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Music Academy honours Lalgudi

Special Correspondent

Photo: V. Ganesan

MONUMENTAL CONTRIBUTION: West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi (centre) greeting violin maestro Lalgudi G. Jayaraman after conferring "Special Life Time Achievement Award" on him at a special function in connection with the 80th anniversary of The Music Academy in Chennai on Sunday. Academy President N. Murali is at left.

CHENNAI: The Music Academy, on the occasion of its 80th anniversary, conferred a special ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ on violin maestro Lalgudi G. Jayaraman in recognition of his “monumental” contribution to Carnatic music.

West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi presented the one-time award on Sunday to the violin maestro at a packed house of music aficionados and rasikas.

Accepting the award, Mr. Jayaraman traced his relationship with the Academy over the last 60 years, since he made his debut there as a teenager in the 1940s.

In the last six decades, he has performed at the Academy and around the world, accompanying the greatest Carnatic music vocalists across several generations. His solo performances and compositions have garnered universal praise, said Music Academy president N. Murali, adding that the violinist was not only a visionary, but also a revolutionary in musicianship.

“He hardly ever trespasses the boundaries of classicism, yet redefines the art with a refreshing approach that has placed him firmly at the top echelons of Carnatic music,” he said.

The maestro is also a dedicated teacher and he offered some pertinent advice to young musicians after receiving the award. The measure of one’s devotion to music will determine one’s reward, he said. He advised them not to view music as a means to livelihood or riches, but as an act of penance and devotion.

Mr. Gandhi echoed his advice, condemning the commercialism that has started to tarnish the classical music scene. Reminiscing about the first time he heard Mr. Jayaraman perform in a hall in Thanjavur 40 years ago, Mr. Gandhi contrasted the rich atmosphere of that concert to the technical “fuss”, beeping cell phones and prevalent commercialism of concerts in the current era. Young artistes would do well to look up to legends such as Lalgudi Jayaraman for their reference points for professional success, rather than the idols of commercial music, he said.

“To be distinct, yet not elitist; to be rare, but not exclusive; to be fastidious, but not fetishist; to innovate, but without gimmickry; to conserve without mummifying is to be classical,” he said in an eloquent speech that mixed Tamil and English and drew repeated applause and a standing ovation from the audience.

A number of eminent musicians, including T.N. Seshagopalan, M. Chandrasekaran, R.K. Srikantan, B.M. Sundaram, Chitra Visweswaran and Kaaraikkudi R. Mani also felicitated the maestro on the occasion.

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