When a mridangam maestro meets a marxist leader

What could be common between a mridangam exponent and a Marxist leader? Music.

The friendship between Umayalpuram Sivaraman, who describes himself as a hardcore traditionalist, yet ultramodern, and M.A. Baby, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a connoisseur of Carnatic music, dates back decades. The two came together to share their story at a special conversation session at The Hindu office, where N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief, explained how an unusual association blossomed into an enduring friendship.

It was during the Emergency imposed by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that the world of Carnatic music first opened its doors to Baby. Then a student, who almost went underground and later courted arrest, he found an unexpected path to music.

“His elder brother advised him to visit a temple and listen to concerts. That is how he first discovered the great music of Sivaraman,” Ram said.

Baby fine-tuned his taste in music by attending concerts of past masters, who were often accompanied by Sivaraman on the mridangam. To this day, he vividly recalls the songs rendered at those performances and the way Sivaraman’s artistry elevated each concert. He once even travelled to Erode to hear him accompany K.V. Narayanasamy, after seeing an announcement about the concert in The Hindu. “That day KVN sang ‘Evarimata’ in Kamboji. The elaboration of the raga, the rendition of the kriti, and the tani avartanam that followed are unforgettable,” Baby said.

So thorough is Baby with Sivaraman’s bani that when he was a Member of Parliament, he once asked Arun Kumar, after listening to him perform, whether he was a disciple of Umayalpuram Sivaraman. When the mridangam maestro was thoroughly impressed when he came to know about this.

Mridangam maestro Umayalpuram Sivaraman travelled down memory lane at the event.
| Photo Credit:
Thamodharan B

Recalling the incident, Sivaraman said, “Later, I received a call on my landline — I still don’t have a mobile phone. The person at the other end said, ‘I’m Baby. I’d like to meet you.’ So I invited him over, and that’s when I realised he was the person Arun had mentioned. We again met with some friends, and ended up discussing music till late in the night. “My wife, who was worried, called to check if I’d been kidnapped,” he laughed.

Appreciative of Baby’s deep sensitivity to music, Sivaraman pointed out how we can identify the style of most artistes, both vocalists or instrumentalists. That’s a rare quality.

Baby, who has organised many concerts, was instrumental in bringing together Chenda melam exponent Mattanoor Sankarankutty Marar and Sivaraman for a performance. He even arranged for the latter to accompany Kathak exponent Birju Maharaj.

Babyrecalled Sivaraman’s decision to call Neyyattinkara Vasudevan to sing a Pallavi for the inauguration of the Kerala University Students’ Union. “When Vasudevan saw Sivaraman walking in, there were tears in his eyes.”

Referring to himself as a honeybee, Sivaraman said, “Wherever there is good music, irrespective of caste or religion, I offer to accompany the artiste”. Believe it or not, he has also composed music for a fashion show.

Sharing his experience of accompanying stalwart musicians, Sivaraman pointed out how each possessed mastery in their respective field. “ Your imagination should come through in your playing. Through hard work, you reach the top and maintain your place by constantly improving. Otherwise, others will overtake you,” he said. Speaking on the subject of creativity, Sivaraman said, “Don’t think everything old is good, and don’t term everything new as bad. People with wisdom always choose the best from the old and the best from the new.”

The conversation also featured Sivaraman’s friendship with the actors Sivaji Ganesan and M.G. Ramachandran. He played for the Sivaji Ganesan starrer Mridhanga Chakravarthy. “Sivaji Ganesan used to call me vathiyar (teacher). Before every shot, he would ask me if he was playing it right. Such was his humility,” he said.

Sivaraman also recalled the presence of MGR and Devaraj Urs at the Music Academy to attend a concert of M. Balamuralikrishna, the year he was conferred the Sangita Kalanidhi award. “I accompanied him. After the concert, we went to meet both the Chief Ministers. MGR came up to me and said, ‘You played well. He had prepared the pallavi at home, but you played on the spot. You are great.’ Will anyone say that? That shows how deep his musical knowledge was..”

Published – July 16, 2025 04:31 pm IST