Maharajapuram Santhanam

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Sangeetha Kalaanidhi Maharajapuram Sri. Santhanam (Tamil: மகாராஜபுரம் ஸந்தானம்), ( 1928 - 1992 ) was one of the greatest Carnatic music vocalists. He was born in Sirunangur, a village in the state of Tamil Nadu. He followed the footsteps of his father Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer who was also a Carnatic singer. Besides singing, Maharajapuram Santhanam was very good in composing. He wrote many songs on lord Muruga and Kanchi Shankaracharya, His Holiness Sri Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal(Maha Periyavar). He was the Principal of Music college in Sri Lanka. Later he came and settled in Chennai. Most popular songs of Maharajapuram are Unnai Allal (Kalyani Raga), Sadha Nin Padhame gathi, Varam onnru (Shanmugapriya), Bho Shambo (Revathi), Madhura Madhura (Bagheshwari),Srichakra Raja, Nalinakaanthimathim (Ragamalika), and many more. The Maharajapuram Santhanam Day is being celebrated on 3rd December of every year.

He was killed in a car accident in 1992. Now his sons Maharajapuram S. Srinivasan and Maharajapuram S. Ramachandran and Dr.R.Ganesh (primary disciple of Sangeetha Kalaanidhi Maharajapuram Sri. Santhanam) are carrying on his musical tradition.