukuli". Whenever, I see Harmonium, I think of Murugadas. Like Mandolin Srinivas.

He was born on ThaipUsam, died on Sashti. Lived for singing Murugan songs. Has left here to sing in the presence of Lord Muruga.

சென்னை: பக்திப்பாடகர் பித்துக்குளி முருகதாஸ் சென்னையில் காலமானார். அவருக்கு வயது 95. கோவையில் 1920ம் ஆண்டு ஜனவரி 25ம் தேதி சுந்தரம் ஐயர், அலமேலு தம்பதியருக்கு மகனாக தைப்பூச திருநாளில் பிறந்தார் பித்துக்குளி முருகதாஸ். இவரது இயற்பெயர் பாலசுப்ரமணியம். தமிழ்க் கடவுளான முருகன் குறித்து பல பாடல்கள் பாடியுள்ள இவர் திரைப்படங்களிலும் சில பக்தி பாடல்கள் பாடியுள்ளார்.
தலையில் காவித்துண்டு கட்டி கண்ணில் கூலிங்கிளாஸ் கண்ணாடி அணிந்து சற்றே வித்தியாசமான முருக பக்தராக காட்சி தருவார் பித்துக்குளி முருகதாஸ்.
கந்தர் அனுபூதி, முருகன் மீது பல பக்திப்பாடல்களை இயற்றியுள்ளார். கண்ணன் மீதான பாடல்களையும் இயற்றி இசையமைத்துள்ளார். அவர் பாடிய அலைபாயுதே கண்ணா பாடல் பிரபலமானது.

பித்துக்குளி பெயர்காரணம்
சிறுவயதில், தெருவில் விளையாடும் போது, ரோட்டில் போகும் ஒருவர் மீது கல்லெறிய அடிபட்ட பெரியவரோ பரம பெருமாள் பக்தரும், மகா ஞானியுமான பிரம்மானந்த பரதேசியார்! நெற்றியில் இரத்தம் வடிய... அடேய்...நீ என்ன பித்துக்குளியா (பைத்தியமா)? ஒரு நாள் இல்லை ஒரு நாள், என்னையப் போலவே நீயும் ஆகப் போகிறார் என்று வேடிக்கையாக கூறவே அதுவே பித்துக்குளி முருகதாஸ் ஆக நிலைத்துவிட்டது. முருகனுக்கு தாசன்... முருகன் மீது பைத்தியமாய் இருப்பதால் பித்துக்குளி என்றும் தன் பெயருக்கு முன்னாள் சேர்த்துக்கொண்டார்.

venu sundar
Posts: 158
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Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by venu sundar »

Pithukuli Murugados was a real ardent devotee of Lord Muruga and he was an expert in Nama Sankeerthanam and was a craze in 50s@Madras@

Chennai.As a school boy I used go ALL his concerts.I used to attend one @

Mandaveli in which he would sing up to midnight and further and all of us would be there till the end.When some one try to leave his concert he woiud play the DADADADA of Vazhkkai and if they come back he would say that now you are coming back please listen to Murugan Songs and his voice was surely a divine one which can be compared to Mohd Rafi and Mukesh etc.His fans used to say had he gone to films he would have spoilt

many such greats future.Pithukuli Murugados was born on Thaipoosam and died during Skanda Sasthi which symbolises his piety.He will live by songs!

VK RAMAN
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by VK RAMAN »

To honor Murugan devotee, who enthralled, many, I like each rasika share his favorite Murugadas rendition.

maduraimini
Posts: 477
Joined: 22 Sep 2009, 02:55

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by maduraimini »

I enjoyed listening to his songs on Muruga when I was in India. He had a clear voice and his diction was very good. I did not know about his involvement with the Freedom fighting and the loss of his eyesight due to that. May his soul Rest in Peace.

Ponbhairavi
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Joined: 13 Feb 2007, 08:05

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by Ponbhairavi »

He was one of the earliest to popularize venkatakavi,s compositions. I vividly remember his sancharams on neelakadal polum which would conjure up the ripples of the sea waves.

Rsachi
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Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by Rsachi »

I was speaking with Lalitharam of Parivadini. He was kind enough to share that Karaikudi Mani used to provide impeccable mridangam accompaniment to Sri Murugadas during his renditions. Ram shocked me by saying that Sri Murugadas had no swaragnana at all! His singing, harmonium playing, his laya and raga expertise, and all his orher brilliant improvisations, were all despite his lack of classical music =swara gnana! Must humble every musician. His voice has a great depth of bhava.
I heard many tracks here:
http://www.saavn.com/s/artist/pithukuli ... JKo2YwRbvc_

VK RAMAN
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by VK RAMAN »

I wonder how many of the Indian film music singers have swaragnana? It does not have to be an exception either. How many Tyagaraja/Purandaradasa/Swati Thirunal/Bharati kritis were written with chittaswarams and swaras??

shankarank
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Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by shankarank »

His Swagatham Krishna played a lot in my home on Sri Krishna Jayanti and other times.
Rsachi wrote:His singing, harmonium playing, his laya and raga expertise, and all his other brilliant improvisations, were all despite his lack of classical music =swara gnana!
May be his laya Gnana made up for all that. Just look at those who are all considered Geniuses - Mali, SB, LGJ, Srinivas , Ravi Kiran and so on.. one thing common is laya. There may be some offshoots in a different direction like GNB.

Then Dr BMK, Somu, MDR , TNS and so on..

So we should re-phrase what you said!

classical music = laya Gnana!!

Swaras were already made in heaven! Consonance principles are valid in Andromeda as well and common to all musical heritages.

It takes an infinite number of miracles starting with right position of planet and right kind of a star and many stars that already minted heavier elements than Hydrogen and Helium to formation of RNA the first protein chains etc , onto cutting bones for survival - to the miraculous language Gene mutation - to set those swaras to music.
Last edited by shankarank on 15 Feb 2016, 23:57, edited 1 time in total.

shankarank
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Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by shankarank »

And too many Nadaswaram giants to mention - the tavildars are unforgiving the way they lead you and they give leeway with their techniques but still you are supposed to be within bounds.

Rsachi
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Joined: 31 Aug 2009, 13:54

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by Rsachi »

ShankaranK, what we are both saying is that PMD had intuited all musical expertise despite lack of schooling in musical grammar. We such geniuses even in literature, who write exquisite poetry but with no theoretical background. I think in our music, the greatest example of a musician totally self-taught Mandolin Shrinivas!

There is another aspect. The one thing PMD had been GIVEN, is lyrics. That was the framework for all his excellence. Shows you how the composer embeds the DNA of music into the lyrics! Words, words!
Last edited by Rsachi on 16 Feb 2016, 10:30, edited 1 time in total.

shankarank
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Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by shankarank »

>>composer embeds the DNA of music into the lyrics! Words, words!

Here again the picture is somewhat incomplete. You are reading too much into a composer doing things as though it is a written tradition. The architectural Sanskriti of swAgatam krishna or alai payudE that some Nadaswaram Vidwan or somebody else heard from OVK and passed down through kaRNa parampara made an impact on a child called Balasubramaniam early enough.

And it is not just this lyric or that lyric ( we use this in the sense of some Movie song lyric that some lyricist writes for a Director on short notice) - it is heard in the context of overall Sanskritic ( I include the devout Tamizh environment into this - but you can consider it separate or similar) life style and ambiance and everything else that was around.

We seem to not consider all that. We think of this as some composer notated it and it was handed to a singer centuries later - who was trained in musical grammar to begin with!!

Do we learn grammar for our Mother tongue?
Last edited by shankarank on 17 Feb 2016, 07:20, edited 1 time in total.

Rsachi
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Joined: 31 Aug 2009, 13:54

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by Rsachi »

ShankaranK,
:D

Do I think PMD was an ordinary, untrained singer? No. read again what I wrote:
His singing, harmonium playing, his laya and raga expertise, and all his other brilliant improvisations, were all despite his lack of classical music =swara gnana! Must humble every musician.
If you do believe that the compositions which PMD sang were by themselves of no original musical value, then that discussion should in all fairness belong to a different thread where we discuss musical creativity as the DNA of a composition. You can start one, sir!

shankarank
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Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by shankarank »

What I meant to say was that the lyrics / words themselves had a great impact on a budding musician because of their well formed structure that conforms to a continuum of tradition before and after the Composer including the general ambiance the budding musician grows up where music is one component of a larger cultural body.

How else could we make sense of the special touch PMD brings forth?

The Composers themselves do introduce unique musical and lyrical values but they also continue the beauty of what was there before. The words as important as they may be or sometimes as less important in certain musical context, play their role because of what else is around them and not in isolation. We cannot use lack of words in certain musical presentation contexts against the role words have in music - neither the other way - that without words music will not exist.

Musicians have all the time used this conundrum to advance their arguments.

As regards creating a new thread - I will say this - if 95 years of celebration ( kOlAhalam) could not help us ponder over this - what help is there in an abstract thread with abstract topic.

Lets celebrate his life!

varsha
Posts: 1978
Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 15:06

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by varsha »

We think of this as
https://archive.org/details/PMurugadas

Answers start at 5.01
yAru yAru yAru.....thallaNisadiru

shankarank
Posts: 4042
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: Pithukuli Murugadas passes away at age 95

Post by shankarank »

Translation for people like me who cannot understand Kannada:

http://translationsofsomesongsofcarntic ... anave.html

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