Tribute to Nair, singer with style
HE musical and cultural fraternity this week paid tribute to Madhavan Nair, the legendary Durban singer and musician who passed away peacefully last Saturday at the age of 90.
He was a feature of the local musical scene for more than 60 years.
Nair was born in Clairwood in 1927 and attended the Clairwood Indian School. In the afternoons he went to the Clairwood Tamil Institute to learn Tamil.
When he was barely 7, he showed a keen interest in music and longed to learn singing. He found a suitable teacher in PG Govender and within a short period, his performance presaged a bright future.
In 1936, Nair became a member of the Star Orchestra and remained with the band until 1946, when he joined the New India Orchestra led by Gopaul Pillay.
He then received a contract from Shalimar’s Recording Company to sing for recording purposes.
Nair was responsible for the production of 30 LPs. All the songs were composed by a Tamil scholar Muniswami Pillay of Durban, and were set to music by Nair himself.
In 1952 Nair left the New India Orchestra to join Ranjini Orchestra, leading the group in 1958.
For many years, Nair spent what little spare time he had to teach young people to play the harmonium.
In 1983 he was the recipient of a ponnadai (golden shawl) from the Clairwood Tamil Institute.
That same year the Indian Academy honoured him with the Nataraja Award.
In 1991, at an awards evening arranged by the Tamil Advancement Society, Nair was presented with a special shield in recognition of his continued contribution to the promotion of Tamil culture.
Professor Poobhalan Pillay, son of Star Orchestra founder Muthu Pillay, said: “Madhavan Nair had a distinctive golden voice. His hallmark was his humility and he succeeded in his endeavours to train musicians and to inspire others to appreciate music.”
Carnatic singer Karthiegasen Pillay said that through his many recordings, Nair had left a musical legacy for future generations to cherish.
“He will be best known for rendering Thevaram songs with his rich, mellifluous voice.”
In his doctoral thesis, Orchestral Music was the Music of the Working Class, which looks at Indian popular music, performance practices and identity between 1930 and 1970, Naresh Denny Veeran writes about the need of musicians to be “in control”.
He quotes an observation made by an interviewee who states: “I remember watching the Ranjeni Orchestra at a wedding in 1960. When the band boys walked in, all dressed to kill, everyone just looked.
“If Madhavan Nair sneezed with his mouth closed, every musician in Durban would sneeze with his mouth closed after that. People didn’t go there to witness the wedding; they went there to see the band.
“Madhavan would start, and you could hear a pin drop. If his eyes moved on to the stage, the entire audience would look at the stage. He had the power. In the audience, every musician would be watching, waiting, copying. He had style.”
Veeran says that, as this report suggests, performance provided performers and audiences alike temporary respite from the reality of the congestion and poverty of their everyday lives.
“Madhavan Nair, the musician whom my informant speaks about, was employed in a shoe factory for six days each week. In an interview, Nair remembered times when things were so bad he could not make it.
“However, at least once a week for almost 30 years, he experienced the transformative power of performing on stage.
“Being ‘in control’, however, temporarily, also accounts for the large number of ensembles and musicians in Durban during the period under focus.”
Nair’s funeral took place at Clare Estate Crematorium on Monday. His wife Angela, who passed away in November 2015, was the sister of Billy Nair, the anti-apartheid activist and Robben Island political prisoner.
Nair is survived by his three sons, Ravichandran, Kesavan and radio personality and Bharatha Natyam dance graduate, Krishnan.