The musical journey....

1982. I was 12 years old then. My interest was in literature during my school days. I won many prizes at the school level, district and state level youth festivals for story writing, versification etc. My mother wanted me to try out my talent in music. She thought some instrument would be a good choice. She very deliberately chose the violin for me because it is very handy and sweet. Summer holidays after my 7th grade started with Carnatic violin lessons with Saraswathy Ammal. She was basically a Veena player who just knew the basic finger techniques for carnatic violin. An year passed. She taught me up till the first Ganesa Geetham 'Srigananatha'. One day when my Amma came to pick me up after the class, the kind teacher told her that I had real talent and interest in music and that I should be taken to a violin teacher since she handles only Veena as her primary instrument. Amma was glad to get the positive feed back though we were reluctant to leave the kind teacher. But she insisted and my mother found another violin teacher in the town. He was brother of my mother's collegue, Rajammal teacher. His name is S. Harihara Iyer. He is disciple of the great violinist M. Chandrasekharan from the Brinda and Muktha tradition in Chennai. Chennai is popular as the capital of Carnatic music.

Hariharan sir, as we call him, is blind in one eye. He was slim and was probably in his early fifties when I joined him. He decided to remain a bachelor his life long. I took weekly two violin lessons from him with a group of other students at the Bharathiya Vidyabhavan. His monthly fees was Rs. 35/-. I traveled all by myself in local private bus carrying my violin for my classes. I'll be singing in my mind what I learned while I travel.

A carnatic music organization by the name Rasikapriya run by one Mr. Ramachandran used to organize monthly carnatic music concerts by eminent musicians. Hariharan sir used to ask me to attend the concerts and he will tell the name of the ragas when each song is rendered. Later on I started taking private lessons with him at his residence. It continued probably for about four years, My mother organized my debut solo concert traditionally in Kureekkaad Sri Krishna Swami temple. R. Sachithananda Pai (Sachi) accompanied me on the mridangam. I was probably 16 years old by then.

Then one day my father came up with a new suggestion. He got the information that a violin professor from Thiruvananthapuram, Sri. S. Easwara Varma has been transferred to the RLV music college in Tripoonithura. So I was taken to him for more academic style of learning. He was a very unassuming and generous teacher. I learned many good compositions and improvisation techniques from him. His monthly fee was only Rs. 50/-. After couple of years he got transferred back to the capital city of Kerala. In his place another young violinist by the name N. Vaidyanathan was placed in the school and I continued my violin lessons with him. He was disciple of Sri. B. Sasikumar. He was a very friendly teacher. He taught many finger exercises for practice. I took only one year of lessons with him. His monthly fees was Rs. 75/-. All these teachers were never money motivated. They were all simple lovers of carnatic music. Unfortunately Vaidyanathan sir died of a scooter accident later at a young age.

I acquired prizes in many violin competitions. Also won hat-trick during the Mahathma Gandhi University youth festivals. Started to perform violin solo and accompaniment concerts during temple festivals in and around my home town, Kochi. That was a wonderful experience I always cherished. You also get paid with some pocket money. I enjoyed travel associated with concerts to different parts of Kerala. Meeting and working with different musicians enriched my learning. I wanted to take it up full time into music. Wanted to take advanced violin lessons from some eminent musician in Chennai.

It is during that time my friend Sachi introduced me to C.K. Ramachandran's family who were his neighbors. They visited for summer holidays from Utah, Salt Lake City. He organizes carnatic music concerts in the US and knew many musicians from Chennai. He was looking for a carnatic violin teacher for his daughters and I was assigned the job. Thus Deepa and Divya were my first violin students and me their first carnatic violin teacher. I started them with the basics. I was well paid for my lessons. Deepa and Divya again took lessons with me during their next visit to India. That time I started with the Varnams for them. Ramachandran chettan brought a stereo aiwa Walkman for me which has a cassette player and recorder. As he found out my ambition was to pursue advance studies in music dedicating full time, he introduced me to Lalgudi GJR Krishnan sir.

That was a major turning point in my music pursuit. I was always fortunate to get the best Gurus in the world. Both my parents were extremely supportive with my decision. All they wanted was me to complete my bachelor's degree in Chemistry. All my thoughts were into music by then. Chemistry was like Chinese to me. So appointment was given for an interview with Lalgudi G. Jayaraman sir to select me as their student. My cousin from Trichy, Jayasree took me to Chennai since I was not good in Tamil. We were accommodated in one of her friend's house in Guindy. His name is Sambath. We all three arrived at Lalgudi sir's house. We were asked to sit in the visitor's room. As we waited, Lalgudi sir and his son GJR Krishnan sir came.

The interview was as long as a concert. We spent about two and a half hours answering questions. When I was asked, I played a Thyagaraja krithi 'Rama nee samanamevaru' in Kharaharapriya ragam. The meaning of the first line goes: "Rama, who is there equivalent to you?" I had lot of practice on this song since I played it for the University youth festivals. Another krithi I played was yet another Thyagaraja song taught by Easwara Varma sir. This was in the raga Narayani, krithi starting 'Rama nee vegani nannu'. I played some kalpana swaras too when I was asked. The swaras had 'poruthams' in which Lalgudi sir is an exponent. 'Poruthams' are symmetrical swara patterns similar to the starting of the krithi where swaras are rendered.  Then sir wanted me to play a Parthimadhyama raga composition. This time I chose a krithi taught to me by N. Vaidyanathan sir. 'Biranabrovayithe' in Kalyani ragam composed by Thalagambadi Panchanatha Iyer. Lalgudi sir and Krishnan sir made me sing and do Talam exercises to test my strength in talam. Many more questions were about my family background and support because I have to leave everything and settle down in Madras.

Thus began my first lessons with GJR Krishnan sir. Probably I was his first student. Once he began with the gamakam (embellished musical notes) exercises, I remembered once having a vivid dream before of playing the violin using this style of finger technique. He was a sincere Guru to the core who really knows how to transfer what he knows to the student. Every lesson is very precious. As I progressed I was also asked to attend Lalgudi sir's classes when he teaches other students at home. Then I started daily visiting the home and was more like a part of the family. I was fed many a times in the home. I used to do whatever small help I could do for the family. Later on I was advised to move into the family and stay with them and learn in gurukula system. Those were golden days of my life. I was taken to concerts with them and I got opportunities to play Tambura for the concerts. Lalgudi sir with his son and daughter played Violin trio concerts those days. When Lalgudi sir conducted the Thiruvaroor Carnatic Music Trinity music festival I traveled with them and stayed for the entire week listening to concerts.

He was very humorous always. But when he teaches he is very strict and shows anger if you make mistakes. Another student from Karnataka also joined lessons staying at the house. It was a big family. Continuous activities go on all the time. There was no time to be wasted. Everyone in the family considered us as part of them and supported in all possible ways for our growth. In the heavy current of life, I was carried away for sometime into different vistas and music lessons were interrupted. Came to know later that Lalgudi sir and the entire family were upset that I stopped going there anymore. Krishnan sir was instrumental in bringing me back again connecting to the family.

In 2005 I got married and started my career as a music teacher in schools for livelihood. Got opportunities in overseas schools too.  I worked in Indian School in Oman, Singapore and finally in the United States. Lalgudi Krishnan sir showed me my first opening to the USA. He helped with supporting documents for my visa process. Lalgudi sir's mother who was treated with utmost respect in the family died while I was in the US. During my India trip I visited Chennai and I was offered place to stay in their home again. Lalgudi sir's health had deteriorated and it was so saddening to watch him in dependency mode. It was a great blessing given to me by Krishnan sir to be at the service of the eternal legendary musician Lalgudi G. Jayaraman sir. To hear of his demise again was enormously overwhelming. Within an year Lalgudi sir's life partner also joined the same divine abode while I was staying in the family to participate in the 'Violin repair and restoration workshop' organized by Krishnan sir through the Lalgudi Trust.

The Lalgudi family just not only taught me refined music but also became the foundation for building up my life structure. Music is my bread and butter now. It is food to my soul and I am fulfilled when it is shared with many other seekers.