The Master
Swami, as he is popularly called, xxx is a Guru for many musicians who have made a permanent mark in the film industry of South India. He has composed over 900 film songs and is considered the Pitamaha (father) of the Malayalam Film Music Industry. At the same time, he performed hundreds of Carnatic Concerts showing is inimitable excellence in music. Despite his monumental achievements, it is his pious nature and spiritual living that commands utmost respect and reverence even today.
The Life
Born in 1919, swami had his arangetram under the guidance of his guru Venkatachalam pothi… He had a divine calling from Vaikatappan, the presiding deity of Vaikom. He had a brief stint in India Gramaphone Company before returning to vaikom, where his 3.5 years of saadhana was a nothing but a start of a grand plan of vaikatappan.
The Journey
His entry into films was through “nallathangal”(malayalam) and a flow of films and generations of singers were part of this epic journey of music, spirituality and simplicity – a rare combination which made contemporaries as well as the upcoming generations look up to him as a Master. His commendable feat of composing music for a film [Shyama Ragam] at the age of 94, which is set to release in his 100th year, is to be noted. Theatre Marina holds immense pride in staging the 100-year journey of the legend
