Ariyakudi's wit

This anecdote was narrated by my paternal grandfather who recounted this from his personal recollection attending one of the kutcheris of Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, popularly known as Ariyakudi, in Madras. I must have been not more than 10 years old when I heard this. I later read about the same recollected by a reader in Reader’s Digest India somewhere in the late 1980s.

I do not recollect the exact year being mentioned but looking back I would place it no later than early 1930s, most likely mid-late 1920s. The Ariyakudi kutcheri format was getting popular across the Carnatic music scene in Madras. Entertaining requests from rasikas (connoisseurs) for specific songs or ragas to be sung was familiar by then, as was ending the concert by singing mangalam (an auspicious concluding piece).

 

Ariyakudi’s wit:

Towards the end of the aforementioned kutcheri which went well into the late evening and after mangalam had been sung, an overzealous rasika sent a scribbled note to Ariyakudi asking for Kudhambai siddhar’s mystical song beginning ‘maangaipaal’ (raw mango milk) to be sung:

 மாங்காய்ப்பா லுண்டு மலைமே லிருப்போர்க்குத்

தேங்காய்ப்பா லேதுக்கடி குதம்பாய்

தேங்காய்ப்பா லேதுக்கடி

 

Usually not one to disappoint a rasika but mindful of the rather late hours and that mangalam had been sung, Ariyakudi smiled and, in his characteristic quick wit, pointed to his milk jar (which he used to carry for his concert) and said something along the lines of 

“மங்களம் பாடியாச்சு…அதனால மாங்காய்ப்பாலுண்டு இல்ல…வேணும்னா சொம்புல பசும்பால் இருக்கு…கொஞ்சம்தரேன்” (Mangalam had been sung…So there is no mango milk…if you want, I have some cow’s milk in this jar…I can give some)!