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Baton bearer of a musical legacy

Noted Carnatic musician N. P. Ramaswamy believes in the purity of music which he passes down to generations.

On the right most corner of a Mattancherry street stood the typical Brahmin house – old and slightly renovated – with the traditional kolam before it. What makes it stand apart from the other ones is the tranquil flow of Carnatic music from dawn to dusk. A lean man with calm eyes, sporting vibhuti on his forehead invites you in with a smile. The man, noted Carnatic musician N. P. Ramaswamy, reveals that he teaches only one student at a time.

Born and brought up in the family of great musicians, he too wanted to be a musician. “My great great grandfather Palaghat Parameswara Bhagavathar was the chief musician in Swathi Tirunal’s court for over 50 years. My great grandfather Nurani Parameswara Bhagavathar was a great composer, a Harikatha exponent and an expert in several music instruments. My dad N.R.P. Iyer too was a known musician,” recalls the aged musician, who has been into Carnatic music for 70 years now and is glad to have carried on the legacy.

In his music career that began at an age of 16, Ramaswamy has performed more than 2,000 musical concerts all over India! A top-ranked vocal artiste in AIR for more than five decades, he rejected all those chances to lend voice to film songs; and he has a reason. “I believe in the purity of music and the loyalty it brings to the life of a music worshipper. I never attempted to earn name or fame through other versions of music other than Carnatic music,” recalls the musician who, after his masters in applied chemistry worked for a pharmaceutical company and along with it, pursued his passion.

“My father was my guru. I was initiated into music at an early childhood and by the age of five, I used to render manodharma swaras,” he says. He even authored a much-appreciated book Techniques of Manodharma Swara, which, in a simple language explained step-by-step exercises for practice. Apart from penning four other books on vocal training, he was more than 1,500 compositions, including 18 varnas, 35 kritis and two thillanas, to his credit. He has invented a new thala named dwijaathy triputa and has lot of students, but confesses that he has a lot more to learn.

The gifted Carnatic music exponent who was once called ‘Kerala Dikshitar’ by Sanskrit scholar Narayana Bhattathiri after the latter came across his poetic works in Sanskrit. A recipient of various awards including the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award, Dakshinamurthy Sangeetha Puraskar, Sangeetha Ratna, Gana Nipuna, Sangeetha Kulapathi and Shyama Satry Sangeetha Ratna, he has rubbed shoulders with music legends throughout his career.

But music still tempts Ramaswamy. Eyes gleaming in happiness as he talks about pure Carnatic music, he says, “Each concert has a new feel and rejuvenates the Carnatic music lover in me. The learning never ends.”

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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