There is an anecdote about nagaswaram player Tirumeignanam P. Natarajasundaram Pillai, whose centenary is currently celebrated. After his cremation, the vettiyan (crematorium worker) is said to have remarked that his death had brought enormous relief to thavil players. Such was his rhythmic prowess that thavil players dreaded the prospect of accompanying him. The late thavil player Needamangalam Shanmugavadivel used to call him “Laya Yaman” or the Yama of Layam. Pallavi Natarajasundaram Pillai, as he was known, was renowned for performing mallaris. The available recordings are not only an invaluable documentation of his style but also a testimony to his astonishing grip on layam or thalam.
‘You are wrong’
“Thavil players should be extremely careful and follow him with utmost concentration. Otherwise, they might not cope with his playing techniques. On a few occasions, he would say, ‘Thambi [younger brother], you are wrong.’ When I corrected myself, he would say, ‘You are right, kannu’,” recalled thavil maestro Haridwaramangalam A.K. Palanivel. Mr. Palanivel said there would be no dull moment in a concert by Natarajasundaram Pillai. “In those days, at temple concerts, he would play between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. After a break for dinner, the concert would start with mallari in ganta kathi when the deity was taken out in procession. It would continue until the deity returned to the temple. He would end the concert with Tiruppugazh,” he said. A function to mark his centenary has been scheduled for October 12 in Mayiladuthurai.
Natarajasundaram Pillai was born on September 29, 1926, at Tirumeignanam, a village near Kumbakonam, which holds a place in Shaivite tradition and is referred to as Nalum Mayanam in Thevaram hymns. He belonged to a period when the composite Thanjavur, in the words of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, was a vanam (forest) of nagaswaram and thavil players. There were innumerable nagaswaram and thavil players, each with his own style. Their distinct approaches contributed to the development of raga, keerthana, and rhythmic patterns in Carnatic music.
Musicologist B.M. Sundaram, in his book Mangala Isai Mannargal, says Natarajasundaram Pillai learnt nagaswaram from his uncle Narayanaswami Pillai. He began to specialise in the techniques of pallavis while performing as the supporting musician for Dharmapuram Abirami Sundaram Pillai. Later, he joined the troupe of Tiruvarur Vaidhyanatha Pillai.
Mr. Sundaram recalled an incident that drew Natarajasundaram Pillai’s skill to the attention of the late mridangam maestro Palani Subramania Pillai, who had arranged a concert at the Chennimalai temple. Musicians such as Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and M.S. Subbulakshmi had participated in the function. After mallari, Vaidhyanatha Pillai began rendering the alapana of raga Bhairavi. It failed to attract the musicians, who left for their rooms.
‘Wildfire’
“It was then that Natarajasundaram Pillai, the second nagaswaram player, picked up his instrument and played a pallavi, which spread like wildfire. The tone and speed attracted the musicians. Palani Subramania Pillai embraced him after he finished the pallavi and blessed him with success,” says Mr. Sundaram. However, the event led to his removal from Vaidhyanatha Pillai’s troupe, and he later formed his own.
“The common man may not understand what he is performing, but they are mesmerised by his music. There used to be thani avarthanam in all talas,” said Mr. Palanivel, who accompanied Natarajasundaram Pillai along with another thavil player, Tiruvalaputhur Kaliyamurthy. The mallari they played together at the Rameswaram temple continues to showcase the talents of Natarajasundaram Pillai, Mr. Palanivel, and Kaliyamurthy, who accompanied him on thavil without deviating even for a second.
Music historian Lalitharam, who specialises in nagaswaram music, said Natarajasundaram Pillai had played a varnam set to Bhairavi as if it were an elaborate ragam-tanam-pallavi. “Rhythm is part and parcel of his music, and it effortlessly manifested during his performance. For others, it may be like walking a tightrope. Natarajasundaram Pillai achieved it as if he were walking on a well-paved road,” he said.
Mr. Sundaram’s book provides details about Natarajasundaram Pillai’s visit to Sri Lanka. “When his fame as a pallavi expert reached Sri Lanka, he was invited to perform there. There were also pallavi experts who posed a challenge to musicians visiting from Tamil Nadu. Natarajasundaram Pillai not only played their pallavis but overawed them with his unique style of rendering,” writes Mr. Sundaram.
Thavil maestro Thanjavur T.R. Govindarajan, who was part of Natarajasundaram Pillai’s troupe for a year, sang a pallavi set to raga Sahana to illustrate how the nagaswaram player handled a pallavi as though it were a keerthana. “There were very complex rhythmic patterns, but his style was such that rasikas were not bogged down by them,” he said.
Mr. Govindarajan added it was always a challenge to accompany Natarajasundaram Pillai, because the moment he began performing, he would become a different person — keeping thalams on his legs and never allowing anyone to disturb his performance.
“Whether it is ragam, keerthana, pallavi, or swaram, he excelled in all aspects of nagaswaram music. There was none before him. I strongly believe there is none after him. He was made of layam, layam, and layam.”
Published – October 10, 2025 06:30 am IST
