Othuvar Tiruttani Swaminathan

His great interest in the Sacred Verses of the Saivite Saint Poets from his teenage years has led him to sing 'Thevaram' for the last six decades

Thiruvachakam remains one of his favourites

As a young boy, Swaminathan (he belonged to a Vaishnavite family and his original name was Sarangapani), who hailed from Alathur Village in Thiru Karugavur, was a big Perumal devotee of the temple in Papanasam. It delighted his appa Nagarathinam, a farmer in the village, that his son was blessed with devotion even as early as when he was 7years old and he was keen to explore and progress the devotional intent of his son. He saw in his son something that was special and a life attached to God. 

When Madurai Somu (his father in law belonged to Thiru Karugavur) came to the Papanasam temple for the Aadi Ubayam and presented nonstop Kutcheri through the night,  Swaminathan's appa took the young boy to the music legend and expressed the state of mind of the boy. 

Swaminathan, now 76, recalls the moment from that night in 1954 “It was late into the night. Madurai Somu had sung and enthralled the audience till 3am.As I stood before him, he asked me to sing a few lines. At that time, ‘Sinthanai Sei Manamey’ was my favourite and I presented that. He immediately told my appa that I had a great voice as well as devotion and asked him to initiate me into a voice related activity.”

And that’s how his appa put him into the Thiru Kadavur Patshala where he learned the Thevaram Verses for five years. Following this, he went to the Dharmapuram Atheenam and was initiated there for another two years. He says he has the greatest respect for his teacher Dharmapuram Swaminathan from whom he learned a great deal about the Thevaram Verses.

All his interest lay in the Thevaram Verses

Even as a teenager he had transformed himself from being a normal academics student to one with a great interest in Thevaram songs. And thus at the Dharmapuram Atheenam, he converted himself to a Saivite and changed his name from Sarangapani to Swaminathan. For the last six decades, his life has been all about Thevaram songs.

At the age of 17, he joined the Kunrakudi Devakottai Atheenam as an Othuvar at a salary of Rs. 75. A few years later, he moved to Thirumangalam near Lalgudi and joined there as Othuvar at a salary of Rs. 125 and 2 Kalam Paddy.

The Brand 'Tiruttani Swaminathan'

The biggest turnaround in his life happened in 1975. When the HR & CE called for an Othuvar for the Tiruttani temple, he applied and with his experience of over a dozen years, he was found to be suited for the post. He served there for 26years and with that came the brand tag of ‘Tiruttani Othuvar Swaminathan’ at a salary of Rs. 750. “I have been financially self sufficient but all my life I have seen Othuvar as a service singing praise of God and out of my interest in singing these devotional verses of the Saint Poets. And it has been rewarding in every way.”

“HR &CE Commissioner Uthanda Ramar, IAS, encouraged Thevaram songs in temples in the 1950s. That was a boost to the Othuvars” he recalls the promotion of the sacred verses in an important phase in his life.

During this period, he travelled around the world on invitation from temples in Malaysia (Navarathri), South Africa, Singapore, Switzerland and Sri Lanka. With the head of the Thirupananthal and Dharmapuram Atheenam, he also went overseas to present the Thevaram verses. 

He has bagged several coveted awards in his lifetime including the Kalaimaamani, Thirumurai Kalanidhi and Pannisai Peraringnar as well as Thiru Murai Rathna in Malaysia. He has released 50 CDs on Thevaram verses. He has also presented the sacred verses in big Kumbabhisekams including in Palani, Tiruchendur and Madurai. He is also an ‘A’ grade with the AIR.

A big highlight of his life

One of the big moments of his life was when he was invited for the Appar Kailaya Katchi on the Aadi Amavasya day at the Thiruvayaru temple in the 1970s. For over four decades, he has been presenting the Thevaram verses at this temple on this day every year "I feel blessed to have sung the verses of Appar on this most sacred day at Thiruvayaru for such a long time." 

                                                     Appar

After his retirement from the Tiruttani temple, he joined VS Trust Patshala in Chidambaram as a teacher and rolled out students who are now in Swami Malai, Thiru Nallar and Thiruvotriyur. “It has been a great feeling to create the next generation of Othuvars. I have tried to pass on my knowledge to the youngsters and many of them have taken to it with great interest.” 

He teaches around 30 students at the Dharmapuram Atheenam Patshala where he has been for the last decade the greatness of the 63 Nayanmars, the legends of Paadal Petra Sthalams and the significance of Thevaram Songs in addition to helping them learn the sacred verses. 

“I was blessed with voice and devotion at a young age and the inspiration from Madurai Somu turned my life forever in the path of praising the Lord. And I have remained blessed throughout my life as I have been able to sing the verses for six decades without a break. Till my voice remains intact, I will continue to sing the sacred verses and initiate youngsters into this service.”

From the time he was 17, his life has centered around the Thevaram Verses, singing praise of the Lord each day of the year. Wherever there is a recital of the sacred verses, he stands by and listens to the presentation for that is what has given him the greatest satisfaction in life. At 76, he is now a frail figure and could have chosen to lead a quiet retired life. Instead, he has decided to continue to sing and teach the verses till the time his voice permits him to. And he continues to spend a lot of his time in creating the next generation of Othuvars.