The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Award for Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 02, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Award for Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan

Special Correspondent

Jayalalithaa announces allotment of land for Raga Research Centre

ARTISTE HONOURED: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa presenting a diamond-studded violin to Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan in Chennai on Monday for his 60 years of service to Carnatic music. — Photo: V. Ganesan

CHENNAI: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday conferred the title of `Carnataka Isaignani' on Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Government by presenting a silver plaque to him here. She also handed over a diamond-studded violin on behalf of his school, Gurukulam.

Felicitating Kunnakudi on completion of 60 years in the service of Carnatic music, Ms. Jayalalithaa described him as a multi-faceted personality who had charted a unique path in the music world. He was the first to give not only solo violin concerts but also present a rare combination of violin with `thavil' to rasikas.

The State Government recommended to the Centre that he be given the Padma Vibhushan, but the Centre chose to award the Padma Sri. She was confident that bigger awards would come to him.

Lauding his work as president of the State-sponsored `Raga Research Centre' which was doing research on various ragas, she announced that a two-ground plot would be allotted to the centre. President of the Iyal, Isai and Natakam P.B.Srinivas thanked the Chief Minister for her continued support to Carnatic music.

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan in his acceptance speech thanked her for the honour.

Earlier, there was a violin concert by Mr. Vaidyanathan along with Gurukula students.

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