24^th July 1924-17^th November  1989

The early years of Tamil film music was dominated by those male & female actors who were also good singers. In fact, if anyone wanted to get into acting , they had to be singers too. M.K Thyagaraja Bhagawatar , P.U Chinnappa, K B Sundarambal, N.C Vasantha Kokilam etc are some of the names one could think of. Towards the late 40’s,   a new trend started  when some of the actors who were not basically  singers got to “ sing” them on screen with the help of playback singers. Although I am not a qualified film historian, from what I could learn from various sources , in the 1947 film Rajakumari , M.M Mariappa and his cousin Tiruchi Loganathan  became the first male playback singers . Mariappa was also a stage actor and he  sang few songs for the emerging  star M.G Ramachandran ,  who had his first  lead role in this film  and went on to dominate not only Tamil films , but politics for a very long time. In that film,  for  M.N Nambiar,  Tiruchi Loganathan  sang Kattinile Naangal Vazhvathe -a duet with K.V Janaki who was the first female playback singer in Tamil films. So, it could be said the in all probability Tiruchi Loganathan was truly the first male playback singer in Tamil films.

The decade of 1950’s was a happening time with many legendary singers making their mark like T. M Soundararajan, P.B Sreenivas, A.M Rajah, Seerkazhi Govindarajan etc. Before these singers could make a name for themselves ,  it was  Tiruchi Loganathan who established himself as a leading playback singer. The  number of songs he had sung may be lesser in terms of quantity, but many of the songs he rendered became iconic and are remembered even after 70+ years . Some of us may not know  the singer who sang  Vaarai Nee Vaarai, Aasaiye Alaipole, Velli Panimalayin Meedulavuvom but definitely these songs are well known to us.  Tiruchi Loganathan’s birth centenary year , 2024 has almost passed on without much talk about him. When I did my usual search in the Internet for this blog, I was pained to note  woefully inadequate articles  about him.

Ever since I started my blogs, the greatest satisfaction I get is the opportunity to listen to a multitude  of singers. To be honest , except for 4 to 5 songs of Tiruchi Loganathan , I have not listened to many . The sheer variety he has demonstrated by singing patriotic, comical, sad, philosophical, and romantic songs is no less than many other playback singers who had become quite successful. I fail to understand why he did not sing after the early 60’s. He was alive till 1989 and as per whatever information I could dig out, he seems to have completely faded away after the 60’s. Maybe it was his own choice to take an early retirement. However his sons became playback singers like Deepan Chakravarthy, & T.L Maharajan,

There are many anecdotes about him and he comes out as a person who was not primarily  after money . When he was offered to sing a song for the hero in a film , after having sung 4 songs for the comedian , he refused,  stating it would not be appropriate and instead  introduced his friend Seerkazhi Govindarajan. Also, for the film Kappalottiya Tamizhan, he refused to take any remuneration as he was basically a freedom-fighter  and felt it was not right  to take money for this film. His generosity  reminds me of another legendary singer , incidentally born in the same year, 1924-Mohammad Rafi!

Tiruchi Loganathan ( for simplicity I will henceforth mention as TL) was born to Subramania Achari, in a family of traditional goldsmiths, and did not have any formal education. The family business also did not  interest him and his mind was on music. Fortunately,  his father noticed his keen interest in music and encouraged him . The young TL went on to perform musical plays along with his cousin M. M Mariappa and also learnt music under the tutelage of Nataraja Pillai , a noted  music guru.

After his debut in the 1947 film Rajakumari, in the 1948 film Abhimanyu, TL sang a duet with U.R Jeevarathnam “ Pudhu vasanthamaame vaazhvile’. There is an interesting story behind this  song . It was composed by the young  M.S Vishwanathan who, at that time,  was just an errand boy in Jupiter Pictures and S.M Subbaiah Naidu was the music composer for the film. When SMS was trying to compose the tune and had taken a break , MSV tuned the song and was playing it on the harmonium . When SMS entered the studio, he was frightened initially, but SMS liked the tune and recorded the song and only after the song became popular , announced that it was tuned by the young MSV!! If he had initially mentioned that it was composed by an inexperienced boy , the song could have got rejected! Listen to that song that could be MSV’s first composed song!!
 

Then came the 1950 film Manthiri Kumari , and with the immortal song “ Vaarai Nee Vaarai, there was no looking back for Tiruchi Loganathan . The film makers were somewhat apprehensive about this song that featured towards  the end of the film as an afterthought . On release , the producer & director were surprised to note that this song was in everyone’s lips and so it was retained! The same film had one more gem of a song by him “ Ulavum Thendral Kaatrinile” , once again , a duet with noted singer  Jikki.

In the next few years TL became a much sought-after singer for his clear Tamil diction and voice modulation : just note how he rendered Adikkara Kai Thaan Anaikkum in a ‘tipsy’ style, with a perfect hiccup or the famous demonic laugh in ‘Kalyana Samayal Saatham’!. The songs featured in my list below , showcase the immense variety in TL’s singing. With the limited knowledge that I have in general about Tamil film music and specifically about Tiruchi Loganathan, I have tried to compile few of his best songs . These are sequenced in chronological order of the film’s release , with song-film-year-music director-lyricist -co-singer mentioned in that order.

• Vaarai Nee Vaarai-Manthiri Kumari -1950-G Ramanathan-A Maruthakasi-Duet with Jikki

The first song that would come to anyone’s mind if we mention the name  Tiruchi Loganathan . A superb tune, orchestrated in G Ramanthan’s inimitable style and sung by TL with a tinge of that villainy appropriate for the situation of the song. It is supposed to be one of those rare songs where the entire sequence was shot earlier and the song was written and composed later. Although the actual hero in the film was the veteran MGR , this was picturized on S.A Natarajan, playing an anti-hero  role. He takes the heroine to the top of a hill with an intention to push her -note the lyrics that Maruthakasi had written with a hidden meaning to an apparently romantic song!

• Ulavum thendral kaatrinile- Manthiri Kumari -1950-G Ramanathan-A Maruthakasi-Duet with Jikki

This is another gem from the same movie. Note the change in TL’s singing as he switches to a more romantic tone as compared to “ Vaarai”…The song is  beautifully written, composed like a waltz by the veteran G Ramanathan  and sung in a question-answer format. Note how TL places so much of stress in the lines “ Ithayam antha malaikku yethu ” or “ Unathu Kadaikkan Paarvai kaatum” ! We see the early signs of how he refined the art of  playback singing !

• Koovamal Koovum Kokilam-Vaira Maalai-1954-Vishwanathan -Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan-Duet with M.L. Vasanthakumari

I do not know why  the famous musical duo Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy did not utilize the talents of TL much. Maybe after they discovered TMS who became the de-facto voice for both the leading stars MGR & Sivaji Ganesan , they could not give much opportunities to TL . This is one of their  early compositions and is picturized on  R.S Manohar, more famous for his magnificent mythological dramas and mostly in negative roles in later films. Picturized in the beautiful Lal Bagh garden in Bengaluru , this is also visually a charming song with a simple delightful tune.

• Vanjamitho Vaanjai Itho-Vaira Maalai-1954-Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy-Kanaga Surabhi-Duet with M.L Vasanthakumari

The same film Vaira Maalai has one more beautiful duet by TL & MLV. Observe how TL has sung this with a soft , romantic tone and contrast this with his other songs that will be coming up in my list.  Truly he was a pioneer in playback singing!

• Kalyana Samayal saadam-Maya Bazaar-1957-Ghantasala-Thanjai N  Ramaiah Dass

One of the most popular songs of TL! A delight for both music lovers and food lovers! That laugh is something fabulous that TL rendered so nicely. This tune is basically an inspired one ( from  The laughing Policeman by Charles Penrose ) but in my very humble opinion, both Ghantasala , the music composer and TL , the singer,  have to be complimented  for elevating the song to a different level. Also, we should not forget the veteran S.V Ranga Rao for enacting the role of Ghatotkachan so nicely. The film Maya Bazaar remains a masterpiece till today remembered for its excellent photography.

• Chinnakutti nathana chillaraye-Aaravalli-1957-G. Ramanathan-Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram

This is was a pleasant discovery for me while researching for the blog! What playful lyrics by Pattukottaiyar in this typical folk song and I am truly amazed to observe how the supremely talented TL has demonstrated so many genres within  the limited number of songs  he sang!

• Aasaiye alaipole-Thai Pirantha Vazhi Pirakkum-1958-K.V Mahadevan-Kannadasan

Definitely among the topmost hits of TL , I had also mentioned this song in my blog on K.V Mahadevan. From the romantic to the comic and now a philosophical TL ! The lines by Kaviarasar tuned so exquisitely by KVM are brought to life by TL’s superb rendition with a flawless diction. Each and every line and word are ‘chiselled’ by him while singing. That special alaapanai in the last charanam , after the line “soorai kaatru veesinal thoni ottam mevumo” and at the end of the song are simply out of the world.

• Purushan veetil vazha pogum penne-Paanai Pidithaval Bhagyashali-1958-S.V Venkataraman- T.K Sundara Vadyar

It is said that those days ,in villages of TN, every wedding had this  song played . Today feminists may consider the lines a bit male-dominated , but we are talking about TL’s singing-just note how, as a brother he provides  advice to his  newly married sister . The anecdote I had mentioned in the introduction about TL introducing Seerkazhi Govindarajan to the producer for the hero’s song was pertaining to this film.

• Cycle varuthu cycle varuthu-Neelavukku Neranja Manasu-1958-K.V.Mahadevan-A. Maruthakasi-Duet with L.R Eashwari

One more example of TL’s comical style , this time for the evergreen comedian Thangavelu. Did this song give Thangavelu the prefix to his name “ Danal Thangavel” ?

Danaaal nu adikkara bellum sariya illeenge! As the perfect playback singer , he modulates his voice to suit Thangavelu to a tee!

• Originality Osantha Quality- Neelavukku Neranja Manasu-1958-K.V.Mahadevan-A.S.Narayanan

I wonder why some songs we did not hear at all  in so many decades! I consider myself to be an avid listener of old Hindi and Tamil songs and I am sure I have never heard this before. One can never imagine KVM , more famous for his classical based songs, coming out with such a peppy comical song . TL does full justice to the composition . Please do not  miss the superb rock & roll style orchestration at the end. Truly a rocking number! Incidentally the lady who plays the role of grandmother in the song , C.T.Rajakantham is TL ‘s mother-in-law!.

• Adikkira kai than anaikum-Vannakili-1959-K.V.Mahadevan-A. Maruthakasi-Duet with P Susheela

TL proves he is no less when rendering a tipsy song , with a perfect hiccup adding to the charm. A rare duet of TL with the nightingale P Susheela. Once again I am tempted to compare TL with my favourite singer Mohammad Rafi who used to sing those ‘ sharabi’ type of songs so beautifully .

• Ooraar urungaiyile-Naalu Veli Nilam-1959-K.V Mahadevan & M.K Atmanathan-Folk song-Duet with L.R Eswari

One more hidden gem that I discovered only while researching for this blog. It is sad that many such songs of TL have faded away from popular media. Thanks to YouTube we are able to discover these gems. A typical folk song sung so nicely by both TL & LRE.

• Kaiyile vaaginen paiyile podale -Irumbuthirai-1960-S.V.Venkataraman- Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram

The revolutionary poet Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram comes out with a beautiful philosophical song with a tinge of comedy and sadness combined , brought to life by TL’s simple but elegant singing. Thangavelu has enacted on screen so well!

• Kangalum Kavipaduthey-Adutha Veetu Pen-1960-Adi Narayana Rao- Thanjai N  Ramaiah Dass-With Seerkazhi Govindarajan

Almost a decade later  the team of Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey , Mehmood , RD Burman came out with the boisterous Ek Chatur Naar Karke Singaar song  in the film Padosan ( a remake of Adutha Veetu Pen)  . But it was TL and Seerkazhi who set the tone for this classical but comic masterpiece way back in 1960 itself. When two legends compete with each other , even in a comical situation , it is sheer pleasure to listen.

• Velli pani malayin-Kappalottiya Tamizhan-1961-G Ramanathan-Mahakavi Subrahmanya Bharatiyaar

We now come to the magnum opus of TL. Kappalottiya Tamizhan had three fantastic songs by TL , all picturised on the great Mahakavi Subramania Bharatiyar , played by veteran actor S.V. Subbaiah. There have been many films that featured songs written by the great poet and  freedom fighter but G Ramanathan’s compositions in this film are considered among the best ever on Bharatiyar’s songs. The sheer energy in this song is superbly brought out by GR’s tune and TL’s singing. TL’s close associate Seerkazhi also joins at the end of the song and makes it an evergreen song.

• Yendru thaniyum intha suthanthira thaagam- Kappalottiya Tamizhan-1961-G Ramanathan-Mahakavi Subrahmanya Bharatiyaar

The longing for freedom,  so nicely written by the Mahakavi is poignantly brought out in TL’s singing. There is both an element of anger or frustration and at the same time a  sense of sadness in Mahakavi’s words and if you hear it keenly , TL has brought out the emotions so finely.

• Thanneer Vittom Valarthom- Kappalottiya Tamizhan-1961-G Ramanathan-Mahakavi Subrahmanya Bharatiyaar

Only a truly great playback singer can render a ‘Kalyana Samayal Sadam’ and a ‘ Thanneer Vittom Valarthom’ with equal fervour. Such a contrast in style! It is said TL fainted after completing the recording of this song .

To know that he refused to take remuneration for the songs in this film proves what dedicated artists we had those days.

• Chinna arumbu malarum-Pangaaligal-1961-S Dakshinamurthi-A Maruthakasi

I come to the end of my short compilation with a soulful lullaby sung by TL for an unlikely actor on screen. Who can ever imagine the maverick M.R.Radha singing a lullaby ! Just close your eyes and listen to this song-you can really feel as if M.R Radha is singing ( he had a very unique voice that was his trademark!). One more feather in TL’s cap-what a complete playback singer he was. Truly THE pioneer!!!

           I hope I was able to do a tiny bit of my tribute to this versatile singer who definitely deserved many more songs. One interesting observation – there is not a single song in the above list where he has sung for leading actors like  MGR , Sivaji Ganesan , Gemini Ganesan etc . Could be possible that  my search was not exhaustive . Was that  one of the reasons why he faded away from the industry ? Any knowledgeable reader can comment on that….. 

Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

1. You Tube
2. Wikipedia
3. Ms. Subashree Thanikachalam’s QFR YouTube series
4. Interviews with sons of Tiruchi Loganathan in YouTube

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.