Papanasam Sivan

Paapanaasam Raamayya Sivan (26 September 1890 – 1 October 1973) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a singer. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1971. He was also a film score composer in Kannada and Tamil cinema in the 1930s and 1940s.

Sivan was also known as Tamil Thyaagaraja. Using Classical South Indian music as a base, Sivan created compositions popularised by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, D. K. Pattammal, and M. S. Subbulakshmi.

In 1962, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship conferred by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.

Life Sivan's early years were spent in the Travancore area of Kerala. He was born at Polagam village in the district of Thanjavur, which was home to the musical trinity of Carnatic music. His given name was Ramaiya. In 1897, when he was 7, his father died. His mother Yogambal, along with her sons, left Thanjavur and moved to Travancore (now Thiruvananthapuram) in 1899 to seek the aid of his uncle. In Thiruvananthapuram, he learned Malayalam and later joined the Maharaja Sanskrit College and obtained a degree in grammar.

Ramaiya was very religious, and became even more so with the death of his mother Yogambal in 1910, when he was 20. He wandered from place to place visiting temples and singing devotional songs. He used to be an active participant in the devotional music sessions at the home of Neelakandasivan in Thiruvananthapuram where he learned many of Neelakandasivan's composition. In this period he went regularly to the temple at Papanasam, where he would smear bhasma all over his body. Hence people first began to refer him as Papanasam Sivan.

He took his first music lessons from Noorani Mahadeva Bhagavatar, son of Parameswara Bhagavatar. Later, he became the disciple of Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Ayyar, a well-known musician.

He was most interested in the devotional aspect of music. He preferred to sing devotional songs and encouraged other singers take part in sessions of devotional music with him. He was a regular performer in the main temple festivals in South India with his devotional songs.

He received the President Award in 1962, and in 1969 he received the Sangeetha Kalasikhamani Award bestowed on him by "The Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai". He was conferred the Sangita Kalanidhi in 1971.

D K Pattammal and D K Jayaraman, the sister-brother duo who were both awarded Sangeeta Kalanidhi, were his disciples. He taught Pattammal many kritis, and she also sang many of Sivan's compositions for films.

Family Papanasam Sivan had an elder brother P. Rajagopal Iyer, whose daughter, V. N. Janaki, was an actress who would later serve as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu during 7-30 January 1988.

He had four children, 2 sons and 2 daughters namely P.S. Kirthivasan, P.S Ramadas, Smt. Neela Ramamurthy and Smt. Rukmini Ramani. Sivan started conducting bhajanai in 1934. After his death, his daughter Rukmini Ramani (b 1939), an accomplished singer herself, and her son Ashok Ramani have carried on the bhajanai tradition.

Filmography

Compositions

Composition Raga Tala Type Language Other Info Abayaambikaaramani sankarabharanam Adimalarinaiyallaal pharaju Amba Nee irangayenil Atana Adi Ambikaye Kharaharapriya Adi Varnam Tamil Andavane Shanmukhapriya Alavillaiye mukhaari Anbilaiye kamaas Balakrishna Dhanyasi – Candra kalaavadamsam sankarabharanam Chittham Iranga shahana 'Misra Chapu' Cittam magizhvittidudu bilahari Dasarataatmajam Poorvi Kalyani Dayavillaya Dayalo Kharaharapriya Devi paadam paninden Hanumatodi Devi Neeye Thunai Keeravani Dharma samvarttani taaye Nata Durgaalakshmi saraswati arabhi, yamunaa kalyaani Eesane inda chakravakam Enadhu Manam Harikambhoji Enda vidamum mukhaari Ennatavam seydane yesodaa kaapi Adi Tamil Gangaiyani hanumatodi Gajavadana karunaa shree ranjani Adi Gowri Manohara Karunakara gowrimanohari Guruvaayoorappa Chakravakam (raga) Ihapara menumeru simhendramadhyamam Inbamenbadilaiye Kanada Kaana kan kodi kambhoji Kaanarasamudan begada Kaartikeya gaangeya hanumatodi Kaa vaa vaa Varaali 'adi' Kadaikkan nokki hanumatodi Kadaikkan paarvaiyadu kamaas Kali teerumo hanumatodi Kallaada ezhaiyallavo saveri Kanindarul purindaal kalyani 'Tamil' Kanmana murugacceyya Surutti Kannan madhura idhazhai Bhimpalas 'Tamil' Kapali mohanam Karpagaambike bilahari Karpagaambikai Nee Allavo Behag Karpagame Madhyamavati Karunai Varumo EnrenginenCharukesi'Adi''Carnatic''Tamil' Ksheera Saagara Sayee Purvi Kalyani Kumaran taal yadukula kaambhoji Kunran kudi hanumatodi Maa ramanan hindolam Maal marugaaVasantha Mahalakshmi JaganmathaaSankarabharanam Misra Chapu Mahaaprabo shree arabhi Malarinai tunaiye Reetigowla 'Tamil' Maname kanamum Mariyaadai taano dhanyasi Marundalittarul gowla Mayil vAhanA – Mohanam Adi Tamil Mulaadhaara murthe hamsadhvani Tamil Naamamuravu Darbar Naan oru vilayaattu bommaiyaa navarasa Naaraayana divya naamammohanam Nee arul puriya vendum keeravani Nee gadiyaladu bhairavi Neeyallavo kamavardani Nekk-urugi abhogi Ninai maname anandabhairavi Paadamalare tanycam kedaram Paamalai inai undo harikambhoji Paarvati naayakane shanmukhapriya Adi Padamalare gaiyena mayamalavagowla Padumaabhan marugaa nagasvaravali Paraamukham enaiyaa kharaharapriya Paraashakti jananee hamsadhvani Paraatpara vachaspati Deshadi Parpala porpani (kanni) kamaas Patita paavana raama hanumatodi Piravaa varam latangi Piraviyadanaar sahana Raadhaa mukhakamala hindustani kapi Raagagopaala devaadi devane hanumatodi Raamam bhajata shree Saamagaana lolane hindolam Saamaja vara gamana madhyamavati Saa sapaa nabonipaa hamsadhvani Sada siva kumara Shuddha Saveri Senthil aandavan Kharaharapriya roopaka Kriti Tamil Sharanam ayyappaa mukhaari Sharavana bhava guhane madhyamavati Sharavana Bhava Enum Shanmugapriya Singara velavan vandhan Anandabhairavi Adi Keerthanam TamilSivagangaa nagara Punnagavarali Sivakaama sundaree jagadamba mukhaari Sivakaama sundaree jagadamba Surutti Shree ganapatiye deva manohari Shree shrI vallI dEva sEnApatE Natabhairavi Shree maadhavaa Behag Sreenivaasa tava kharaharapriya Shreenivaasa tiruvenkata hamsanandi 'Adi' Shree shhanmukam bhairavi Shree vaataapi ganapatiye sahana Sikkal meviya kambhoji Sollu paapaa (paapaa kanni) mukhaari Sopana Vazhvil Sivakavi mukhaari Sree valli deva sena pathe Natabhairavi Swaamy sharanam anandabhairavi Swami Nan Undran Nattakurinji 'Adi' Swaami unran caranam bilahari , Swamikku Sari Evare Kedaragaula Taamasam en swaamy hanumatodi Taaye ezhaipaal bhairavi Tanigai valar todi Tattvamariya taramaa Reetigowla Tinameede natriname bhupalam Tirukkumaranaa yavadarittaar sankarabharanam Tiruvalar mayilaiyun (kanni) kamaas Tiruvazhundoor vaazh dhanyasi Tunai purindarul shuddha hindolam Unadu dayai enai kamavardani Undenru urudi harikambhoji Undu kuladeivaraaman hanumatodi Unnaiyalla vere gatiyillai Kalyani 'Adi' Unnaittudikka kuntala varaali Un paadame Punnagavarali Vaanor vanangu anandabhairavi Vandadellaam varattum huseni Vaayu Kumaaran kalyani Swami Nan Undan Adimai Nattakurinji Shri Ganesha Charanam Tilang 'Adi'