Gayathri Venkataraghavan

Gayathri Venkataraghavan - Perseverance and passion

Listening to the music of Palghat K.V. Narayanaswamy as a young girl was an epiphany moment that changed her entire perspective on music. As a curious backbencher during season concerts at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, her interest in music further swelled.
Live for you online

Live for you online

In March 2020, as soon as the lockdown in India took effect, Prakash RSV, a finance professional, event manager and an ardent music rasika, launched and pioneered a music channel, Live4You on Facebook, bringing musicians and rasikas together.
Ganesh-Kumaresh

Ganesh and Kumaresh - a quest for 'pure' music

When Ganesh (born 1964) and Kumaresh (born 1967) ascended the Carnatic concert stage in 1972, the image of the violin as an accompanying instrument in Carnatic vocal concerts had been well-etched in the minds of audiences and musicians alike.
Leveraging social media as a platform for Carnatic music

LOCKDOWN EVENTS - Leveraging social media as a platform for Carnatic music

Music has got an ethereal quality to heal the disturbed mind and provide solace. The impact of Covid-19 and the stress of confinement within one’s home have been multiplied by the disturbing news flashing across media - both visual and social.
Cyber sabhas and concerts during lockdown

Cyber sabhas and concerts during lockdown

Perhaps there will be a cyber sabha not too far in the future, fully equipped with the musicians and the enrapt audience, a virtual reality et al. — This was the concluding line of one of my articles on music published in December 2000.…
T. Rukmini: a radiant soul (1936-2020)

T. Rukmini: a radiant soul (1936-2020)

Beauty is skin deep; it is oft said. In rare cases it permeates the whole being—inside, outside, and in the body, mind and soul. Vidushi T. Rukmini, who performed the “mangalam” to her sojourn on this earth recently, was one such.
An Online Performing Arts Festival

Ties That Bind: the pandemic, technology and the arts

We, in Columbus, Ohio, have been in the isolating grip of a viral pandemic for three months now. Social interactions have been impacted in ways one could never have imagined before its onset. Our diverse humanity has been united via this singular…
Neyyattinkara Vasudevan

Neyyattinkara Vasudevan (1940-2008)

Neyyatinkara Vasudevan shone like a meteor in the field of Carnatic music. Hailing from a humble background, he attained success as a vocalist and teacher against heavy odds, facing many rough patches along the way. Born on 24 August 1940, as the son of a Dalit woodcutter, in rural Thiruvananthapuram district (Neyyattinkara), Vasudevan went on to become a leading vocalist from Kerala.
Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar

Unpublished varnas of Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar

Ayyampettai, a small village on the banks of the river Kaveri becomes musically active in the month of Masi, to commemorate the birth of Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar, one of the primary disciples of Tyagaraja, known for his devotion to his guru. His jayanti is celebrated every year as a three-day celebration in Ayyampettai coinciding with Moola, his birth star.
We Stand With You

We Stand With You

It is with deep sadness and anguish that we have all been observing the events surrounding the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Our emotions are also mixed with the knowledge that the circumstances and behavior which led to his death are all too common.
Chittoor Revathy Ratnaswamy

Chittoor Revathy Ratnaswamy (1936-2019)

The state of Andhra Pradesh has contributed many musicians of repute to the world of Carnatic music. Revathy Ratnaswamy was one such whose music was steeped in classicism and tradition.
R.A. RAMAMANI

R.A. RAMAMANI - All the world's her stage

R. A. Ramamani is a multifaceted musician. Singing avadhana pallavis, providing dizzying vocals for Indo-Jazz bands, composing for jazz and fusion, running a music school, training scores of students in India and abroad in Carnatic music - she has done it all. This versatile artist turned seventy on 2 March 2020.