Nadaswara Chakravarty Shri. Thirumarugal Natesa Pillai Rajarathinam Pillai

T. N. Rajarathinam Pillai was born on 27th August 1898 in Thiruvavaduthurai, Tamil Nadu. He received his early musical training under Tirukodikaval Krishnaiyer and Nadaswaram from Amma Chatram Kannuswami Pillai. The sound and the melody that emanated from his instrument captivated the listeners. Raga Darbaar was one his favourites. His imagery virtually created a royal court with the structure of Raga. There was no one to surpass him in rendering of the Todi and the Shanmukapriya. His presentation of Ragas covered the entire gamut, nuances and technical musical intricacies and all the shades and the subtleties, that there has been no one to this day to surpass him. Begada, Useni, Poorvi Kalyani, Behag, Mandu, Peelu, he was comfortable exploring them and coming up with something original. A puritan among puritans, he earned his fame without pandering to popular tastes. Awards, merits, medals and titles came by dozens and he was awarded the Padma Shri in the year 1952. Beyond all this, he remains the Nadaswara Chakravarthy of all times.

The Department of Posts, Government of India released a stamp in his honour on 3.12.2020. In several ways, he blazed a new trail. He was conferred the title “Sangeetha Ratnakara” by His Holiness Jagadguru Sankaracharya Pujyasri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. The unparalleled Maestro continues to evoke awe and inspiration.

In the 125th birth anniversary of TNR in 2023, the Sabha took a giant stride forward for preservation, perpetuation and promotion of the Mangala Vadhyam in his honour and cherished memory. The Sabha celebrates his 128th birth anniversary with the Nadaswara Thiruvizha between 29th and 30th August 2026.

Nadaswara Vidwan Thiruppamburam Shri. T. K. S. Meenakshi Sundaram

Shri T. K. S. Meenakshi Sundaram hails from the Thiruppamburam Nadaswaram tradition. He belongs to the 7th generation and has been performing for over five decades from the age of 7. Thiruppamburam T. S. Nataraja Sundaram Pillai and T. S. Sivasubramaniya Pillai brothers (4th generation) were the first to introduce the novelty of two players playing Nadaswaram together called ‘Duet Nadaswaram’. Shri. T. K. S. Swaminathan (14 years) and Shri T. K. S. Meenakshi Sundaram (7 years) started performing together till the elder brother passed away in 2011. He is held in high esteem by the music fraternity for his scholarly vidwat and many of his disciples have proved as worthy artistes in the field of music.

He received the Government of Tamil Nadu’s “Arasavai Kalaignargal” in 1981, the Kalaimamani in 1998. The Allepey Devaswom Board Kerala, Ganapati Sachidananda Swamigal Ashram, Dharmapuram and Kundrakkudi Adhinam honoured him with their highest award. Several other Adhinam Mutts of Tamil Nadu have conferred their highest honours on him. He is a top graded artiste of AIR and Doordarshan.

Sri Shanmukhananda Nadaswara Chakravarty Shri. T. N. Rajarathinam Pillai Sangeetha Kala Vibhushan Award

In honour of the Nadaswara Chakravarty and with a view to recognise and felicitate practitioners of Nadaswaram who have preserved the tradition and perpetuate this divine art, the Sabha set up in 2023, this award. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 2,50,000/-, a big lamp and a shawl. The award is given on the date of birth of Shri. T. N. Rajarathinam Pillai on 27th August or closer thereto.

The first Sangeetha Kala Vibhushan Award was given to Nadaswara Vidwan Shri. Sembanar Koil Ramasamy Govindasamy Rajanna on 27th August 2023, second award was conferred on Padmashri Seshampatti Shri. T. Sivalingam on 1st September 2024 and the third award was conferred on Shri. Thiruvizha Jayasankar on 31st August 2025.