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| 6.11.1926 - 31.5.1986 |
In 1937, after listening to T.R. Mahalingam for the first time, Mysore Vasudevachar is reported to have observed : "We all go in search of tala, but [Mahalingam] is like Lord Krishna—the tala goes in search of him." Even as a child Mahalingam astounded everyone with his superb sense of rhythm and the intricate permutations and combinations of the beat of musicthat imparted an exciting pulse to themelody he wrought out of the simplebamboo.
Pudukottai Dakshinamurthi Pillai and Palghat Mani Iyer were the incarnationsof tala who, to use the great Karnatakacomposer's figure of speech,went in search of Mahalingam.
Asked once why he was willing toplay with Mahalingam who couldn't bedepended upon to fulfil his concertengagements, Mani Iyer had retortedwith a rhetorical question : "Who else isthere who can provide me work for mymind and hands in such a gloriousmanner?"
Mahalingam and Mani Iyer were made for each other. Their combinationclicked most perfectly. Child prodigiesand masters of laya both, they rodetogether the waves of musical creativitywith the precision as well as the excitementof champion surfers.
As far as the public knew, his deathwas sudden and most unexpected. Andmost tragic.