Thiruvarur S. Latchappa Pillai பிள்ளை.

Befitting Honour:

Legend of his times and truly a great exponent of the famed wind instrument Nadhaswaram, Latchappa Pillai during the Consecration of Tiruvarur East Street Pazhaniandavar Temple, played nadhaswaram to the tambura struti and moved by such a great rendering; Kirupananda Variar gladly conferred the title, ‘Isai Arasu’ (referring King of Music) on Latchappa. During the regime of Dr M G R as Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Latchappa was conferred the state honour, ‘Kalaimamani’. Dr Kalaignar as Chief Patron of Muththamizh Peravai presented the ‘Nagasvara Selvam’ title to Latchappa. While his disciples in Vyasarpadi on the occasion of Muthuthandavar Festival bestowed upon Latchappa the title of ‘Thol Isai Vendar’, the premier institution Rasika Ranjani Sabha in Mylapore presented him with a shawl, gold medal, cash award and a citation as a befitting honour for this great exponent of the wind instrument as “Kala Seva Ratna”.

Those that mattered most:

Latchappa recounts the support he received from Devakottai Narayan Chettiar, Chiththoor Subramaniya Pillai, Marungapuri Prof Sambamurthi Sir, Justice E Krishna Iyer, Kalyanakrishna Bhagavathar, Maharajapuram Santhanam, Alathur Venkatesa Iyer, Ariyakudi, Semmangudi and M S Subbulakshmi.

Kalki Rajendran had a special interest in Latchappa’s nadhaswaram exposition and it is no surprise that Latchappa was invited to perform during the marriage of his daughter and son.

Distinctive technique:

Briga-s and viraladi both solely and exclusively belong to Nadhaswaram. In this particular aspect, the late Tiruvadudurai T N Rajaratnam Pillai proved himself an expert; none can excel him. Having played and learnt several rare playing skills from him, Tiruvarur S Latchappa Pillai, was able to captivate rasikas. Hence connoisseurs and laymen hold him in high esteem.

For posterity:

All India Radio has recorded an interview by Tiruvarur Latchappa and Tiruveezhimalai Nataraja Sundaram, with T Sundaram Pillai as the interviewer. There is also another interview recording on Nadhaswaram that spans for about three hours. Hamsadhwani, the music institution in Chennai honoured Latchappa during the Birth Centenary Celebrations of T N Rajarathinam Pillai in a befitting manner, with Dr Kaliganar presiding over the function.

Popular Tamil Magazine Kumudham published a conversation of Tiruvarur Latchappa Pillai and Namagiripettai Krishnan in its issue. The celebrated Ananda Vikatan carried a detailed article on the Ivory Nadhaswaram, the prized possession of Latchappa. The Madras University has in its treasure troves an interview given by Latchappa, while Max Muller Bhavan and Sampradhaya organized special recitals by this great exponent of the famed traditional wind instrument Nadhaswaram.

Crowing Moment:

Come September 2007, the Government of Tamilnadu in recognition of his talents and merits appointed Tiruvaur Latchappa Pillai as the Director of the Tamilnadu Music College, a rare honour and a distinguished order for the humble musician, who has graduated to this level by sheer determination and great vidwat.