Thuraiyur Rajagopala Sharma was a harikatha exponent, musicologist, Vocalist, Composer, Teacher, radio artist, music director and playback singer, Born to Shri Mahadeva Sharma, a harikatha exponent in thuraiyur, Tiruchirappalli Dist, Tamilnadu on 21st November 1905. In his young age he was very much interested in harikatha and music. He did give many harkatha along with his father and alone.
Education & employment
He was undergoing graduation in National college, Tiruchirappalli. But he couldn’t continue his graduation. He started working as a clerk in Indian railways, Thiruchirappalli. Later he also worked in a gramophone company called HMV recording/Saraswathi stores.
Entry Into Music
His musical career began by learning few songs from his father for harikatha. Later he was learning music properly from Guru Shri Namakkal (Pallavi) Narasimha Iyengar. During his employment with Indiran Railways, Tiruchirappalli, he got a chance to meet Vidwan Tiger varadhachari and become friend and expressed the interest to learn from him. So he moved to Chennai and started learning from Tiger Varadachariar in the teacher’s college run by the music academy, madras. He also obtained a diploma in Music from Madras University
Music recording
After he moved to Chennai he started working in the music college run by The Music Academy, Madras and then, he started working on a gramophone company called HMV recordings/Saraswathi store which gave him ample scope to arrange, guide and record the music of many a veteran.
Contribution to Kalakshethra
Apart from Tiger Varadachariar, he got a chance to meet Shri Papanasam Sivan in Chennai and started learning and helping him to tune his songs. Papanasam sivan was working in Kalakshethra and Sharma sir also accompany him in kalakshethra for dance drama in terms for notations and swara korvais. This brought Rukmini Devi Arundel's attention and requested Sharma sir to join as a music teacher in Kalakshethra. He worked almost 3 decades in Kalakshethra and taught lots of students. Couple of them to name T.K. Padmanapan, Neela Balasubramaniam . Along with Papanasam sivan he helped in various dance dramas in Kalakshethra. Some of them to name are,
- Andal Charithram
- Kannappar Kuravanji
- Karumariyamman Kuravanji
- Geetha govindam
- Sakundhalai
Here are links to some of his concert recordings
Marava Varam Tharuvai - Mohana Varnam
Thiruvadi Nambi Vanden - Kedara Gowlai
Concert Set 78RPM HMV HT105 to 108
