Sh. Karaikudi Mani passes away

[SrinathK]

Just opened FB to get a jolt that legendary mridanga vidwanon Guru Karaikudi Mani is no more. End of an era!

[thanjavooran]

Ohm shanthi! Shocked on the news. RIP

[mahavishnu]

What a great loss! Sincere condolences to his many disciples and extended family.

[shankarank]

With tears! He was one of those that got me interested in Carnatic music especially the part of listening to concerts. Dec 31st @ Kalarasana with SrI Harishankar , both playing for SrI TVS , was a never to be missed event for those consecutive years that I was in Chennai. Have been to his other facets like the fusion as well as the taniyAvartanam event at his Sabha when SrI TS played in one of those years.

I would apply the tribute that was said for SrI Harishankar. May such people be born again!

[arasi]

A great vidwan gone...
Condolences to his family and numerous disciples. Om ShAnti...

[Sundara Rajan]

Saddened by the news. Condolences to his family, friends, rasikas and disciples.

[rajeshnat]

It is so sad to hear the demise of Guru Karaikudi Mani . Random recollections of his contributions

1. Almost all of us recognise the two doyens Palakkad Mani Iyer and Pazhani Subramania pillai. Then we have giants like few living legends UKS and Trichy Sankaran and departed Palakkad Raghu and Vellore Ramabadran . KM was a quarter generation behind UKS and Raghu Sir , but his contributions were immense and he surely is in the galaxy of all time greats.

2. HIs play had such clarity perhaps the generation of DKJ, kVN, Santhanam, Nedunuri , voleti, mlv , flute Mali , SKR , TRS, LGJ, Balachander ,MSG et al had karaikudi mani excellence . Personally few musicians say like DKJ were embellished so much by patterns where KM dexterity was showcasing so much of mruduangam . If you have a chance hear Karaikudi mani play for one Tulasi dhala and soundararajam where KM plays brilliantly when DKJ sang that song , kM plays maayamaalavagowlai and brindavanasaranga too...

3. IF there was one thing I did not like that much is that he hardly played in the last 3 decades . Occasionally he will get a slot , one in NGS and another in KGS -his two homebases . After his death I came to know the dancer Rajeshwari Sainath was his neice so some collaborations will be there in December . I read somewhere that he was commercially very successful so there is a possibility he did not play because of that . I read somewhere that Swami Surajananda was perhaps his guru and he took a lot of spiritual approach in his life. They say he was not after awards and some say he was bit anti establishment , that perhaps explains the usual question of why he did not get that one award and many rewards.

4. iN the last 20 years I only saw him once where he played for TM Krishna . That was a jaya tv margazhi utsav . I recollect that year in another concert when TMK sang Mari Mari ninnE in kambodhi in academy mani sir tani was around 30 plus mins, I remember than there was write up in the HIndu where there was another writeup explaining why KM can play long tani . tHere is there or four more concert I have heard in 1990s , now I forgot the concert . IN the last 15 years or so his usual concerts are in his sruthi Laya banner where it is likely tala vadya or tala heavy concert , Ghatam V suresh will accompany him and few artists like balasai in flute will accompany him.

all said he could have played more showed the next generation what is controlled aggression and how one can play with more dexterity this extra ordinary instrument called mruduangam. I wish he was in concert circuit as much as say Vellore Ramabadran , but that did not happen.

Condolences to his family and sishya parampara

[rajeshnat]

KM dexterity was showcasing so much of mruduangam . If you have a chance hear Karaikudi mani play for one Tulasi dhala (N,S) .....where KM plays brilliantly when DKJ sang that song

KM mrudu angam and dexterity is there - what a loss and what a legend was guru karaikudi mani. maayamaalavagowlai is Maayama glowing more in the hands of KM,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYTf82YcULs