Carnatic music artistes, rasikas celebrate Thyagaraja and his music at Samaj in Mylapore

This symbolic act may not have been a shade close to the real but it did present a time and practice that existed during the days of Thyagaraja, celebrated Carnatic music composer.

In the hours leading to the commemoration of the composer attaining mukti in Thiruvaiyaru, in Thanjavur, on the banks of the Cauvery river, members of the Thiagaraja Sangeeth Vidwath Samaj in Mylapore and well-wishers took part in a procession on Saturday morning, from an area near Sri Madhava Perumal Temple and headed to the Samaj premises.

One person dressed like a medicant-artiste, representing Thyagaraja, led the procession; some people went down on their knees to seek grace and others made some donations too. People in the procession sang in unison,

It was a simple, solemn act.

Later, a goodly number of artistes and rasikas sat inside the Samaj premises and sang Thyagaraja’s famed pancharatna kritis; even as abishekam was performed to the image of the saint in the premises.