CHENNAI, INDIA, November 18, 2015 (News Today): Renowned devotional singer Pithukuli Murugadas, who had rendered more than 1,000 songs, mostly on Lord Muruga, passed away due to age-related ailments. He was 95. His wife passed away about five years ago. He has no children. Best known for his compositions on Lord Muruga, Murugadas has been suffering from age-related ailments for quite some time. He breathed his last at his residence in the city.
Family sources told UNI that having devoted his entire life to Lord Muruga, his end came at the auspicious time of 0330 (Brahma Muhurtham) and on the occasion of Sashti, again the auspicious day for Lord Muruga.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pithukuli_Murugadas
Pithukuli Murugadas was born as Balasubramanian in Coimbatore to Alamelu and Sundaram Iyer in a devout Brahmin family. At the age of seven, he went to practice yoga in Palani under the tutelage of Nadayogi Brahmananda Paradesiar. He was also called “Pittukuli” by his teacher. In 1931, at the age of eleven, he participated in the Salt Satyagraha campaign and spent some days in prison. During 1936, while participating in the nationwide Satyagraha to protest against the Jalianwalla Bagh massacre, he was imprisoned for six months. He was released later as Government’s gesture on the occasion of the wedding of Mysore Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar.
In 1935, at the age of 15, he relinquished his house and started his pilgrimage. He began wandering around the country. In 1939, he visited Swami Ramadoss of Kanjangadu Ashram in South Kanara and Mata Krishnabai. He was named as Murugadas by Swami Ramadoss as he sang on Lord Muruga. In 1940, he spent a few days with Avadhudha Swami Swayam Prakash at Sendhamangalam and then went on a pilgrimage by foot and traveled throughout India. He learnt various renderings of Brahmananda Paradesiar and Ramana Maharishi.
In 1946, he joined Thirupugaz Mani in popularizing bhajans praising Muruga. After Independence in 1947, he became the patron of the orphanage known as Dhinabandhu Ashram at Walajapet. In 1978 he married Devi Saroja who is an accomplished artiste in dance, music, Tala Vadya and painting.