Irayiman Thambi:
“omanatti˙nkal. kittavo nalla komala” was a household tarattu
Pattu hummed
by mothers in Kerala for generations..
He was born at Trivandram in
the year 1782 AD. His father was Kerala varma tampan and mother Parvati pilla tankachi.
His aptitude
towards music and poetry was very deep and, the royal patronage
was an
appropriate setting where he could develop his various talents. He did not have
any formal
“guru” for music, and his abilities
were mostly self-cultivated. At the age of fourteen, he wrote a poem
and
dedicated it to the Maharaja kartika tirunal.. The king was immensely
pleased, and rewarded him
appropriately.
Tampi has already become
an important personality in the court, long before Maharaja Swathi Thirunal was
born. He continued to enjoy this enviable position even after Swathi Thirunal demise.
It seems he
had composed around 500 songs of which only a few around 50 have survived…..
You can liten/download here: