134th birth anniversary of Parupalli Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu tomorrow

Eminent persons like Andhra Ratna Duggirala Gopalakrishnaiah, Desodhdharaka Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao, Harikatha Pitamaha Adibhatla Narayanadasu have taken birth on Andhra Pradesh soil and did not only the state but also the whole country proud.

The late Gayaka Sarvabhouma Parupalli Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu, a stalwart and a doyen in the classical music, also belongs to the
same class.

He belongs to the fourth generation Guru-Sishya parampara of eminent composer Tyagayya, an exponent of classical music. Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu was the disciple of Susarla Dakshinamurthy Sastry, who learnt music Saint Composer Tyagayya’s direct disciple Manambuchavadi Venkata Subbaiah.

The ‘gurukulam’ run by Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu was known for its strict adherence to discipline. The music learning facility was abuzz with students practicing classical music. It is beyond doubt that students belonging to all sections of society were trained at the school providing them with free lodging and boarding facilities. In the days of yore, when there were no music colleges in and around Vijayawada, the Gurukula run by Parupalli was considered as a music university.

The charming and charismatic personality of Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu with tall features was engaging the attention of the people. He possessed all the superlative qualities of a fine singer, as mentioned in olden texts. His striking features, mannerisms, attire and amicable behaviour earned him plaudits from people.

Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu and his spouse treated the disciplie as their own children. To quote an example, when one of the disciples was stung by a scorpion, Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu physically carried the disciple to a doctor and got him treated, while his spouse waited on the patient all through the night nursing him. While travelling by train to various places to give concerts, he used to travel in the first-class compartment and purchased first-class tickets to his disciples accompanying him. He insisted the music concert organisers on extending same treatment, which was extended to him, to his disciples as well. This demonstrated the love and affection that he had for his disciples.House is like a royal court hall His house was akin to a royal court hall.

The disciples were lucky to have learnt music from such a stalwart. The house echoed with music with disciples and accompanying music artistes practicing their respective instruments under his able supervision. He used to provide practical tips and made the disciples sing to the perfection.

Apart from music, the eminent teacher taught the students life skills like thrift, understanding others’ perspective and need to exercising caution when required – treated the disciples as his own family members. Impressed by his classical-style of singing and mellifluous voice, his supporters put pressure on him to migrate to Chennai to earn name, fame and money.

But, he did not succumb to pressures from any quarters. His reply to them would be: “What would happen to my native place if I leave it for greener pastures upon gaining independence. Whatever we earn, we do it to keep our body and soul together. My well being is linked to that of the people.

My objective is to make classical music wide spread among the people Andhra Pradesh like it did in Tamil Nadu.” With this objective in mind, he left his native place of Srikakulam in Divi Taluk in Krishna district to settle down in Vijayawada.

He never spoke ill of other musician. He would admonish his disciples if he found out that they criticised other musicians and ask them to never repeat such an act.

He always celebrated his guru Susarla Dakshniamurthy’s Aradhana celebrations on a grand scale. In July 1940, he had to go to his native place. Therefore, he asked his senior student Neti Lakshminarayana Bhagavatulu to supervise the arrangements for the aradhana celebrations.

Neti Lakshminarayana acting on suggestions from Mahadevu Radhakrishna Raju,Lanka Venkateswarlu and others included the name of Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna in the invitation card. On his return, he was aghast at Balamurali’s name figuring in the invitation card as he had recently joined him and did not even complete ‘geetams’. He admonished that the measure would denigrate the standard of the celebrations.

However, Balamurali Krishna’s concert, which was supposed to be only half an hour,went on up to two hours on July 18,1940 mesmerising the audiences to the delight of Ramakrishnaiah’s pantulu who was overwhelmed at the response.

In the words of one of his eminent disciples, “The guru used to teach theory behind the lessons and made students respond. By the time, the student is through Varnas and Geetams they would be able to sing fluently in the appropriate raga with perfect shruti and laya.

He never discouraged any student from learning. He used to advise the student to sing them understanding their prowess. He used to teach the students according to their capabilities.

He believed in the saying ‘Mukhe Mukhe Saraswati’ and used to teach the student according to his or her abilities. He used to take along the students to the maximum possible heights he or she would be able to attain.”

Speaking about the most revered guru, Sangeeta Sahitya Kalanidhi Nallan Chakravartula Krishnamacharyulu recalls, “The way he used to teach and sing are easy to imbibe for students. His concert used to proceed in the highway of music. He treated the big and small reverentially while he maintained his grace. He used to preach gurubhakti only after practicing it.”

In the words of Mrudangist Mahadevu Radhakrishnaraju, “ Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu was an adept in identifying the solving the problems of musicians. However complex was the problem, he used to solve it so easily. His disciples not became experts in music never groped in the dark for food and clothes. Even expert musicians used to get absorbed in the lesson, taught by Radhakrishnaiah Pantulu while playing violin. Pantulugaru was selfless, nonpartisan and honest person. He had no enemies. He was appointed as one of the expert musicians of the Madras Music Academy.” Some of the prominent

disciples who learnt from Parupalli were Chilakalapudi VenkateswaraSarma, Vankadari Venkata Subbaiah, Rajanala Venkatramaiah, Mangalampalli Pattabhiramaiah, Neti Lakshminarayana Bhagavatulu, Annavarapu Ramaswamy, Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, Nallan Chakravartula Krishnamacharyulu, Neti Srirama Sarma, GV Rakumari, Musunuri Venkata Ramanamurthy,DattadaPanduranga Raju, Tirupati Ponna Rao, Daliparti Pichchahari brothers among others.

Some of the prominent disciples of Parupalli’s disciples were: Nookala China Satyanarayana, Chavali Krishnamurti, Pemmaraju Suryarao, AVSKrishnaRao, B Indira kameswaraRao, Matnuri Jalajakshi, Ponnapalli Durgaprasad, P. Janaki, Matnuri Srinivasa Narasimha Murthy, Peravali Nandakumar, Tulasi Viswanath, Modumudi Sudhakar, Y Ramaprabha, J Chidrupalakshmi, T Chandrabhanu, Nemani Pradhasarathy, Ammula Durgabhavani, R Dinakar and others. His disciples and disciples’ disciples are working as teachers in music colleges and All India Radio stations.

On account of the untiring efforts of Parupalli, an AIR Center and a music college was set up in Vijayawada.
Pantulugaru was responsible for bringing out music talent among the Andhras and make it popular far and wide at a time when Kannadigas and Tamilians’ voices were heard all over.

His disciples are celebrating the birth anniversary of Parupalli Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu and the Gurupuja celebrations on a grand scale annually in Vijayawada.

Sangeetananda Neti Srirama Sarma was responsible for conducting the celebrations in Hyderabad for two decades and encouraged upcoming singers to sing during the gurupuja celebrations. World famous classical vocalist and multifaceted genious Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna and Nadasudharnava Annavarapu Ramasway were his gifts to the state of Andhra Pradesh.

There is exaggeration to say that the entire music community are deeply indebted to Parupalli Ramakrishnaiah Pantulu for his contrubition to the realm of classical music.

–YVK