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 What has a postgraduate in commerce got to do with an instrument which resembles a mud pot? His love for the instrument, 'ghatam', has made Trichy Murali drown himself in the ocean of music.
Hailing from Trichy, which abounds in temples, he was initiated into mridangam first by his mother. The renowned Trichy Thayumanavan was his guru. Discerning the skills in the young lad, as per the advice of his guru, he switched over to
ghatam.
It was more or less like a gurukula vasam, declares Murali. Thayumanavan is well-versed in ghatam, mridangam and konnakkol. Murali used to spend long hours at his guru's house learning the nuances of the art. His parents, who were musically inclined, supported him. His penchant for commerce and management made him pursue his studies also. It was tightrope walking, quips Murali. Managing two different streams at the same time brings its own difficulties.
His marathon practice sessions made him share the platform with a vocalist at Tiruchengode which was his debut. It all happened accidentally. All of a sudden his guru ordered him to accompany a vocalist because of the absence of the ghatam
vidwan. It was like a bolt from the blue. His first stage appearance proved very successful and his guru also appreciated his 'musical workout'. Murali had the opportunity of playing with his guru. Mistakes were then and there corrected by his revered guru, which he feels was a stepping stone to success.
Eminent vidwans and vidhushis used to perform in Trichy and, naturally, the choice fell on Murali to play the
ghatam. He was the uncrowned monarch there. His interaction with the luminaries of music helped his transition from a big town to a metropolitan city,
Chennai. The call of Chennai, which is the Mecca of music, lured him.
He shifted to Chennai - Nanganallur - because he was perennially
travelling. His journey from Trichy to Chennai and back twice a week resulted in his shifting. Meanwhile, he was entangled in the corporate world and was made an executive in
Chemplast. Alternating between office and concerts had to be managed carefully. His passion became his profession when he gave up his lucrative job at Chemplast to become a full-fledged percussion artiste.
Murali has travelled widely and for a fairly long duration. For almost five consecutive years his American tours, for nearly 2-3 months, earned him laurels. He is full of praise for the Indian diaspora in USA, who were his hosts. His Canadian sojourn, where he has played with leading vocalists and instrumentalists, proved to be very successful.
The inimitable sax player, Kadri
Gopalnath, chose Murali for his European tour. To play abroad to an educated audience is as frightening as playing in the December Season in
Chennai, opines Murali. The learned congregation was a morale booster. Even in South Africa, the Indian immigrants seemed to be very knowledgeable.
Murali has been presented with many awards from music sabhas and within and outside India. He is an 'A' Grade artiste from AIR,
Trichy, and has participated in Radio Sangeetha Sammelans, Sangeeth Natak Academy
programmes, New Delhi.
The most precious moment in his musical career was his performance at Putttaparthi in the presence of the Sri Sathya Sai Baba on the Baba's birthday, says
Murali.
A torch bearer of 'Pudukottai
bani', his 'asura sadhakam' has helped him create ripples in 'thani avarthanam'. This ambassador of music feels that human values are more important than anything else. A genial, unassuming person, he wants to spread music to one and all as 'music is the ambrosia' for human beings.
He can be contacted at:
G-2, Ranganayaki Apartments,
7th Street, Ram Nagar,
Nanganallur,
Chennai - 600 061.
Phone: 22332202
Mobile: 9444259995
E-mail: ghatamurali@yahoo.com
UshaRaja
Plot-93-D,
Second Main road,
Nanganallur,
Chennai-600061.
usharaja60@hotmail.com
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Ghatam Murali
