Consummate artiste
G.S. PAUL
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Narmadha is proficient in Hindustani and Carnatic music.
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BREAKING BARRIERS: Narmadha is the daughter of violin maestro M.S. Gopalakrishnan.
Twenty-five years ago violin maestro M.S. Gopalakrishnan was accompanied by a teenage girl during a concert at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. The discerning rasikas broke into applause when the organisers told them that the young violinist who had enthralled them was MSG's daughter Narmadha.
Tutored by her grandfather Parur A. Sundaram Iyer and later groomed by MSG, Narmadha graduated into a consummate instrumentalist, vocalist and musicologist.
Dr. Narmadha has accompanied stalwarts like Balamuralikrishna, D.K. Pattammal, M.L. Vasanthakumari, and T. Brinda. While the Tamil Nadu Government honoured her with the `Kalaimamani' award, Music Academy, Chennai, selected her as the best violinist for eight years consecutively. At present, she is a staff artiste of All India Radio, Chennai.
Coming in the lineage of her father and grandfather, it was natural for Narmadha to turn to Hindustani music. She learnt Hindustani music from Debu Chowdhari and K.G. Ginde of the Kirana gharana and earned a doctorate from Delhi University for her thesis on comparative study of 25 select ragas belonging to the Hindustani and Carnatic systems.
The book authored by her, `Indian Music and Sancharaas in Ragas' is in a class of its own. The dexterity with which she handles both the streams has made her a sought-after violinist.
Dr. Narmadha was in Thrissur to present the opening concert of `Monsoon Fest,' organised by Bharatam, a cultural organisation. In an interview, she talked at length on the contribution of her father and grandfather and also on the two systems of Indian music.
Fascination for Hindustani music
It was a zeal for aesthetics in music that took my grandfather to Pundit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar in Mumbai early during the 20th century. Impressed by his virtuosity, the maestro appointed him as a staff member in Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Paluskar wanted him (Parur A. Sundaram Iyer) to accompany him in his vocal concerts. Perhaps, that was the first time the violin was introduced as an accompaniment in Hindustani music instead of the sarangi or the harmonium.
At Benares, he met Pandit Omkarnath Takur who arranged grandfather's concerts in the famous Bengal Music Conference in Kolkata. My father was also summoned. Takurji was so impressed by MSG that he reportedly told my grandfather, `I want the little boy to accompany me.' It was these kind of associations that helped them evolve the unique Parur-MSG style, assimilating the best of Hindustani.
What are the hallmarks of this style?
I can summarise them as continuity of bowing, extraordinary tonal richness and melodic finesse. The gamakas are smoothened to enhance the bhava of the raga.
Your thesis is on the comparative study of Hindustani and Carnatic systems. Is it fair to compare two systems of music?
Comparison can help discover the basis of similarities. Not anything beyond. One system cannot be a reflection of another. Creativity being the soul of Indian music, Hindustani and Carnatic are nothing but creative innovations of our composers.
I would say Hindustani and Carnatic branches are the two eyes of Goddess Saraswathy.
Have you stopped `playing second fiddle' to your father?
How can I? He is my guru and performances with him are lessons even now. According to me, MSG is the `reincarnation' of the violin.
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