Trichy Sankaran is a leading mridangam player, composer, scholar, and an educator. A professor of music at York University in Canada, Sankaran is known as a cultural ambassador of India. He founded the Tyagaraja Festival in Toronto and has performed and recorded in a number of cross-cultural projects.
A follower of the Pudukottai style, Sankaran was a disciple of legendary mridangam artiste Sri Palani Subramania Pillai. He has accompanied all the top-ranking artistes in the Carnatic music field. He won the President’s Award in 1958.
Sankaran comes to Chennai every music season and performs in all the leading sabhas. In an email interview to Salil Jose, the maestro reveals what makes him take the pain of coming all the way from Canada to Chennai in every music season.
Your performance is an integral part of every music season in Chennai. Can we expect you in this season also?
Yes, I am coming to Chennai this music season. I will be performing in 16 concerts this season.
How the music season has helped the artiste in you?
It is due to my own passion for performance and dedication to my art that I have been coming to participate in the Chennai music season regularly at this stage and age in my life.
I have enjoyed the professional collaboration and interaction with some of the artistes on stage. As a performer and scholar, I enjoy attending some of the interesting lec-dems (lecture cum demonstrations) organised by the Music Academy and other institutions. I have enjoyed presenting lec-dems on different aspects of Carnatic music at the Academy and other venues during many seasons in the past, and look forward to future presentations as well.
I enjoy sharing my years of concert experience with the artistes on stage and the audience. Also, it is during the season that I happen to play with a variety of artistes (singers and instrumentalists) who represent different styles.
Your most memorable music season.
My most memorable music season was 1988, the commemoration of the veteran singer the late Sri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer's 80th birthday celebration. I accompanied him in his concert organised by the Music Academy. Raj Video released this as audio/video, first of its kind.
What are the changes you have noticed in the conduct of the music season?
I have been seeing the increase in the number of new sabhas each year affecting the influx of audience. It will be good if there is a consolidation of at least the smaller sabhas, in my opinion.
I particularly welcome the thematic concerts that some sabhas are featuring.
What are the changes you have noticed in the taste of the audience?
There is still good audience for traditional music, respect for my performances - audience young and old seem to be eagerly awaiting to hear my Guru Sri Palani Subramania Pillai's style in me and my own creations as an extension and embellishment of it. I see more enthusiastic crowd at the lec-dems at various venues, particularly the younger generation. There seems to be an increase in the interest of theoretical aspects of Carnatic music in general. Nice to see the interest in many youngsters taking to music of different genres (classical, light classical, folk, and film).
As the founder of the annual Tyagaraja Festival in Toronto, what do you think the Sabhas in Chennai should do to take the music season to more people?
Already the media is doing its share to attract more people. All India Radio is also doing their part in this. I always see a good crowd during the season, at least for artistes of name and fame. I consider quality rather than quantity to be more important in audience and artistes alike.
Charulatha Mani on her most memorable music season | Special: Madras Music Festival
