Intoxicating music
Sir, — This is with reference to Gowri Ramnarayan's `I live in my father's music' (Friday Review, October 13). I was indeed very happy to see an article on a dear friend and a great musician. I would like to share a few memories here.
My first acquaintance with Narasimhan dates back to 1961 when we were both students at the Central College of Carnatic music. Musiri Subramanya Iyer was the Principal then and the faculty boasted of eminent vidwans and vidushis like Tiruppambaram Swaminatha Pillai, T Brinda, Karaikudi Muthu Iyer and others.
Narasimhan was one of the brightest students there with a few years of concert experience already behind him. Everyday during our lunch hour, he would sit with his Gottuvadyam (Chitravina) in the verandah and play even as the rest of us students would crowd around him to listen.
The nada and emotive power of his music was so very intoxicating that Musiri would affectionately and jokingly chide him for distracting the students from their classes! His was the kind of music that would go straight to your heart. He is undoubtedly the greatest Chitravina vidwan I have come across.
Of course, anyone who has met him would also know about his enormous intellect. His pre-eminence as a teacher is seen in the way his children and nephew have come up. He is such a naturally self-effacing person that when I offered to honour him with the first-ever Sangita Kala Jyoti award through my organisation Suswara 15-odd years ago, he very humbly declined it.
Tadepalli Lokanatha
Sharma,
Chennai
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