Maharajapuram Santhanam was in a concert in one of the American Universities. In the middle of the concert, the airconditioning went off and he was sweating. The organizers brought a fan and put it next to the stage with wind blowing on his face. The vocalist looked at it and quipped: 'ivvaLavu fans irukkumbodhu indha fan edharkku? ' (When there are so many fans here, why do I need this fan?) The audience burst into laughter.
In the same concert somebody made a request after he started 'mangaLam'. He looked at the chit and said: ' innoru tharam mangaLam paadittaal pochu.' He finished mangaLam, sang the song requested and sang mangaLam again.