Carnatic Flautists: Parampara

Carnatic Flautists: Parampara

First Legends  |  Rising Legends  |  Parampara Thagarajan Ramani  is one of the most accomplished Carnatic flautists in the world and is n... 5 years ago

First Legends | Rising Legends | Parampara

Thagarajan Ramani is one of the most accomplished Carnatic flautists in the world and is none other than the direct disciple and son of Carnatic flute maestro Dr N. Ramani.  A mult-faceted musician, he is also proficient in the Carnatic violin, clarinet and khanjira and has given recitals in all these instruments alongside the Carnatic flute. He has passed with distinction and won the first prize in the Post-Graduate Diploma in Music "Sangeetha Alamkar (equivalent to an M.A. Music) from the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, the premier Indian Institution of Music. He is an A-Top AIR and Doordarshan artiste and has given over 4000 concerts all over the world to date more than any other Carnatic flute concert artiste alive today including thousands of solo recitals and as an accomplished flautist for numerous dance arangetrams. He has accompanied Dr N. Ramani on numerous concerts in India and in major concert tours around the world. He has also been accompanied by legendary artistes such as Palghat Mani Iyer, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, T. N. Krishnan, Palghat Raghu among others, on the flute. An active performer till date, he has numerous disciples all over the world and frequently performs with Athul Kumar, his nephew, in concert tours in India and abroad.  

The best sound  in the flute is produced when it comes from the nabhi kamalam (navel)

Prapancham S. Balachandran is an ‘A-Top’ graded Carnatic flautist who hails from a family of illustrious musicians. His mother, Thanjavur V.Prema, is a reputed Carnatic vocalist. He underwent initial training in Carnatic music and flute from Sangeetha Bhooshanam Pozhakudi Sri P.V. Ganesa Iyer and Kattuputhur Smt T.R. Nagarathinam Ammal. He later underwent professional training in Flute under Sangeetha Kalanithi Padmasri Dr. N. Ramani for more than 35 years and has also performed alongside him in a number of concerts. Being one of the senior most disciples of Dr N. Ramani, he currently plays an active role in propagating the Carnatic Flute through teaching and lecture demonstrations. As a Guru, Shri Prapancham Balachandran’s unique teaching methods have proved so effective that some of his students are now graded artists of All India Radio. He is also a post graduate in Music and has presented numerous research papers and lecture demonstrations. Sri.Prapancham S. Balachandran is a State level Gold Medallist adjudged by none other than the legendary Dr.Semmangudi Sri.R.Srinivasa Iyer. He is also recipient of numerous awards and titles that include ‘Flute Mali Award’ by the Madras Music Academy, ‘Venugana Rathna’ by Sangeeta Mumurthigal Committee, ‘Mathura Murali Puraskar’ by Dr. Balamuralikrishna, Vipanchee and so on. He was conferred with the title ‘Pullankuhal Innisaivendu’ by Tamil Nadu Mangalavadya Isai Kalaigar Sangam, Chennai in the year 2001. 

Much of what I learned as an artiste came from the numerous opportunities that Dr N Ramani, my guru gave me on his own concerts by asking me to play on-the spot

V. K. Sivakumar holds a Vadhya Visharadh Diploma in Flute from the Tamil Nadu Government Music College. He had a seven year privilege of learning directly under Flute maestro Dr. N Ramani and received his initiation in the Ramani school of flute playing from flute maestro Sri. R Thyagarajan (son of Dr. N Ramani) from whom he continues to receive advance training right up to this day. He is a regular solo concert performer and has given concerts all over India and abroad. He is an accomplished accompanist for classical Bharatanatyam concerts. He has accompanied artistes such as the Dhananjayans and Chitra Visweswaran in their overseas classical concerts in USA, France, Germany and Malaysia. He has participated in the Vadya Vrinda conducted by premier Violinist A. Kanyakumari, and in Bharatanatyam programmes organised by the percussion wizard Shri Karaikudi Mani. He is also a highly recognised Carnatic vocal teacher. He has nearly two decades of teaching experience in both Carnatic flute and vocal music. He is a highly accomplished Carnatic flute teacher and has trained dozens of serious flute students in Singapore and in India including the rising flute star Vishweshwar in India to advanced levels in the strictest quality maintained by Dr N Ramani school of flute playing and provides relentless guidance and mentoring on proper Carnatic flute music and playing techniques. He is currently based in Chennai and was a Senior Tutor in the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society from 2007 to 2018. He has currently the largest number of Carnatic flute students in the Ramani school of music in Southeast Asia. 

It is the only due to the blessings and guidance of my guru Dr N Ramani that I am able to impart the best of Dr N Ramani's music to my students

Trichy L. Saravanan is a B.A graduate in Indian Music from the University of Madras and a flute lecturer in Tamilnadu Govt. Music College, Chennai. He received his initial training from the direct disciple of Flute Mali K. S. Narayan and then received ten years intensive training with the violin maestro Nagai Muralidharan before joining Dr N. Ramani for advanced training in Carnatic flute. In his career, he has bagged the first prize in the All-India-Radio Flute Competition, received the gold medal in the Calcutta Youth Festival, the prestigious Senior Flautist award from the Chennai Music Academy, the Senior Fellowship from the Dept. of Culture, Govt of India for research on the Carnatic flute and several awards from music sabhas all over India including the Yuvakalabharathy from Bharat Kalachar. He is both an accomplished soloist and accompanist and has also accompanied Padma Vibushan Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, and guru Padmashri Dr. N. Ramani on world tours. His recitals have won him praises from the likes of Bharat Ratna M. S. Subbulakshmi, Odissi exponent Padma Vibhushan Sonal Man Singh and etc. He has given flute-santoor and flute-sitar recitals with renowned artistes of India. He has also single-handedly scored music to the poetry of Bharat Ratna Dr. A. P. J. Abdul for a cultural concert in his presence during his visit to Singapore. He has been a full time Carnatic music teacher in Singapore teaching in the Global Indian International School since 2007. 

The early foundation that I received from the Mali school of music through my guru Sri K. S. Narayan helped me to absorb the intricacies of Dr N. Ramani's music in the later part of my musical education.