" THASMAI SRI GURAVE NAMAHA "

The above title transalates roughly as "I salute such a Guru !!" . In this section , I would like to salute such people who fit into the sloka "Guru Bramha Guru Vishnu Guru Devo Maheshwaraha, Guru Saakshaath para bramha ! " . These people have selflessly taught me their knowledge of music and I remain, with gratitude ,one of their humble students ...

Vaigal Sri S Gnanaskandan :

My first and foremost teacher. My grandparents insisted that I must learn under him for one simple reason. His sincerity . Moreover his shaareeram or his voice timbre is something special. The glitter in his voice was what inspired her to ask him whether he was willing to take me as his student. He readily agreed and my classes began when I was 9 yrs old. Till date , he continues to come over to my place and teach . He is something more that just a teacher.He is our family member and the kind words of blessings he always has for us definitely imbibes so much confidence and good sentiments in every family member. A selfless teacher, in the true sense...

Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sikkil Kunjumani and Neela

I have always been an admirer of their music. Something different, something so unique about their style. As if , the flutes were spelling out the lyrics also . ( vaarthai kekkaramaari vaasippa!! ) As years passed , I was able to gather so much from them. Be it on how to plan a concert, selection of ragas, handling of manodharma, judging the audience mood and many more nuances which play a pivotal role in building up a successful kutcheri.They have imbibed in me a successful kutcheri bhani . PRESENTATION is their forte and I continue to learn this aspect from them.

 

Smt. Mala Chandrasekar :

I lost count of the number of people asking me how I am related to Mala. Many still think I am her son, some believe I am her brother , so on and so forth. She is my chitthi , my aunt. Affectionately known as Mala aunty, she has taught me several songs, valuable tips on music and other regular lessons. Residing in the same building,we share a special aunt-nephew relationship.

I would like to quote a very interesting incident at this juncture. I used to visit her frequently when she was at Kilpauk Gardens. Her mother in law, Smt. Radha Viswanathan, the daughter of Bharat Ratna M.S.Subbalakshmi, was my mentor too. I will discuss that in detail after this. So coming back to the incident...

Aunty once taught me how to sing the raga Thodi. I think it was in 1994. I was very playful at that stage and never paid any attention to her . She is one committed teacher, by the way. Not only music , but whatever she does, she does it to perfection. I couldnt get a few sangatis right and kept on asking her to change that. She refused and was determined to make me sing . I was becoming more and more restless as my cousin, Kaarthik, was signalling from the corner asking me to play cricket with him. Mala became so angry that she slapped me . Actually the slap was much milder than what we do to shoo away flies !! But i started wailing so loudly that Radha mami had to intervene and ask her to stop scolding me. The very fact that she had slapped me , had taken me by surprise and I could'nt bear that humiliation. It took several hours to calm me down . Things settled down with some sorries being exchanged. Mala still doesnt know why I cried that day because the slap was so mild. Actually even i dont know why i cried. But the biggest gain from that incident was that my raga elaboration of thodi acquired a new dimension from that day. I started working hard for it. Even today whenever i sing thodi , she winks at me saying " Had I not hit you that day, you will not be singing thodi properly now!!" . My answer would be " You never hit me . I cried just to escape from your lessons !! "

Smt. Radha Viswanathan :

I had the good fortune of learning some priceless kritis like Swara raga sudha, Kartikeya gangeya, Rama rama gunaseema,Veenabheri from Radha mami. Moreover, melodious bhajans made popular by MS amma were also taught . I still remember the enjoyable sessions in her house along with Mala aunty and my cousins. There have been times when I used to look forward for holidays so that I can spend time with Mami and learn songs from her. I found her quite different as a Guru compared to others mentioned above. She was a fast teacher and I had to sharpen my grasping skills to cope up with her teaching methods. It benifitted me a lot. Even today I visit her and try to learn some kritis whenever time permits.

At present , I am undergoing specialised training from Maha Vidwan Sri B Krishnamurthy , doyen of the Mudicondan School of music . This is a scholarship program sponsored by Sangeet Natak Akademi , New Delhi. This , again , is a blessing from above as I am able to introspect constantly on how I need to keep improving and enhancing my knowledge !

 

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