Abraham Pandithar

{{Infobox person

| honorific_prefix = Rao Sahib

| name = Abraham Pandithar

| image = Abraham Pandithar.png

| alt = Abraham Pandithar

| caption = Abraham Pandithar in 1917

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1859|08|02}}

| birth_place = Sambavarvadakarai,
Tinnevelly district,
Madras Presidency,
British India
(now in Tenkasi district,
Tamil Nadu, India)

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1919|08|31|1859|08|02}}

| death_place = British India

| nationality =

| citizenship = British Indian

| mother = Annammal

| father = Muthusamy Pandithar

| spouse = Nyanavadivu Ponnammaal(1882-1911), Koil Bakkiyam Ammal

| children = From first wife
Annapoornavalli
Soundaravalli
Sundara Pandiyan
Anandavalli
Jothi Pandiyan
Maragathavalli
From second wife
Varaguna Pandiyan Pandithar
Soundara Pandiyan
Kanagavalli
Mangalavalli

| relatives = D. A. Thanapandian Pandithar (grandson)

| occupation =

| years_active =

| known_for = Tamil music books

| notable_works = Karunamirdha Sagaram

| signature = Abraham Pandithar signature.png

}}

Rao Sahib Abraham Pandithar (2 August 1859 – 31 August 1919) was a Tamil musicologist, composer, medical doctor and a traditional medicine practitioner from Sambavar Vadakarai of Tirunelveli District (Then Kollam district), who is celebrated for his patronage of numerous Tamil musicians and his influential studies concerning the origins and evolution of traditional Tamil music.

Biography

Abraham Pandithar was born in Sambavar Vadakarai near Surandai in Tirunelveli district to a Tamil Christian Maruthuvar/Pandithar, Nadar family (i.e his father muthusamy belonged to Nadar family and mother Annammal belonged to Maruthuvar family), the son of Muthusamy Pandithar and Annammal. He studied at the CVES Normal Teachers Training School at Dindugal and in 1876, became a teacher in the same college. He belonged to a family of doctors and became interested in Siddha medicine.

In 1879, he went to Suruli hills to research herbs growing there. There he met the Siddhar Karunandhar and became his student. After completing his studies he went to Tanjore and worked as a Tamil teacher in Lady Napier Girls School. His wife Gnanavadivu Ponnammal was the headmistress in the same school. In 1890, he left his teaching job to do research on medicine full-time. He started a farm outside Tanjore for growing medicinal plants. He named it Karanandhapuram after his teacher. It was called as Pandithar thottam (Pandithar's farm) by the locals. He also started a clinic - the Karunanidhi Medical Hall at his residence in Tanjore. In 1909, the colonial government awarded him the "Pandithar" and "Rao Sahib" title. In 1911, Gnanavadivu died and Pandithar married Bhagyammal.

The publication of Silapathikaram by U. V. Swaminatha Iyer in 1892, made Pandithar interested in Tamil music and he started studying it. He learnt traditional music due to his interest in sangam poetry, from Sadayandi Bhattar and western classical music from Tanjore A. G. Pichaimuthu pillai. He did extensive research on the origins and form of Tamil music. He established the Sangeetha Vidhyalaya Mahajana Sangam - a music association and organised six music conferences during 1912–1914. In 1917, he published his research into Tamil music as Karunamirdha Sagaram, a 1346-page book, that remains a seminal work in the field till today. He also published Karunamirdha Sagara Thirattu - a collection of Tamil practice songs (musicians of that period trained using Telugu songs). He also translated several Keerthanais into Tamil. He attended the All India Music Conference held at Baroda in 1916 and presented his research there.{{cite news|title=Mother of all Music Conferences|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/12/16/stories/2005121603150300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051219085623/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/12/16/stories/2005121603150300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 December 2005|accessdate=14 March 2011|newspaper=The Hindu|date=16 December 2005}}{{cite news|title=Renowned work of Tamil scholar lauded|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/01/stories/2007090160960600.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210121203/http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/01/stories/2007090160960600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 December 2007|accessdate=14 March 2011|newspaper=The Hindu|date=1 September 2007}}

Death

Pandithar died in on 31 August 1919.

Descendants

His family continued his research - His son Varaguna Pandiyan Pandithar wrote the Tamil musical research work Paanarkaivazhi and his daughter Maragathavalli Duraipandian Pandithar completed part 2 of Karunamirdha Sagaram. His grandson D. A. Thanapandian Pandithar is also a musician and musicologist.{{cite web|title=ஆபிரகாம் பண்டிதர்|url=http://www.tamilvu.org/courses/degree/d051/d0513/html/d0513661.htm|work=Tamil Virtual University|accessdate=16 March 2011}}{{cite web|last=Jeyamohan|author-link=Jeyamohan|title=தஞ்சை ஆபிரகாம் பண்டிதர்

| url=http://www.thinnai.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=60205051&format=html|work=Thinnai.com|accessdate=16 March 2011}} In 2008, the Government of Tamil Nadu nationalised his works.{{cite news|title=Rs.1.65 crore royalty for scholars' heirs|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/22/stories/2008052252750400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080601201921/http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/22/stories/2008052252750400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 June 2008|accessdate=16 March 2011|newspaper=The Hindu|date=22 May 2008}}

References

External links

http://www.indian-heritage.org/music/garlanda.htm
[https://www.tamildigitallibrary.in/book-detail.php?id=jZY9lup2kZl6TuXGlZQdjZQ9kJty Biography of Abraham Pandithar]
https://www.geni.com/people/Muthusami-Nadar/6000000008627514175 (father)
https://www.geni.com/people/Annammal-Nadar/6000000008627640598 (mother)

Category:1859 births

Category:1919 deaths

Category:Tamil scholars

Category:Tamil musicians

Category:Indian musicologists

Category:20th-century Indian musicians

Category:Musicians from British India

Category:Medical doctors from British India