V. V. Sadagopan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
V. V. Sadagopan
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V. V. Sadagopan (Seated) in the film Madanakamarajan (1941)
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Veeravanallur Vedantam Sadagopan
29 January 1915 Veeravanallur, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
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| Disappeared | 11 April 1980 (aged 65) Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Status | Missing since 1980 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Film Actor, Carnatic Musician, Musicologist, Writer, Composer |
| Title | Professor |
| Spouse(s) | Ranganayaki Sadagopan (1923–2019) |
| Children | Radhika Sridharan, Devika Raman, Vijaya Srinivasan, V.S.Krishnakumar Devika Raman |
| Parent(s) | Vedantam Iyengar |
| Relatives | V. V. Sundararajan, V. V. Narayanan, V. V. Varadarajan (Brothers), Jayalakshmi Santhanam (Sister) |
Veeravanallur Vedantam Sadagopan (born January 29, 1915) was a talented Indian person who disappeared on April 11, 1980. He was many things: a top student, a film actor, a music teacher, a performer, and a composer.
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About V. V. Sadagopan
V. V. Sadagopan was born in a small town called Veeravanallur in the Tirunelveli area on January 29, 1915. His father, Vedantam Iyengar, worked as an insurance agent.
In 1934, Sadagopan was a brilliant student. He came first in English, Maths, and Sanskrit. After finishing his studies, he moved to Chennai. He planned to prepare for the Indian Civil Service exams, which were for important government jobs.
His wife, Ranganayaki Sadagopan, sometimes played the tanpura (a musical instrument) when he performed. They had four children together. His sister, Jayalakshmi Santhanam, was also a musician. She was known for teaching music to children. Other family members, like his sister-in-law Ananthalakshmi Sadagopan, were also famous musicians.
A Gifted Writer
When Sadagopan was in Chennai, he met a famous Tamil writer named V. Ramasamy, also known as VaRaa. This meeting led Sadagopan into the world of journalism. He started writing for a popular Tamil magazine called Ananda Vikatan.
He wrote a lot in both English and Tamil. Besides articles about music, he also wrote poems, song lyrics, and many stories in Tamil. These stories were published in Ananda Vikatan.
A Star on Screen
V. V. Sadagopan was very handsome and had a strong personality. He was also a university graduate and a well-known Carnatic musician. Even famous actors like MGR admired his talent. MGR once wrote that when he heard Sadagopan was going to be the hero in a new film, he knew he wouldn't get the role. This shows how talented and popular Sadagopan was.
His good looks and musical skills quickly led him to act in movies. He played the main character in a Tamil film called Nava Yuvan (Modern Youth). This movie also had another title, Geethasaram (Essence of Gita). Back then, it was common for Tamil films to have two names.
This film was special because it was shot in London. It was the first Tamil film ever made in a foreign country. This made V. V. Sadagopan the first actor to star in such a film. He also became the first university graduate to act in Tamil films. A part of King George VI's coronation ceremony was shown along with this movie.
His second film, Adhirstam (Luck), came out in 1939.
In 1941, Gemini Studios made their first film, Madanakamarajan. Sadagopan was the hero, and K. L. V. Vasantha, a very popular actress, played the main female role.
His fourth film was Venuganam, released in 1941. The famous female musician N. C. Vasanthakokilam acted alongside Sadagopan in this movie.
His fifth and last film was Jeevana Mukthi, a Telugu movie. In this film, he played the role of Lord Vishnu.
People called him the "Rudolf Valentino of the Indian screen," comparing him to a famous Hollywood star. After these films, he decided to focus on his music career instead of acting.
A Talented Musician
V. V. Sadagopan learned music from great teachers like Namakkal Sesha Iyengar and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. He was unique because he was both a musician and a musicologist. A musicologist is someone who studies music very deeply.
He explored ancient religious writings, especially those related to Vaishnavism (a branch of Hinduism). He even gave full concerts using verses from the famous epic poem, the Kamba Ramayanam.
He was part of the team that selected musicians for All India Radio (AIR). He also served on the expert committee of the Madras Music Academy. He traveled all over India and to other countries to give lectures and music concerts. In 1966, he represented Indian Music at the 100-year celebration of the Moscow Conservatoire.
A Dedicated Music Teacher
Teaching music to children was very important to Sadagopan. He started a movement called Tyaga Bharathi to help him with this goal.
He created the name Tyagabharathi by combining the ideas of Saint Tyagaraja (a great music composer) and Subramania Bharati (a famous poet).
His daughter, Devika Raman, said that Sadagopan loved Tyagaraja's music and Bharati's ideas. He used both to teach good values to children. They would visit schools, sing, and dance with the children. The songs were not just simple rhymes. They were written and set to Carnatic music (a type of Indian classical music) to help shape the children's minds.
When Soundaram Ramachandaran, a minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's government, started the Gandhigram Rural Institute (GRI), she chose Sadagopan to be the Director of Music Studies.
In 1959, when Prime Minister Nehru visited the institute, he saw Sadagopan's Kuravanji dance-drama. Nehru was so impressed that he appointed Sadagopan as a Professor of Music at Delhi University. Sadagopan worked there until 1975. He served two terms as a professor at the university and was also part of the study boards in several other universities.
Religious Work and Compositions
V. V. Sadagopan was a Vaishnava, meaning he was deeply involved in the Vaishnava branch of Hinduism. He did a lot of research on the Naalayira Divya Prabhandham, which is a collection of ancient verses. He guided many students who later achieved great things. His research was continued by his students. One of his students, Srirama Bharathi, worked with him on a book called ‘Spirals and Circles’. This book explains the ideas behind Carnatic music.
Srirama Bharathi continued his teacher's work. A trust called Sri Sadagopan Thirunarayanaswami Divya Prabhanda Patasala was started in Sadagopan's name. Srirama Bharathi and his wife, Sowbhagyalakshmi, shared the Tyaga Bharathi songs through this trust. They also composed music for the Nalayira Divya Prabhandam. After her husband passed away, Sowbhagyalakshmi continues this work with her family and friends. She holds summer camps in schools, especially for children, and creates songs for children with special needs.
Unique Musical Creations
V. V. Sadagopan composed music in several languages.
His compositions include different types of musical pieces like kritis, keerthanas, ragamaligais, and padams. He also created a series of Tirukkuṛaḷ keerthanais. In these, a Kural (a short Tamil verse) forms the main part of the song, and it is then expanded in the other sections.
He set music to the famous song "Gana Mazhai Pozhigindraan" from Ambujam Krishna's first book of songs.
He was the first person to perform an entire music concert using verses from the Kamba Ramayanam at the Karaikudi Kamban festival. He composed all the music for this performance himself.
He also set music to several Pasurams from the Divya Prabandham. He often used the special signature name "Seshadasan" in his compositions.
His Disappearance
On April 11, 1980, V. V. Sadagopan got off a train at Gudur in Andhra Pradesh. He was traveling from Delhi to Chennai. After that day, no one heard from him again. His family still hopes that he is alive somewhere.
There were rumors that he was seen in Varanasi and in the Himalayas. People searched for him in these places, but they never found him.
Remembering Him
To celebrate 100 years since his birth, a special event was held on February 8, 2015. The Chandlian Memorial Trust and Lakshmi Kuppusamy Trust organized this program at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan in Chennai.
See also
- List of people who disappeared
