Draft:Madikeri Nagendra

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Madikeri Nagendra

Madikeri Nagendra: Sep 1950 - August 2005

Madikeri Nagendra (16 September 1950 – 8 August 2005), Indian singer and music director was mainly connected to Kannada Sugama Sangeetha, or light music. He was renowned for his contributions to the Gamaka tradition and for fusing Sugama Sangeetha with aspects of Carnatic music. He was a self-taught musician known for his work in music education and his unique vocal style.

Personal Life

Early life

Nagendra was born into a family with a rich literary and cultural heritage in Madikeri, Karnataka. He was the fourth child of Smt. Lakshmi Devi and renowned Gamaka artist and Kannada writer M. S. Ananthapadmanabha Rao. His father and his literary circle, which included people like Kuvempu, D. V. Gundappa, Krishnagiri Krishna Rao (also known as Bharatada Krishna Rao), Gudibande Ramachar, and others, exposed him to music and literature at a young age. Despite not having received any official music instruction, Nagendra gained an appreciation for musical subtleties through listening to his father and brothers.

Family

Nagendra had three older siblings: M. A. Sheshagiri Rao, Karnataka Kalashri M. A. Jayaram Rao, author and Gamaka artist, Smt. Padmini Srinivas Rao. He had two sons with Smt. Geetha Nagendra, his wife.

Musical Journey

Music and singing styles

Among Nagendra's repertoire were Hindi bhajans, Bhaavageethe, devotional music, patriotic songs, and Vachana Sahitya. Gamaka, a traditional storytelling art form that incorporates music, was a perfect fit for his deep voice. He took part in Gamaka training sessions and received guidance from well-known artists like Smt. E. V. Alamelu, Prof. G. Venkatasubbaiah, and Shri. Raghavendra Rao.

"Bhavataranga"

News article from 1995 which covered the Bhavataranga program

Nagendra participated in Bhavataranga, a multidisciplinary performance event that took place in Bangalore in 1995 and featured real-time collaborations between poets, musicians, and painters. Among the poets were Shri. P S Ramanujam, Prof. Siddhalingaiah, and Shri. Aa Ra Mithra. Madikeri Nagendra, Shri. Tirumale Srinivas, and Shri. Shimogga Subbanna were among the singers and composers of the music. Dr. BKS Verma was in charge of the painting on the canvas. A song about the horrors of dowries and harassment of women was written by Professor Aa Ra Mithra. Within minutes of receiving the lyrics, Nagendra wrote and performed a piece on the theme that was well-received by the audience, other participants, and Shri. Aa Ra Mithra himself.

Musical Collaborations

Madikeri Nagendra performing and accompanied by Vid. B K Chandramouli on the Khanjira. Renowned Mridangam artiste Vid. B C Manjunath (a young boy then) can be seen behind Madikeri Nagendra.

Throughout his career, Nagendra worked with a number of singers and artists, such as Garthikere Raghanna, Yashwanth Halibandi, H N Meera, Shantha Jayatirtha, Rathnamala Prakash, Shimogga Subbanna, Tirumale Srinivas, and Srinivas Udupa. R R Keshavamurthy, Anoor Ramakrishna, B K Chandramouli, Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma, Venugopal Hemmige, H L Shivashankar Swamy, Shri. A V Prakash, and Sameer Rao were among the musicians he performed with. Despite having no formal training in Carnatic music, dancers Vasundhara Doraiswamy and Tulasi Ramachandra were drawn to his Carnatic-influenced style and asked him to participate in their productions.

Purandara Aradhanaotsava

Madikeri Nagendra at the Purandara Aradhanothsava at Mulabagilu. Sharing stage with him is Vid. R K Padmanabh and Vid. Kurudi Venkannachar

Since 1982, Nagendra has actively participated in the Purandara Aradhana, which was first held in Hampi and then moved to Mulabagilu and is organized by the Purandara Aradhana Samithi Trust. M S Govindaswamy, R R Keshavamurthy, T V Bhadrachar, T A S Mani, B K Chandramouli, Bhadragiri Achyutha Dasaru, and Bhadragiri Sarvothama Dasaru were among the well-known musicians and Harikatha artists he shared the stage with. With his self-taught harmonium skills, he used to frequently accompany the renowned harikatha exponents, such as Gururajalu Naydu and Bhadrgiri Sarvothama Dasaru. He continued to participate with sizable student groups even after moving to Mysore in 1997.

Relocation to Mysore and retirement

After a change in his role at Canara Bank, Nagendra moved to Mysore in 1997. He became involved in the city's cultural scene and gave performances at a number of events hosted by organizations like Mysore Dasara, Jaganmohana Palace, Sutturu Matha, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mysore Akashavani and Gaanabharathi. Nagendra's musical repertoire was praised by literary scholars such as Prof. Ramamurthy Rao, HSK, Niranjan Vanhalli, senior and well-known theater artist Shri. Master Hirannaiah, and Shri. G T Narayana Rao.  His singing and music were recognized and appreciated by senior artists such as Smt. H R Leelavathi, Shri. S G Raghuram, and Smt. S K Vasumathi. In 2001, he chose to retire voluntarily in order to devote himself full-time to music.

Gurukurpa Sangeetha Kendra

Madikeri Nagendra with his students

In order to train students in genres like Dasa Sahitya, Bhavageethe, and Vachana Sahitya, Gamaka, Nagendra founded Gurukrupa Sangeetha Kendra in Mysore in 2001[1]. In addition to musical techniques, he focused on other subtleties, such as comprehending the language, lyrics, 'kavibhaava', sandhi vibhajane, complicated words, the reasons behind a song's choice of raga, the song's emotions, how to perform it as a singer, and how to cultivate an awareness of the audience's pulse. It featured joint performances, guest lectures, and workshops. Shimogga Subbanna, Garthikere Raghanna, Yashwanth Halibandi, Tirumale Srinivas, Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma, Smt. Shantha Jayatirtha, Smt. Indu Vishwanath, Smt. Supriya Raghunandan, Kuchipudi exponent, Smt. Veena Murthy, and Bharathanatya artistes Tulasi Ramachandra are notable artists who performed under the Gurukrupa banner from a variety of disciplines.

Advocacy for Sugama Sangeetha

Nagendra was a supporter of Sugama Sangeetha's acceptance as a valid musical genre. Nagendra wrote and performed a song called "Chillare Sangeethada Chillare Gaayakaru" in response to a senior Carnatic musician's public remarks disparaging Sugama Sangeetha as "chillare sangeetha." Public discussion on the topic was sparked by the song's extensive circulation and numerous literary publications.

Audio productions of Madikeri Nagendra

Nagendra composed and recorded several music albums, including:

• Dasa Sammoha – Devotional songs by various daasaru, produced by Swaranjali
• Shrungarabhaava – Songs from Anthahpurageethe by D. V. Gundappa, produced by Namana Creations
• Yathivarabanda Raghavendra – Songs on Raghavendra Swamy by M. S. Ananthapadmanabha Rao, produced by Parimala Creations
• Nithya Vaibhava – Devotional songs on Goddess Nimishamba, written by H. L. Sheshachandra
• Stotra Sourabha – A compilation of stotras, produced by Gargeswara Temple
• Anandamrutha – Compositions of Pawamana Vitthala Dasaru
• Jeevana Bhaavana – A Bhavageethe album released shortly before his death.

Most of these albums featured compositions by Nagendra, with background music by Tirumale Srinivas.

Death

Madikeri Nagendra passed away on 8 August 2005 due to cardiac arrest at the age of 54. His contributions to Sugama Sangeetha and Kannada music education continue to be remembered by peers, students, and music enthusiasts.