TRIBUTE TO M. K. THYAGARAJA BHAGAVATHAR

TRIBUTE TO M. K. THYAGARAJA BHAGAVATHAR
BY
S. MAHESHKUMAR

M. K. THYAGARAJA BHAGAVATHAR (01-03-1910—01-11-1959) affectionately called as M. K. T. or Bhagavathar was the maiden superstar of Tamil Cinema. With his 14 films, he had etched an everlasting edifice for himself in the world of Tamil Films. His music resounds as the rarest of its kind. His was the tolerant spirit that tolerated the exploitation of his innocence by his contemporary wicked rivals. He was the subject of ignorance, poverty, pain, and ill-treatment. But his songs stand alone as the unique testimony to the art that he nurtured, cherished and was skilled at. Like most of the great people, he was ruthlessly treated by the confused mediocrities.

During mid 1940’s, M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and N. S. Krishnan (also called as NSK) were arrested for suspicion of murder famously known at that time as the Lakshmikanthan Murder Case, both were imprisoned without proper appreciation of the evidence, which were weak and hardly sufficient to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they were guilty. After unnecessary toil and turmoil imposed on them by evil elements, they were released on appeal to the Privy Council on 25th April 1947.

Lakshmikanthan, a notorious criminal and blackmailer, edited a yellow (porn) magazine called ‘Indhu Nesan’. Lakshmikanthan’s blackmailing list included the then famous personalities in all walks of life. He wrote several scandalous sex stories about them purely based on rumors and partial truths. Most of them were bogus speculations aimed at arousing public curiosity. Sometimes when he was surely in possession of solid evidence, he threaten the victims to extract huge sums. As a result, he earned more money to the hatred of many.

On 8th November 1944, Lakshmikanthan was stabbed by some foes while he was traveling in a hand-pulled rickshaw near the Veterinary College, Madras. With the knife injury, he rushed to the nearby Vepery Police Station and registered a complaint before he got himself admitted in the General Hospital, Madras. The wound was not serious and he was treated as an outpatient at the time of his arrival there. In his complaint to the police, he did not accuse anyone in particular for the assault but only mentioned that some miscreants had attacked him. He was found very jovial at the police station as he was in the hospital.

But suddenly, the next day, i.e., on 9th November 1944, Lakshmikanthan died mysteriously. He was murdered in the hospital. The police, based on the statement made by Lakshmikanthan’s bodyguard, arrested eight persons as accused for the murder. Among them were MKT and NSK. This came as a rude shock to their fans and the entire cine world.

Earlier to his getting stabbed, Lakshmikanthan advertised in his journal after he had concluded with the fictitious amorous stories about MKT and NSK that he would soon disclose crucial facts about those involved in the Boat Mail Murder. Even during his treatment at the General Hospital for the stab wounds, it was reported that Lakshmikanthan reiterated to expose the murderers who were involved in the Boat Mail Murder (In those days a train named Boat Mail used to run between Madras and Dhanushkoti). OMLSPM Lakshmana Chettiar, a rich banker travelling from Devakottai was mistakenly murdered for another in the moving train. A notable singer cum actress who travelled along with the banker disembarked in Chengalpattu and fled from the scene of crime leaving the corpse to reach Madras alone. However, with her political backing, she had managed to sidetrack, suppress and hide the truth about the real killers and escaped from the scandal scot-free by seeing the scapegoats MKT and NSK serve prison terms instead! With the aid of the Chettiar baron in the guise of a philanthropist who was plotted to be killed instead of the banker, she saw to it that the Boat Mail Case should not come to the court for trial by killing Lakshmikanthan in the General Hospital surreptitiously and conspired to have thrown the blame on the innocent MKT and NSK.

This was really an acid test to the spirit of true artists in MKT and NSK and in prison life, they worked as book-binders. They were kept together in a cell and MKT seemed shattered by the attitude of the corrupt people who plotted against his meteoric rise and NSK really laughed at the zigzag maneuvers of Fate. By his pious ways, MKT tolerated the menace.

After usual committal proceedings before the Madras Presidency Magistrate, the case came up for hearing at the Madras High court before Justice Vera Mockett. A group of brilliant lawyers namely Mr. V. T. Rangasamy Iyengar, Sri Rajagopalachariar, Mr. Braddel, Mr. B. T. Sundararajan, Sri Govind Swaminathan, Mr. Srinivasagopal and Mr. K. M. Munshi argued the case for the accused. After prolonged trial, the Jury, much to the dismay of many, found MKT and NSK guilty along with four others.

Appeals were heard by a bench of the High Court consisting of Sir Lionel Leach, Chief Justice of Madras and Justice K. P. Lakshmana Rao. Advocate General K. Rajah Aiyer argued the case on behalf of the Crown. The appeals were filed by the then leading members of the Bar, V. V. Srinivasa Iyengar and Sri V. C. Gopalarathnam. However, the appeals were dismissed.

MKT and NSK filed an appeal in the Privy Council, London which was then the highest court of appeal. The internationally famous (British Barrister), D. N. Pritt appeared for them. Privy Council then referred the case back to India for a fresh appraisal.

The appeal came up before a bench of two judges namely Mr. Justice Happel and Mr. Justice Sahabuddin (who migrated to Pakistan in 1947 during partition of India and retired as Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court). Mr. V. L. Ethiraj, a successful Barrister, appeared for MKT and NSK and argued that the Judges had not properly directed the Jury and the evidences of doubtful nature had not been properly assessed. Mr. Ethiraj convinced the Judges by his powerful arguments that all the witnesses produced against MKT and NSK were tutored and coached and there were a lot of inconsistencies in their evidence and statements and the case had many loopholes. The Judges agreed with Mr. Ethiraj’s arguments and acquitted MKT and NSK. One of the judges who heard the remanded appeal remarked in the Court that the knife produced as evidence cannot even kill a rat! The judgment was given a few months before India became free on August 15, 1947.

MKT, NSK and four others came out of prison after thirty months’ imprisonment. Experts and even laymen felt that the truth about the real killers of Lakshmikanthan had not come out and MKT, NSK and others were the unfortunate victims of the game of power politics. The real killers were never pinned down and the truth lies buried somewhere to this day. Indian legal history will record this case as one of the most tragic miscarriages of justice. (Thanks to the website dedicated to MKT).

Bhagavathar was the only superstar who excelled as a musician-actor and carved an eternal niche for himself with his platinum voice contributing few but ripe films to posterity! P. U. Chinnappa was also a musician-actor but he was not a superstar and was the forerunner of Sivaji and Kamalhassan. Hence Thyagaraja Bhagavathar was the precursor of M. G. Ramachandran and Rajnikanth in terms of superstarship among the masses! With his legacy of Gandharva Ganam, Bhagavathar was the only actor who reigned as undisputable monarch among the class and mass audiences of his time. Like Johann Sebastian Bach who continues to inspire and is being continually rediscovered and revived for his musical perfection, M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar also continues to inspire and is being continually rediscovered and revived for his enchanting music!

—S. Maheshkumar.

{Composed on 11th August 2008 at 2.32 PM, Indian Standard Time.}