Chingleput Ranganathan

Chingleput Ranganathan was a classical Carnatic vocalist and Guru.

Chingleput Chelappa Ranganathan, was born in Chennai on 3 June 1938 to Sriman Chellappa Iyengar and Srimathi Rajalakshmi. His mother used to be a student of Harihara Iyer, a disciple of the Carnatic music great, Tiger Varadachariar. Ranganathan used to regularly accompany his mother to her music lessons. He then became a disciple of Flute Vidwan H.Ramachandra Shastri. It was Shastri who felt that he had the potential to train under the stalwart, Alathur Venkatesa Iyer. He thus entered the tutelage of Venkatesa Iyer of the Manambuchavadi lineage of Thyagaraja shishya parampara. He proceeded to undergo rigorous training with Alathur Brothers, Alathur Sivasubramania Iyer and Alathur Srinivasa Iyer under Gurukula System for ten years. His Arangetram was held in the Nerur Sadasiva Bramendral Utsavam in the year 1955. Vidwan Ramanathapuram M.N.Kandaswamy accompanied him on the Mridangam while his guru Alathur Venkatesa Iyer himself accompanied him on the harmonium on the occasion.

At the age of seventeen, Ranganathan secured the first place in the Music Competition held in October 1955, conducted by the All India Radio. He obtained the prize from the First President of India, Dr.Rajendra Prasad. He was an ‘A’ Grade Artist from the All India Radio and served for 20 years as a staff artist in the All India Radio (A.I.R., Chennai). As a staff artiste at the AIR, he conducted various programmes donning roles such as composer, conductor of orchestras, organiser etc. He served as the Asthana Vidwan of the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, Kanchipuram for more than twenty years. He was the Principal of the Teacher’s College of Music, The Music Academy, Chennai for over five years. Later he was a member of the faculty at its school of advanced learning in Carnatic music. He died on 12 July 2011.

Acclaimed Vidwan that he was, he had specialised in intricate pallavis ranging from the grand and famous to the obscure and elusive. He set to tune, thiruppugazh in the 72 melakartha ragas. His streak as a vaggeyakarar has shone through in his thillanas set to all the 35 suladhisaptha thalas. He was the torch-bearer of the Alathur Bani known for not only its laya oriented singing but the Sangeetha and Ragha Bhava – force of life enthused to the compositions of various composers.

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