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Tiruvarur is a holy town in South India,
famous for the holy temple of Sri. Thyagaraja - who is Shiva
of the Hindu Trinity - where many sages, poets and musicians
have derived inspiration to sing in praise of the Deity notable
among them, to mention a few, Sri Sundramurthy Nayanar, and
the Carnatic Music Trinity Sri Thyagaraja Swami, Sri Muthuswamy
Dikshitar, Sri Shyama Sastrigal. It should be due to Sri Thyagara's
Divine Grace and Design that all of the Carnatic Music Trinity
were born in this holy town and flourished in the same period.
This holy temple is noted for music performances, especially
on the Nadaswaram during festivals and even for daily worship.
Dr. N.Ramani was born in the year 1934 in this holy town with
the Grace Of Lord Thyagaraja, to fulfill his mission in Carnatic
Music, through the melodious instrument Flute, glorified by
the Hindu God, Lord Krishna.
Born in a family of rich musical tradition, young Ramani
grew up in an atmosphere charged with music. His grandfather,
and first Guru, Sri Aazhiyur Narayanaswami Iyer was a well
known flute artist wo could play other instruments and also
sing. Dr. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer himself was declared on
many occasions that he has learned some music from Sr. Aazhiyur
Narayanaswami Iyer. Noting Ramani's natural attraction to
music and to the flute, his grandfather started instructions
on the flute at the age of 5, the formal initiation age. Many
noted musicians of that period would visit their house and
invariably musci would begin, with young Ramani listening
with full attention. On a memorable day, Ramani's uncle Sri
T.R.Mahalingam, the celebrated flute artist, popularly known
as Mali, had a concert at Tiruvarror. Ramani attended this
concert spell bound and was inspired by it. The next day,
in the presence of Mali, he reproduced many songs from that
concert. Mali was so impressed by the natural control of Laya
and Sruthi of the young Ramani who was just 9 years old, that
he himself undertook to train Ramani. Since Mali was mostly
at Madras, Ramani would spend his vacation from school, at
Madras and got intense training from Mali. After completing
the school education, Ramani's family moved over to Madras
permanently to enable Ramani to get further training from
Mali, as well as to pursue a musical career.
The formal introduction to Ramani as a flute artist, the
Arangetram, was performed in 1942 when he was just 8 years
old, in the holy shrine of Chikkil Singara Velan the famous
temple of Lord Subramanya, the favourite Deity of Sri Muthuswamy
Dikshitar of the Carnatic Music Trinity. This was was certainly
an auspicious moment. On this occasion, the veterans, Vedaranyam
Krishnamurthy Iyer on the Violin and Tiruvaroor Kunju Iyer
on the Mridangam provided the accompaniment. It was a splendid
success. Sri Krishnamurthy Iyer and Sri Kunju Iyer and other
musicians present, praised Ramani's talents, especially the
grasp of Laya, and predictated a great musical career, which
proved to be correct.
In 1945, while undergoing intense training at Madras under
Mali, Ramani got the opportunity to accompany Sri T.R.Mahalingam
in a flute concert, given at Rasika Ranjani Sabha, Madras
to the accompaniment of Sri. T.N.Krishnan on the violin, and
Sri Muruga Bhupathy on the Mridangam. Ramani's performance
on that day drew appreciation from Mali himself and other
vidwans and fans present. This success was followed by other
such concerts with Ramani accompanying Mali, for over a decade
at various cities of India.
Many famous vidwans listened to Ramani's flute concerts while
he was very young and not only appreciated them, but also
predicted a great future and blessed him. Sri Palladam Sanjiva
Rao, Sri Tiruppampuram Swaminatha Pillai, two famous flute
artists, Sri Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Alathoor brothers,
Madurai Mani Iyer, Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bhagavathar were among
those vidwans who encouraged Dr. Ramani while he was a young
artist.
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