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Srimathy Padmasani (Padma) Veeraraghavan
Srimathy Padmasani (Padma)
Veeraraghavan was born in the dhivya dEsam of Oppiliappan Koil during the
DheepAvaLi day few decades ago. Her parents were a pious couple, who were
dedicated to performing Kaimkaryam to Sri Bhumi Devi Sametha Sri Oppiliappan.
Her father, Poundarikapuram Bruhaspathi , Sri Varadachar Swamy , who will be
celebrating his centennary of birth this year , was the key organizer of the
ten day long annual KalyANa Uthsavam Musical Festival for Lord Oppiliappan and
Bhumi Devi that takes place every year in the Month of October-November (
Tamil Month of Iyppasi ).
THIRUKKALYAANA UTHSAVAM AT OPPPILIAPPAN KOIL
Many leading Carnatic Musicians from
all corners of Tamil Naadu , Kerala , Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka come to
Oppiliappan Koil to offer their musical kaimkaryam to the Divine Cople and to
receive Their anugraham for success in their chosen careers for the rest of
the year. It is very important for the musicians to sing even half an hour
before the Dhivya Dampathis during the annual KalyANa Uthsavam. For ten days,
this small village of Oppiliappan Koil is flooded with the blissful waves of
divine music emanating from great vocal artists.
During Sri Varadachar Swamy's tenure
(40 years long), the leading musicians of his time ( Ariyakkudi RaamAnuja
IyengAr , GNB , Semmangudi, Madhurai Mani and others ) , Instrumental music (
Flute T.R. Mahaalingam , Violinist Lalgudi JayarAman , Naadhasvaram
T.N.Raajarahtnam PiLLai et al ) , VeeNai artists , Percussion Masters (
Palaghat Mani Iyer , Pazhani Subbudu , Ghatam VidhvAns, KonnakkOl Pakkiriya
PiLlai ) offered their musical kaimkaryam to the dhivya dampathis of
Oppiliappan Koil . Many of the visiting musicians were also family friends and
they ate at our house ; my mother , Srimathy Alamelu AmmaaL prepared the
delicacies that they enjoyed .
GROWTH OF
MUSICAL TALENT
In this environment of divine music ,
the child Padma grew up and absorbed all aspects of music intensively . She
learned music formally from a VidhwAn from Saint ThyagarAjA's paramparai , who
came to her house to teach her . Padma had a beautiful voice and absorbed
every thing that she learned from her teachers and excelled. She was married
off at age sixteen as was the custom in thsoe days and moved on to Madras ,
where her husband worked at The Hindu News paper . Padma was very busy with
raising three children and maintaining the household. She had managed however
to find time to keep up with the cultivation of
Carnatic Music and her keen musical talent. As the wife in a strict
Vaishnavite family , She did not have the freedom to leave her home and spend
extended periods of time to learn from well known musicians . She began to
tune instead various sthOthrams of AzhwArs and AchAryAs and taught them to the
ladies , who came to her house . Her talent grew as She taught GodhA Sthuthi
slOkams of Swamy Desikan tuned in 30 beautiful Raagams . Padma raised funds
from the samarpaNams made by her disciples and used it for different
kaimkaryams for ANDAL at Nanganallur , Sri Villiputthur and Oppilappan Koil.
Meanwhile, She graduated from the Music College headed by Sangeetha Kalaanidhi
Musiri Subramanya Iyer and Professor Sambhamurthy. She excelled in pedagogy
and theory of Carnatic Music. She became equally gifted thus in Sangeetham and
Saahithyam. Her Sruthi Suddham was one of her distinguishing features.
Sangeetha Kalaanidhis Professors T.M.Thyagarajan and Sri K.V.Narayanaswamy
taught her the additional fine points about the music of the divine krithis of
Sangeetha Thrimurthys and Raagam-Taanam-Pallavi format.
MASTERY
OVER VEENAI & VISIT TO USA
In addition to her highly regarded
vocal skills, she also mastered the playing of VeeNai and taught the art of
playing that auspicious instrument to her students. Padma has a research mind
and she has studied the construction of ancient stringed instruments and
mastered the playing of such instruments. She was invited to USA to
demonstrate the playing of these rare stringed instruments before expert
audiences in the East Coast of USA. Padma who has never traveled until then
beyond 150 miles of her home arrived in USA and delighted musical audiences
there. She had a triumphant visit to USA which was followed later with visits
to Singapore, New Zeeland and many parts of India , where she taught a lot of
krithis that she has composed on Sri Bhumi Devi Sametha Sri Oppiliappan . She
had a demanding schedule now in her music life. She composed more than 200
exquisite krithis in popular and diffiucult to handle (apoorva) raagams. She
composed Varnams and ThillaanAs for Bharatha Naatyam dancers. She became an
allrounder in the Carnatic Music field. In addition to her musical
initiatives, Padma has been twice to Badrikasramam in the North , Dhwarakaa in
the West , MalayAla dhivya dEsams in the South and most of the Sri VaishNava
temples in the South celebrated by AzhwArs and AchAryAs .
COMPOSITION OF 72 MELA RAAGA KRITHIS
One of her major musical
accomplishments is the composition/creation of the 72 Krithis on Lord
Oppilappan in the 72 MeLakarthA Raagams. Very few composers have distinguished
themselves by composing krithis in the 72 Mela Raagams. Padma Joined these
rare and short list of composers (MahA VaidhyanAtha Iyer , Koteeswara Iyer
and Sri Balamurali Krishna), who have composed in every one of the 72 Mela
Raagams . This is no ordinary task since one has to be an authority on the
Raaga LakshaNams before daring to enter this rarified field. Padma's krithis
in the MelakarthA Raagams , Neethimathi and VaguLAbharaNam are gems that
dazzle the listener .
A MeLakarthA Raagam has the full set
of Seven Swarams (Sa , Ri , Ga , Ma , Pa , Da , Ni , Sa ) . These notes have
to be in the same order both in the aarOhaNam and avarOhaNam. The Notes Sa and
Pa are fixed in all the MeLakarthA Raagams . These 72 MeLakarthAs are grouped
in 12 chakrAs: Indhu , Nethra , Agni , Veda , BhANa , Ruthu , Rishi , Vasu ,
Brahma , Disi , Rudra and Adhithya . The first six chakrAs (36 MeLakarthAs)
are known as the Poorva MeLams and have Suddha Madhyamam in common. The next
six chakrAs ( 7-12 ) populated by the remaining 36 MeLakathAs are known as
Utthara MeLams and have Prathimadhyamam in common . In other words, the
Utthara MeLams are arranged in such a manner that they are exactly the same as
the Corresponding Poorva MeLams except that the Prathi Madhyamam takes the
place of Suddha Madhyamam. The rest of the SwarAs , Ri, Ga , Da and Ni have
twelve permutations and combinations in the PoorvAnga SwarAs. The UttharAnga
SwarAs Da and Ni have similarly six combinations (Suddha Dhaivatham ,
Chathushruthi Dhaivatham , Shat Shruthi Dhaivatham , Suddha NishAdham ,
Kaisiki NishAdham and Kaakali NishAdham). These sixteen SwarAs get established
into 12 SwarasthAnams .
As Pavithra Srinivasan has commented:
" These combinations occur in succession, so the PoorvAnga combinations change
from chakra to chakra and the UttharAngA combinations change from Raaga to
Raaga in each chakra . With these 6X6 combinations and the two MadhyamAs , the
classification of MeLakarthA RaagAs is complete. The MeLakarthA Raaga scheme's
great utility exists in the fact that once a MeLakartA RaagA's number is
known, the characterestics of its swarAs can be determined easily ".
To be able to comprehend these unique
SwarasthAnams for the 72 MeLakathA Raagams and feel confident to compose
Krithis in these 72 MeLa Raagams is an extraordinary display of control and
command of the divine Saasthram of Music . To blend the Bhaava Thrayams (
Sangeetha , Saahithya and Bhakthi Bhaavams) into these rare 72 MeLa Raaga
Krithis is like climbing the peaks of HimAlayAs and we have to bow before
these extraordinarily gifted Musicians cum composers with the rare skills
blessed by the Dhivya Dampathis. Truly, VidhvAmsini Padma Veeraraghavan is one
such human being , who has recieved in abundance, the paripoorNa anugraham of
Sri BhUmi Devi SamEtha Sri Oppiliappan.
KAIMKARYA
SRI
Padma spends every moment of her life
serving AndAL and Sriman NaarAyaNan ; not only is She engaged in performing
Kaimkaryam to them but She motivates all around her to take part in such
kaimkaryams . The most recent kaimkaryam is the one to create a RathnAngi for
Sri HemAbhjavalli SamEtha Sri DevanAtha PerumAL of Thiruvaheendhrapuram .
SPECIAL
WEB PAGES FOR HER MUSICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Sri Anil of Hyderabad, who got deeply
inspired by her kaimkaryams and musical compositions has lovingly constructed
special web pages for Srimathy PadmA VeerarAghavan and will be including audio
files from her compositions as sung by herself and her disciples to illustrate
her depth of talent and Bhagavath anugraham.
May we pray to Sri BhUmi Devi SamEtha
SrI Oppiliappan to confer many years of happy , healthy life filled with the
bliss of creating many more gems of Krithis as Naama KusumAnjali to Her Kula
Dhaivam at Oppiliappan Koil !
NeevErA Kula Dhanamu , NeevErA
Jeevanamu !
Sri Bhumi Devi SamEtha Sri
Oppiliappan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
This website is dedicated to Smt. Padhma Veeraraghavan for her contribution to Sangeetham and Srivaishnava Sampradayam
Conceptualized by SrIman Oppliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
© thiruppavai.org

" GodhA Tashyai idham idham nama: "


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