“Silly humans. Why don’t you pause? How ignorantly you let so much pass?” – from a poem written by Lalgudi Smt. Vijayalakshmi, in the voice of Mother Nature. Lalgudi Smt. Vijayalakshmi is the daughter and disciple of the renowned violinist and musician Lalgudi Sri. G Jayaraman. Smt. Vijayalakshmi expresses her…
“Something that I have learned from this is to never take things for granted and to value every single relationship that we have….” – Rithvik Raja Vocalist Sri. Rithvik Raja articulately gives us a detailed glimpse into many aspects of his life, before and during Corona. He states that since…
“The question of getting bored cannot arise for a musician, in my opinion.” – K Arun Prakash Sri. K Arun Prakash, senior mridangist, tunesmith and composer, says that musicians can keep any available time completely occupied – there is a plethora of aspects that one can practice, in countless ways,…
“It is very essential that we have peace of mind to be creative, and to be led to be creative, and it doesn’t happen when we are not financially stable.” – JA Jayanth A Carnatic flautist, Sri. JA Jayanth has won the Best Instrumentalist Award from The Madras Music Academy…
“If there was something certain in life, I would definitely cling on to it.” -Palghat R Ramaprasad Palghat Dr. R. Ramaprasad, grandson of the mridangam icon, Palghat Sri. Mani Iyer, looks back on his childhood and his practice under his father’s iron hand, even as he is enjoying teaching his…
Of this artiste who had over 60 concerts in ~40 days this past music season, Sangita Kalanidhi Aruna Sairam says, “He is an excellent violinist on whom the music world has great expectations. His command over rAga bhAva and dexterity of playing are qualities that make him a very sought-after…
Facile singing, tremendous creativity, immense appeal and a completely pliant voice are hallmarks of this precociously talented, award winning, seasoned Carnatic vocalist who just happens to be young. Ramakrishnan Murthy’s countenance, manner and speech are as traditional as his music, belying the fact that he spent the bulk of his…
Sangeetha Ramprasad believes in the calming power of sahaja yoga Stress seems to dog everyone these days — from young children to the elderly. Sangeetha Ramprasad comes to their rescue, bridging the world of Carnatic music with meditation, the art of stilling/calming the mind. Sangeetha had her initial training from…
It is his pleasant countenance that first draws attention but once you settle down, his playing of the mridangam keeps you absorbed. Vijay grew up in Mumbai, the son of Geetha, a vainika, and N. Balasubramanian, a Chartered Accountant and bhajan singer. Vijay’s father, an ardent admirer of T.V. Gopalakrishnan…
Part 1 is here. A few years later came the next assignment – to Makeni – in Sierra Leone. My first exposure to school, my mother would braid my hair, pack me curd rice in an Aladdin flask that went into a pretty metal case. When I came back, it…