Experiences with Maha Periyava: Grammy winning Ghatam Maestro Vikku Vinayakram.
An ardent devotee of Periyavaa he attributes all his success to His bountiful blessings. “I have felt His divine presence on more than one occasion,” he says. Once Vinayakram had gone on a tour to
An ardent devotee of Periyavaa he attributes all his success to His bountiful blessings. “I have felt His divine presence on more than one occasion,” he says. Once Vinayakram had gone on a tour to
Athens to perform at a concert along with L. Shankar & Zakir Hussain. Somehow the Ghatam (a circular mud pot beaten with the hands as a percussion instrument) he took broke a few days before the scheduled date of performance. Vinayakram was heart broken and called his wife in
Chennai and told her that he wanted to return as there was no point of staying in Athens. His wife asked him to wait for one day and in the meantime, went to Kanchi Mutt and explained the situation to Sri Maha Periyava. Periyava did not react to her narrative and kept quiet. She
was in tears and when she was about to leave the Kanchi Sage gave her a full coconut and remained silent. Meanwhile Zakir Hussain went hunting around Athens and at last found a show piece in an American’s House. The American was initially skeptical about parting with the Ghatam.
He said that the person who had gifted it to him had asked him not to part with it or sell it to anyone. On asking him who had gifted him the Ghatam, to everyone’s surprise he said that it was “Vinayakram”. Zakir Hussain then told him that the Ghatam was required by the same
person who had gifted it to him. The American then decided to part with the Ghatam upon getting a letter from Vinayakram stating that the Ghatam would indeed be of great use to him. Even more surprising was that the instrument was exactly in the same shruthi in which Vinayakaram
was to perform. On another occasion in Germany, after missing a flight to the USA, Vinayakaram spent some time going around a music shop. On learning that the visitor was Vinayakaram, the shopkeeper showed him a Ghatam and asked him to certify it. It was made by a German lady.
Vinayakram was satisfied with the tonal quality as it equalled the ones made in India. A jubilant shopkeeper gifted it to Vinayakaram despite the latter’s protests. On reaching the USA, Vinayakaram found his own Ghatam in a broken condition and then used the one he got as a gift
for the concert. The shruthi was G (5 kattai) and it perfectly matched the concert’s aadhara shruthi of C (1 kattai). Convinced that it is indeed Sri Maha Periyava’s Ghatam, Vinayakram has made for it a place in his pooja room.
Compiled by Jagadguru Sri Maha Periyava - Kanchi Paramacharya/Fb
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
