Chembai, Yesudas, and Guruvayur
Yesudas recalls the last birthday of his guru, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, and the concert they gave outside the Parthasarathy temple in Guruvayur (where Yesudas, a non-Hindu, was not permitted to enter).
“During Ekadesi, my guru used to visit Guruvayur, offer pujas and render a concert as an offering. Since I was forced to keep off the confines of the temple, he too decided to stay out and we sang together before the Parthasarathy temple.From this Hindu report on developments that might finally open the temple to the great singer - and, let us hope, to all. (Thanks, Pradeep, for the link)“The Divine Grace of Guruvayurappan can be felt in no small measure here, too, he had said. Though I had said that my guru himself was the embodiment of the Lord, I was really pained, and that sorrow haunts me even now. But for me, my guru could have sung at the temple.”
