15 Manini Mani

If you stumbled upon this post, reading this introduction might help

 

Chambai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar was giving a benefit performance for some worthy cause and the concert was held in the Mysore Town Hall. He was already seated on the dais in his characteristic style. He came on to the stage took off his uttarIya – a thin cotton shawl, tied it around his not inconsiderable waist tightly and sat down. He was accompanied by T Rukmini on the violin and T V Gopalakrishnan on the mridanga.

They had settled themselves on the stage but the chief guest of the evening was droning on talking how great Chambai was. The chief guest was a well-known merchant and philanthropist of Mysore. He often donated generously to various causes but in return he had to get a chance to speak on the stage and be heard. Chambai waited patiently for a while and finally his patience ran out. He just started signing Vatapi Ganapatim and the speaker was totally flustered and he just had to walk away.

Chambai sang an alapane in some raga and later T Rukmini followed. Like the seasoned accompanist that she was, she followed decorum and she hit the highest note Chambai had hit and then started descending. Chambai told her in Tamizh, “My voice has an upper limit. What is stopping you? He gestured with his hands urging her to play higher and higher notes, to thunderous applause - to his generosity and to her skillful playing.

When it was time for tani avartane, he introduced the Mridangist in glorious terms. T V Gopalakrishnan was not all that well known then, at least in Mysore, perhaps. So, Chambai praised him a lot. Something like “Don’t think he is only a Mridangist. He plays the violin and sings. Not just Karnatak, he sings Hindustani” also and made sure that the audience appreciated his capabilities.

In the same concert he sang the keertane Ganamurte in raga Ganamurti. When he started the Anupallavi – manini mani Sri Rukmini, he sang it as Manini mani, T Rukmini and pointed at her. He had such a cheeky child about him!

This reminds me of another story I had heard. Chambai was giving a concert and the then Finance minister under the Nehru Government, C Subrahmaniam was the chief guest. He arrived late and the concert had already started. Chambai had just ended one item and was about to start another when the chief guest walked in. He started singing the keertane in Kambhoji, Sri Subrahmanyaya namaste by Dikshitar but sang it as C Subrahmanyaya namaste and wished him from the stage