How ‘The Wind Walker’ exhibition unravelled the enigma of Mali

A poster with the lines — ‘Some people played the flute, Mali played the silence between notes’ — was prominently displayed at the entrance of the centennial exhibition, celebrating the life and music of legendary flautist T.R. Mahalingam, also known as Mali. Titled ‘The Wind Walker’, the exhibition was organised by The Museum of Performing Arts (MOPA) at My Bungalow.

The exhibition brought together rare photographs, personal letters and memorabilia to highlight different facets of the legend.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“The Wind Walker was conceived not as a conventional biographical exhibition, but as an attempt to know Mali as an extraordinary musician, innovator and an enigmatic persona,” says Savita Narasimhan, managing trustee, MOPA Foundation. “Rather than following a chronological narrative, the show brought together rare photographs, personal letters, Mali’s autobiographical note, awards and memorabilia, archival publications and recorded reflections to illuminate his different facets,” adds Savita, who curated the show along with flautist J.A. Jayant. It also featured an insightful talk by T.M. Krishna, who delved into Mali’s music, followed by a flute concert by Sikkil Mala Chandrasekhar.

Mala Chandrashekar’s flute recital at the Mali’s centenary exhibition organised by MOPA.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The exhibition was not just about showcasing the life of a musical genius; it was also a reflection of a time and its cultural milieu. The collectibles on display revealed that Mali was fond of cricket, solved mathematical puzzles, read books and played the violin with equal passion. His personal memorabilia included letters and clothes he wore, from T.S. Sankaran’s collection; the flute he played, from the collection of Mani Sundaresan of Chicago; and letters from Sivakumar, the son of Mali’s friend, who worked on reviving and digitising old photographs.

An interesting hand-written bio highlighted his personal thoughts and spiritual experiences from age 16 to how his very first overseas tour panned out in 1936. Besides all these, a little cartoon on Mali added an element of humour.

Collectibles also revealed he was fond of cricket and mathematic puzzles.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Flute and Mali were so inseparable that he not only mastered the instrument but also changed the way people listened to it. The expressive curve of a gamaka, considered a prerogative of the human voice, found its way into the instrument. He also added an eighth aperture, which gave him greater control over pitch and chose thicker bamboo with smaller openings to create a warm, resonant tone. Mali also introduced a distinctive performance technique known as the ‘Parrot Clutch’ and made the flute’s lower register a defining element of his musical expression. He not only changed the way the flute was played but also the instrument itself.

The show was curated by Savita Narasimhan and flautist J.A. Jayant.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Pictures displayed at the exhibition.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“At the heart of MOPA’s curatorial approach was a desire to move beyond hagiography. Mali’s brilliance cannot be separated from his unpredictability, his restless independence and his eventual withdrawal from the concert stage and society. The exhibition therefore sought to leave room for the contradictions that made him fascinating: the prodigy and the maverick, the public figure and the intensely private man,” explains Savita, who also reveals that a documentary on Mali, with interviews by Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, T.V. Gopalakrishnan and others, will be released later this year. “The Wind Walker was an attempt to ask a simple question: What makes an artiste truly original and what does it mean to live by that originality? Like his music, Mali resists easy explanation. That is precisely what makes his story worth revisiting,” she states.