Neyveli R Santhanagopalan

Neyveli R Santhanagopalan is a versatile musician who breathes, walks and sings music. To him music is his lifeblood and it is more than just a profession. It is a way of life to him. In an age where achieving name and fame is becoming more than an objective, the self-effacing person in him makes him distinctively unique artist.

He is a musician steeped in tradition and yet highly creative and innovative. His music is deeply evolved around "bhakthi' and "bhava" and also attractive and entertaining. His music is couched in traditional classicism and yet most popular and mass appealing. He is an effective bridge between the traditional convention and the present day environment. He is an idealist who always seeks and attempts at perfection in any sphere of musical activity. To him music is not a mere philosophy but an effective instrument to elevate the audience into blissful experience, entertainment and relaxation.

Initialised into music by his mother in his childhood, he came under the tutelage of illustrious Gurus like Chembai Sri C.S. Ananthamani Bhagavathar and Srirangam Sri Ranganathan. He had an intensive gurukulam under the maestro Madurai Sri T.N.Seshagopalan, which blossomed him into a potential musician. He has a unique style, which is widely acclaimed, by both the connoisseurs and lay rasikas alike.

Even though he gave his debut concert at the young age of 10, his innate desire to acquire deep insight into this great art made him to spend another decade before he made his mark as an established and front-ranking musician.

It was exactly another decade by which time 'Neyveli' had reached a pre-eminent position that appropriately he was conferred the title 'Isai peroli' by the Karthik Fine Arts Society only to be followed by many more titles by leading sabhas. Priya Vision also recently conferred him with the title 'Gana Priya Rathna'. Not content with mere professional acquirements, Santhanagopalan has been imparting music knowledge through his 'Sri Chandrasekhara Gurukrupa' to potential students who seek his guidance in India and abroad. Some of his students like Chinmaya sisters; Sriram Parthasarathy, Srividya Venkatachalam and Nandhini Ramamurthy have already begun to make their mark.

None other than his Guru 'Sri TNS' has acknowledged his talents as a composer. He feels blessed that he can handle the divine veena and the celestial mridangam with which he is able to experience wholesomeness in his musical visions.
Apart from his commercially hit cassettes and CDs, his special educative cassette collection "ragas through pallavis' is in wide circulation among learners globally.

His is also intensely involved as an organizer in various divine musical festivals like the annual Arunagirinathar Thirupugazh festival at Vadapalani temple, Chennai.

Recently, Sri Chandrasekhara Gurukrupa has launched a grand classical music educational programme, through cassette correspondence, at an international level.

Despite occasional criticisms, he continues with his yearning for innovations and creativity imbibed from his multifaceted Guru "Sri TNS".