Amidst the losses caused by the coronavirus crisis, the passing of much loved miruthangam teacher and artiste Kandiah Anandanadesan on April 16 has shocked and saddened the Tamil community in London.
Born in 1961 in Thellipalai, Jaffna, Anandanadesan attended Union College and Mahajana college, and trained in miruthangam under Guru K P Sinnarajah. His father was a teacher at Union College, and his mother one of the first women to teach at Mahajana.
Part of an influential generation of Eelam-born artistes and teachers who transported the traditional fine arts and Tamil language education to the diaspora, Anandanadesan helped to build the thriving cultural experience on offer to young Tamils growing up in the West today.
Anandanadesan established himself as a miruthangam teacher after moving to London in the late eighties, later founding the musical institute ‘Ananthalayas’, based in Harrow in North London. Many of his students have gone on to become performing and accompanying artistes, as well as teaching miruthangam themselves.
As well as miruthangam, Anandanadesan, better known as ‘Anandan master’, trained hundreds of students over three decades in the wider range of traditional Carnatic percussion including ghatam, kanjira, morsing and thavil.
‘Ananthalayas’ holds an annual concert called ‘Natha Vinotham’ with proceeds going to charitable causes in the Tamil homeland.
A well-known face in the wider Tamil cultural scene, many have paid tribute to ‘Anandan master’s’ warmth and humour. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, six siblings and many, many students.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.