Legendary Tamil film composer Deva, the man fondly known as Thenisai Thendral who brought Chennai's Gaana music into the heart of mainstream cinema, was laid to rest with full state honours on Sunday, October 18, at his farm in Pazhaya Mangadu village, Arcot taluk, Ranipet district. Deva died of a heart attack in Chennai on Saturday, October 17. He was 75.
A 72-gun salute for the Godfather of Gaana
As part of the state honours, personnel of the Ranipet Armed Reserve Police fired 72 rounds into the air as Deva's mortal remains, placed in a teakwood coffin, were interred at his farm, where a bugle sounded the last post. The body was brought from Chennai to the farm around 3 pm, and residents of his native village put up tribute banners along the route while a procession accompanied by traditional percussion music carried him to the burial site.
Thousands of admirers, relatives, and film industry colleagues gathered to pay their final respects. Cooperation Minister V Gandhiraj, Ranipet Collector N Priya Ravichandran, District Revenue Officer N Saravanan, and several MLAs attended the funeral alongside members of the film industry.
Rajinikanth's emotional farewell and tributes that poured in
Superstar Rajinikanth visited Deva's Chennai residence on Saturday and appeared visibly emotional as he paid his last respects, consoling the bereaved family without addressing the media. Their association defined some of Tamil cinema's biggest screen moments, with Deva composing music for Rajinikanth's blockbusters Annamalai (1992), Baashha (1995), and Arunachalam (1997).
Deva also created the iconic background theme that accompanies Rajinikanth's signature title card, a score that began with Annamalai and has continued through three decades, including the superstar's latest release.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and actor C. Joseph Vijay paid floral tributes at the residence, consoled the family, and announced the state honours in recognition of Deva's contribution to music. He noted that Deva's popular Gaana songs had won the hearts of ordinary people and that he had composed for more than 400 films. DMK president M. K. Stalin, Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi, lyricist Vairamuthu, and a host of film and political leaders also paid their last respects. Stalin recalled that former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had conferred the title Thenisai Thendral on Deva.
The man who taught Tamil cinema how a hero should sound
Born Devanesan Chokkalingam on November 20, 1950, Deva rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He made his debut as a film composer with Mattukkara Mannaru in 1986 and went on to compose music for more than 400 films across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada cinema over nearly four decades. In 1996 alone, he scored an astonishing 36 films.
Trained in piano under Dhanraj Master (who also taught Ilaiyaraaja) and in classical music on the harmonium under J. B. Krishna, Deva carved out a distinctive identity by bringing Chennai's Gaana tradition, the rustic, working-class musical idiom unique to the city, into mainstream commercial filmmaking, at a time when Ilaiyaraaja and A. R. Rahman dominated the industry. His honours include the Tamil Nadu government's Kalaimamani award and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director.
He is survived by his son, music composer Srikanth Deva, who performed the last rites.
A fond farewell
Deva's music played in auto-rickshaws, wedding halls, and village festivals across Tamil Nadu for four decades, and it will keep playing. The state honours he received on Sunday were Tamil Nadu's way of saying that the Godfather of Gaana belongs to everyone. Thenisai Thendral may have fallen silent, but the breeze of his music will linger for generations.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources
- Hollywood Reporter India: Tamil Composer Deva Honoured with State Funeral in Tamil Nadu
- The New Indian Express: Thenisai Thendral Deva laid to rest with state honours in Ranipet
- The Hindu: Tamil Nadu Governor, CM Vijay express condolences over passing of composer Deva
- ETV Bharat: 'Thenisai Thendral' Deva, Who Took Chennai's Gaana Tradition To Tamil Cinema, Dies At 75