Music can cure diseases - Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram

My father’s film entry was in Avvaiyar in which he had sung in a chorus. His first solo song was ‘Siripputhan varukuthaiya …’ in the film Ponvayal. After this, many films followed. Simultaneously, he gave programs on radio and in sabhas too. He had won many awards like ‘Isai perarignar’, Padmasri, Sangeetha nataka academy reward etc. I believe that it is my previous jenma’s punyam that I am born to this genius. Even when he breathed his last, he uttered the words, “Ulagam vaazhga, ulagam vaazhga”. He always believed that the world was his home and that all the lives on earth were his relations. Even when he signed his name on autographs, he would write “Vaazhga vaiyagam”. He was everything to my mother Sulochana. Her world was my father!

Q: When he was busy with films and other programs, did he have time for family?

A: I learned a lot from the lives of my parents. Whenever my father was out of station, my mother used to take care of everything. She was very supportive to my father. My father did not leave any liability in the form of debt to us. He gave us everything in life. My only sister Gyanavalli and her husband Pradhapan are practicing medicine in America. All my three children have taste for music. They are all learning music.

Q: Are you the teacher for your children?

A: They started learning from Komala. Presently, their teacher is Therezhundur Kamala. I also teach them. When I was in the 6th std., I won a prize for music. But my father didn’t want me to take up music as my profession because he knew how hard it was to get a place in that field. He wanted his children to study well and take up professions like doctor, engineer etc. But my mother was very firm that I should learn music. The first two classes were taken by my father. He used to be very strict. He would hit me if I committed a mistake. He expected me to be as perfect as he was. He was very harsh probably because he did not want me to become a musician, he wanted me to study well. Because of his harshness, I avoided learning music from him and purposely I would get up late in the morning. After watching my behavior, he arranged a guru for me. My guru is P. Krishnamoorthy. Even today, I am learning from him.

When I was young, many musicians and Tamil scholars used to visit our house. We would address them as ‘Maama’ ‘Periyappa’ and ‘Chittappa’. In those days, whenever there was a function in anybody’s house, all would participate in it, helping each other. I feel very happy whenever I recall those days.