S. Balachander
Encyclopedia
Sundaram Balachander born in Madras was an India
n self-taught veena
player.
is a well-known singer and teacher, and a gifted artist as well. His elder sister is Jayalakshmi (who later acted as M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
’s pair in Sivakavi
), Saraswathi was his younger sister, followed by the twins Kalpagam and Gopalaswami.
From the age of five he showed an interest in classical music and his first musical attempt was with the kanjeera, which is a small, circular percussion instrument. Within a year he was accompanying his brother and other musicians on the kanjeera during regular concert engagement, in Sabhas, in temple festivals, in devotional congregations, etc. From age six on his career achieved steady growth. He also learnt to play tabla
, mridangam, harmonium
, bulbuldara, dilruba, and shehnai
.
, Balachander was a fully fledged solo concert artist by age twelve and it is interesting to note that he performed South Indian Carnatic music
on that instrument. From age fifteen to eighteen he served as an artist on the staff of "All India Radio
", Madras, playing many instruments during the almost daily broadcasts, while also performing in solo recitals, participating in orchestral ensembles, accompanying other artists and composing and conducting pieces of his own.
A hectic period of playing and working for All India Radio playing came almost simultaneously to an end with the entry of the veena
into his life. Falling in love with the instrument, from the beginning he felt that it deserved his undivided attention and every skill. Without a tutor or master to guide him, within two years he was an established concert veena player. He felt that "by the grace of god" was he able to bring credit to himself as for his achievement of having evolved a new trend, a new style and a new school of veena-playing.
Balachander also possessed a substantial knowledge of North Indian Hindustani classical music
, and a keen appreciation of Western classical music.
He is also known for his work in cinema, his writing and his polemics. Balachander was awarded the Padma Bhushan
in 1982.
(1932). Followed by Rishyasringar
(1941) and Aaraichi Mani Alladhu Manuneethi Chozhan (1942). His other Tamil movies that he acted include Devaki
(1951), Rajambal (1951), Rani (1952), Inspector
(1953), Penn
(1954), Kodeeswaran (1955), Doctor Savitri (1955) and Maragatham (1959).
In addition to acting and composing film music, from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s Balachander directed a number of Tamil films. He had acted, directed, composed music and sang in Idhu Nijama (1948), En Kanavar (1948), Kaithi
(1951), Avana Ivan
(1962), Bommai (1964) and Nadu Iravil (1965). He directed Andha Naal
(1954) a movie with no songs, has a very superior cinematography and classic in B&W. It has developed a large cult following in the recent times. Others include Bhoologa Rambai (1958) and Avan Amaran (1958).
He has directed a Telugu
film in 1956 entitled Edi Nijam
produced by Ghantasala Krishnamurthy of Pratibha Films. He has also acted as a friend of N. T. Rama Rao
in the Telugu film Sangham
with Vyjayanthimala
of AVM Productions
.
. Semmangudi had written a book on Maharaja Swathi Thirunal of Travancore
(1813–1846), a famous composer. Balachander claimed that Semmangudi was trying to ascribe his own compositions to a king, and to argue this he suggested the maharaja did not compose a note and tried to prove the king had never existed. Balachander loved to stress how this was a much greater outrage than the Bofors corruption scandal
in India. He argued the point in The Indian Express
on March 26, 1990
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n self-taught veena
Veena
Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
player.
Early life
His ancestors were from the Tanjore area, which is acclaimed as the seat of culture and fine arts in South India. His grandfather is Rao Saheb Vaidyanatha Iyer. He was born to V. Sundaram Iyer and Parvathi alias Chellamma. His elder brother S. RajamS. Rajam
Sundaram Rajam was an Indian actor, painter and Carnatic musician from the state of Tamil Nadu. He was a student of the Carnatic musician Papanasam Sivan and the elder brother of Tamil film director and musician Veenai S. Balachander. Rajam made his Tamil film debut in the 1934 film Seetha Kalyanam...
is a well-known singer and teacher, and a gifted artist as well. His elder sister is Jayalakshmi (who later acted as M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar , also called M.K.T., was a Tamil film actor, producer and Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever....
’s pair in Sivakavi
Sivakavi
Sivakavi was a 1943 Tamil-language film directed, initially, by Raja Sandow and later, S. M. Sreeramulu Naidu. It starred M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, S. Jayalakshmi, Serukalathur Sama, Thripuramba, T. R. Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Madhuram...
), Saraswathi was his younger sister, followed by the twins Kalpagam and Gopalaswami.
From the age of five he showed an interest in classical music and his first musical attempt was with the kanjeera, which is a small, circular percussion instrument. Within a year he was accompanying his brother and other musicians on the kanjeera during regular concert engagement, in Sabhas, in temple festivals, in devotional congregations, etc. From age six on his career achieved steady growth. He also learnt to play tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, mridangam, harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
, bulbuldara, dilruba, and shehnai
Shehnai
The shehnai, shahnai, shenai or mangal vadya, is an aerophonic instrument, a double reed conical oboe, common in North India, West India and Pakistan, made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the end...
.
Career
On the sitarSitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, Balachander was a fully fledged solo concert artist by age twelve and it is interesting to note that he performed South Indian Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
on that instrument. From age fifteen to eighteen he served as an artist on the staff of "All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
", Madras, playing many instruments during the almost daily broadcasts, while also performing in solo recitals, participating in orchestral ensembles, accompanying other artists and composing and conducting pieces of his own.
A hectic period of playing and working for All India Radio playing came almost simultaneously to an end with the entry of the veena
Veena
Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
into his life. Falling in love with the instrument, from the beginning he felt that it deserved his undivided attention and every skill. Without a tutor or master to guide him, within two years he was an established concert veena player. He felt that "by the grace of god" was he able to bring credit to himself as for his achievement of having evolved a new trend, a new style and a new school of veena-playing.
Balachander also possessed a substantial knowledge of North Indian Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
, and a keen appreciation of Western classical music.
He is also known for his work in cinema, his writing and his polemics. Balachander was awarded the Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
in 1982.
Recordings
- The Music Of Southern India: S. Balachander - Veena, Sivaraman - Mridangam. Nonsuch Explorer Series LP 7/2003, 1960s.
- Veena Virtuoso: S. Balachander. Columia Records Japan, 2006.
- Veena Chakravarthy S.Balachander In Concert - RAGAM - THANAM - PALLAVI in Ragam SRI. Swathi's Sanskriti Series CD.
- Veena Vidwan S.Balachander In Concert - Dhyname. Swathi's Sanskriti Series CD.
- La Vina De S.Balachander (Krishnamurthy: mridangam) / LP 1978 Sonodisc ESP 165510
Cinema
He began as a child artist in Tamil film Seetha KalyanamSeetha Kalyanam
Seetha Kalyanam is a 1976 Telugu film by the director-writer duo Bapu- Ramana . The film deals with a part of the evergreen wedding epic of Ramayana.The film tells the tales of Rama and of the 10 incarnations of Vishnu...
(1932). Followed by Rishyasringar
Rishyasringar
Rishyasringar was a 1941 Tamil-language film directed by S. Soundararajan. Vasundhara Devi, Ranjan, Sundaram Balachandar, G. Pattu Iyer, Kumari Rukmini, T. E. Krishnamachari, K. N. Ramamurthi Iyer, R. K. Ramasami, M. S. Murugesam, T. V. Sethuraman, V. N. Pankajam and K. N. Kamalam starred in the...
(1941) and Aaraichi Mani Alladhu Manuneethi Chozhan (1942). His other Tamil movies that he acted include Devaki
Devaki
In Hinduism, Devaki is the wife of Vasudeva and biological mother of Krishna.She was the daughter of Devaka, the younger brother of King Ugrasena of Mathura. She was a partial incarnation of Aditi, the mother of the Devas.-Imprisonment :...
(1951), Rajambal (1951), Rani (1952), Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
(1953), Penn
Penn (film)
Penn is a 1954 Tamil romantic comedy film written by Ra. Venkatachalam and directed by M. V. Raman. The film starred Vyjayanthimala, Gemini Ganesan, S. Balachander and Anjali Devi in the lead while Chittor V. Nagaiah, V. K. Ramasamy, K. N. Kamlam, K.R. Chellam and K. Sankarapani as the ensemble...
(1954), Kodeeswaran (1955), Doctor Savitri (1955) and Maragatham (1959).
In addition to acting and composing film music, from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s Balachander directed a number of Tamil films. He had acted, directed, composed music and sang in Idhu Nijama (1948), En Kanavar (1948), Kaithi
Kaithi
Kaithi , also called "Kayathi" or "Kayasthi", is the name of a historical script used widely in parts of North India, primarily in the former North-Western Provinces, Oudh and Bihar...
(1951), Avana Ivan
Avana Ivan
Avana Ivan is a 1962 Tamil film directed by S. Balachander. The film was an adaptation of the 1951 American film A Place in the Sun, itself adapted from the novel An American Tragedy written by Theodore Dreiser. The novel was based on the Gillette murder case that shook America in the early 20th...
(1962), Bommai (1964) and Nadu Iravil (1965). He directed Andha Naal
Andha Naal
Andha Naal is a 1954 Tamil crime mystery film directed by Veenai S. Balachander. It is arguably the first film-noir in Tamil cinema and is the first Tamil film to be made without songs. The film was inspired by the 1950 Akira Kurosawa film Rashômon...
(1954) a movie with no songs, has a very superior cinematography and classic in B&W. It has developed a large cult following in the recent times. Others include Bhoologa Rambai (1958) and Avan Amaran (1958).
He has directed a Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
film in 1956 entitled Edi Nijam
Edi Nijam
Edi Nijam is a 1956 Telugu film directed by Vainik and film personality Sundaram Balachander and produced by Ghantasala Krishnamurthy of Pratibha Films. The films starring Nagabhushanam of Rakta Kanneeru fame. The story is loosely based on the Italian film Puzitor.-The plot:Kondaiah is a labourer...
produced by Ghantasala Krishnamurthy of Pratibha Films. He has also acted as a friend of N. T. Rama Rao
N. T. Rama Rao
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao , also known as NTR and fondly referred to as Anna Garu, was an Indian film actor, director, producer, and a politician...
in the Telugu film Sangham
Sangham
Sangham is a 1954 Telugu Romantic comedy film written by V.S.Venkatasalam and directed by M. V. Raman. The film starred Vyjayanthimala, N. T. Rama Rao, S. Balachander and Anjali Devi in the lead while Chittor V. Nagaiah, V. K. Ramasamy, K. N. Kamlam, K.R. Chellam and K. Sankarapani as the ensemble...
with Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
of AVM Productions
AVM Productions
AVM is the oldest and largest film production studio in India. It is currently owned by M. Saravanan and his son, M. S. Guhan. The most recent film they have produced since their opening with Nam Iruvar in 1947, is Vettaikkaaran and Leader. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai....
.
Feud with Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
In Balachander's last years, he feuded with vocalist Semmangudi Srinivasa IyerSemmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer is considered to be one of the greatest Carnatic vocalists of the twentieth century...
. Semmangudi had written a book on Maharaja Swathi Thirunal of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
(1813–1846), a famous composer. Balachander claimed that Semmangudi was trying to ascribe his own compositions to a king, and to argue this he suggested the maharaja did not compose a note and tried to prove the king had never existed. Balachander loved to stress how this was a much greater outrage than the Bofors corruption scandal
Bofors scandal
The Bofors scandal was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s; the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply India's 155 mm field howitzer...
in India. He argued the point in The Indian Express
The Indian Express
The Indian Express is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. It is published in Mumbai by Indian Express Group. After Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split in 1999 among his family members into two with the southern editions taking the name The New Indian Express, while the old...
on March 26, 1990