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If your music has to be laden with ‘bhava’ it is important to concentrate on the ‘sahitya.’

Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

All in the family: N. Ramani with his son R.Thiagarajan (extreme right) and grandsons T. Suresh (left) and R.Athul Kumar (second from right).

Perhaps Ramani began teaching even before he set up Ramani’s Academy of Flute, which has now branched out to various centres in the country and abroad. Ramani’s son Thiagarajan is a chip off the old block, while his grandsons Athul Kumar, Suresh and Santhosh are also making their mark with the flute. “There is so much pleasure in teaching. Every minute spent teaching provides a learning experience. You pick up so many nuances that you may have missed,” says the maestro.

Ramani gained a lot during his childhood days from his grandfather, Aazhiyur Narayanaswami Iyer, who was a great flautist and music guru. Most of his training was therefore at home. “There were many musical instruments, such as the harmonium, mridangam or the kanjira, which I could opt for. I learned the basics but finally chose the flute.”

Although he picked up the nuances quickly and had his arangetram, the turning point was when he listened to a concert of his uncle, the one and only T.R. Mahalingam (Mali) at Nagapattinam.

“I need not explain the magic of Mali. I was simply astounded by the way he handled the flute. I was determined to play like him. I knew that was impossible. The next day I played some of the pieces that he had played at the concert before the master. He was impressed and agreed to take me under his wings.”

Learning from Mali was a unique experience. “In the beginning I used to commute to Chennai whenever I got time off from school. During vacations I used to stay with him. He never sat down to teach you. It was asking for too much. You had to learn by listening to him play.

“Sometimes he allowed me to play with him and during his practice sessions. I was amazed by the techniques he adopted to make the flute resemble the human voice. I then tried playing like him. This ‘kelvignanam’ is what any aspiring musicians should try to adopt.”

Soon Ramani began to accompany Mali for concerts. Connoisseurs and critics hailed the young flautist as a worthy successor to Mali. “There were so many aspects that I have tried to emulate from Mali’s teaching methods. ‘Kelvignanam’ should not be reduced to just listening to the guru. Mali always encouraged me and other students to listen to stalwarts. They need not be flautists. I remember having listened to Ariyakudi, GNB, Alathur Brothers, and others with the sole purpose of learning from their distinctive styles. I can surely say that my style has been a blend of the Mali method, all that I imbibed from the stalwarts and a little of my own.”

What his disciples miss today is the experience of stalwarts.

“My son has heard some of the great masters live. But most of my students and my grandchildren have not. Of course, they do have the opportunity of listening to any of the masters through cassettes or CDs. But they are not a substitute for a live performance. Moreover, they cannot clear their doubts from the masters. Hence, despite this advantage, they will have to work hard to develop a style of their own.”

Ramani was amongst the earliest artistes to take Carnatic music to the West and also perform jugalbandis. But now Ramani prefers to pursue his famed traditional style.

“My jugalbandis with Hariprasad Chaurasia were huge successes. It also gave me valuable insight into the Hindustani style. There have been other jugalbandis with eminent artistes but ultimately it is your own style, our own profound music that matters.”

The 73-year-old master, restrained, gentle like the music he creates, has a piece of valuable advice to budding flautists.

“Always focus on the vocal aspect of music. If your music has to be laden with ‘bhava’ it is important to concentrate on the ‘sahitya.’ Also develop complete control over your breath. You may have to do regular exercises for this. But it is all important for a flautist.”

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