 |
Music and Thanjavur are synonymous. Sikkil
is a small town in Thanjavur district, which is known not
only as the granary of South India but also granary of Arts
and Culture. This town is closer to Thiruvarur where the great
music trinity lived. Sisters hail from this place, from a
family very talented in music. The eldest, Smt. Kunjumani
was trained in flute by here paternal uncle Azhiyur Sri. Narayanaswamy
Iyer in her very early age. Her father Azhiyur Sri. Natesa
Iyer, a great Mridhangist was a polymath in music and very
well versed in theory of classical music. He trained her in
the intricacies of laya. Smt. Kunjumani lapped up all good
things of music from her elders with great avidity. At the
age of nine she gave her first concert. The younger, Smt.
Neela learnt from her sister have come a long way (for more
than four decades) and their success is behind by eminent
flautists like Sri. Sarabha Sastry, Palladam Sanjeeva Rao,
Flute Mali to mention a few.
For posterity, their daughter Smt. Mala Chandrasekhar who
plays along with sisters sometimes as ‘Trio’ maintains
the tradition.
Sikkil Sisters are one of the few great flautists of the
South and in India. They are the only well known ‘Duo’
in the field of flute. Sikkil Sisters have set very high standards
and achieved the pinnacle of technical perfection in their
rendition. Music critics and musicologists have great regard
for the sisters and many have commended their innate sruthi
and laya sense, expansive manodharma, excellent tutelage in
the classical idioms and blending of tempos as a mark of their
great vidwat.
The Sikkil Sisters have their own distinct style of playing,
yet they successfully harness them to the advantage to bring
out an enjoyable ensemble. It is known in the Carnatic music
field that the Sisters have absolute faithfulness to paddhathi
in rendering kirtanas in a manner that their flutes really
seem to sing the words of song.
Sisters have played at almost all-important centers in India
and abroad. Audience appreciation makes them happiest wherever
it is – they play to please.
 |
 |
|
- 
