GURU LINEAGE & CREDENCE
Bhavadhaarini hails from the family of veteran composer Mayuram Vishwanatha Shastry. Born and brought up in a music environ there was a natural environment to learn Carnatic music from the age of 5. Her 20 year long association with her guru, the doyen of Carnatic Music Sangeetha Kalanidhi Smt D.K.Pattammal brought out the sensitive musician in her. Bhavadhaarini is today one of the most senior and successful disciple of Smt D.K.P.

Bhavadhaarini Anantharaman

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
She became a graded artist of All India Radio’ Chennai in 2002 by winning their All India Competition in CARNATIC, DEVOTIONAL AND LIGHT categories .Now she broadcasts regularly for AIR. Recipient of the CCRT fellowship (Center for Cultural Resource and Talent) from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for a period of 9 years from 1990 and also the recipient of Sterling Holidays Scholarship for Vocal Music for a period of 3 years from 1997.She received the “Sivaji Birudhu” in Feb 2009 in appreciation of her work in the field of Carnatic Music and Devotional Music. Recipient of the Spic Scholarship for 3 years from 2000. She has been given titles like ‘Gaana Vaanee’, ‘Isai Selvi’ ‘KalaikkaLanjium’ and ‘Tamizh Isai Vaani’ at various regional Sabhas.She is also the proud recipient of title ‘SAI BAJAN RATHNA’ from SAI SEVA CHAKRA, 2001 for her excellent soulful renditions of Bhajans and devotional songs. The title “Gaanamrutha Vitthagar” was bestowed on her by Isai Priya, Thiruvarur, Tamilnadu in appreciation for her work in the field of Carnatic Music in 2009

ACADEMIA
Bhavadhaarini is now heading towards her PhD in Indian Music at Bharathidasan University. She has completed her M.Sc in Applied Microbiology from Vaishnav College, Chennai and did her second Masters Degree & M.Phil in Indian Music from Mother Teresa University.
• CSIR UGC NET qualified Lecturer in Indian Music (Dec 2005) and Microbiology (Dec 2004)
• Master of Philosophy in Indian Music – May 2005, University 1st Rank, Mother Teresa University for Women, Kodaikanal, India
• Master of Arts in Indian Music – May 2004, University 1st Rank, Mother Teresa University for Women, Kodaikanal.
• Master of Science with a major in Applied Microbiology – Apr 2002, College 1st Rank, UNIVERSITY OF CHENNAI
• Bachelor of Science in General Microbiology- Apr 2000. College 1st Rank, UNIVERSITY OF CHENNAI

AS AN ACCOMPANYING VOCALIST
She has accompanied two multifaceted professional Bharathanatyam exponents, Smt. Vyjayanthi Mala Bali and Smt Rajeswari Sainath, on stage LIVE performances in Chennai, Nellore, Kakinada, Hyderabad and Bangalore at more than 20 venues. She is the only Vocal artist in the 5 member Panchakshari Fusion Band comprising of Sharreth, B.V.Balasai, D.A.Srinivas and Punya Srinivas. She has also been credited as the only female artist to accompany 7 string violin by Maestro Harikumar on Scale “A” for 3 hour concert organized in Shastry Hall Chennai in 2006. She has also participated in Uma shankarsʼ “Layathathwa”, Vikku Vinayakramʼs fusion band & Guru Karaikudi Maniʼs Fusion performances.

AS A DEDICATED TEACHER
She combines in herself the rare talent and training of rendering classical music maintaining the traditional authenticity and conducts her Music school branch at Anna Nagar called Karpagam Sangeetha Vidyalayam. She also heads Karpagam Bhajana Mandali and conducts Namasankeerthanam and Abhangs Concerts with her team of such trained students. Bhavadhaarini conducts Online Music lessons for many interested enthusiastic students all over the world rightly tapping the advancement of technology. Apart from her concert tours; she also travels to corners of the country and abroad to conduct Lecture Demonstrations and Workshops in Music, Musicology.

Her Complete profile is available here Bhavadhaarini- Carnatic Vocalist

On behalf of all rasikas, we thank Smt.Bhavadhaarini for sharing her melliflous concerts with us.

Since his training at Kalakshetra in Chennai he is based in Amsterdam. Thanks to the guidance of several authorities on Carnatic music, he was able to author “The Oxford Illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music”. Most prominent among his guides were Vidya Shankar and S Rajam (both 1919 – 2010) for questions pertaining to the application of theory to performance and teaching; and TR Sundaresan (1963) for the intricacies of laya in relation to tala theory.

In 2000 he was presented with the Cross of the Order of Merit conferred by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany “for his outstanding contribution to cultural relations with India”. An active participant in Europe’s dialogue with India, he received the Rabindranath Tagore Cultural Award (Kulturpreis) of the Indo-German Society (DIG) “in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the spread of knowledge about India’s spirit and life”.

He continues developing www.carnaticstudent.org, an e-learning programme commissioned by the distance education department of Lueneburg University in Germany in 2001. Since 2002 he has been a visiting lecturer at the departments of indology and music at Wuerzburg University in Germany. He has collaborated with performers and academics affiliated with other European universities. These joint efforts resulted in an ongoing exploration of the intrinsic qualities of Carnatic music; and this in a manner that lends itself to teacher training programmes (www.aiume.org). On these lines he has authored many articles, lectures and workshops such as those hosted during the world conferences of the International Society for Music Education (ISME).

Voleti Venkateswarulu with Lalgudi GJR Krishnan (violin) and Karaikudi Mani (mridangam).
Recorded by Ludwig Pesch at Sittrarangam (Chennai) on 2 October 1987.

This concert by Voleti Venkateswarulu was facilitated by vocalist Dr Rita Rajan and her husband as part of a chamber music series hosted at Sittrarangam. Performances at this venue (The Small Theatre Madras) were part of our joint efforts to bring the subtle nuances of Carnatic music and other traditional art forms to the attention of younger audiences including teachers and music students. A similar series of “mikeless concerts” had earlier been held at the library of the German cultural institute (Max Mueller Bhavan); and this with unexpected success. Under the “Sampradaya” banner, we had featured many senior performers, particularly those whose specialties were rarely if ever presented to the concert going public of Chennai; and also topical concerts focusing on special genres cultivated by scholarly musicians.

It was in this context that I had earlier met “Voleti”, as he is affectionately called by his admirers. I instantly realized that his profound influence on rasikas had its roots in a commitment to spreading good music unconditionally and without any compromise. Not surprisingly, he closed his eyes while singing. Yet there was nothing in his mild and unassuming manners that would betray the greatness that continues to inspire several Carnatic musicians so long after his premature demise.

Having listened to Voleti Venkateswarulu during a Music Academy music season concert, I knew that I was in the presence of a singer for whom complete immersion in music was more than an idea: like my flute teacher Ramachandra Shastry, Voleti was the very embodiment of the musical philosophy expounded by Sri Tyagaraja. In the lyrics of his famous Sankarabharanam kriti “Svararagasudha”, we learn that “devotion associated with the ambrosia of svara and raga is verily paradise and salvation.”

It is a great privilege to share my recording of Voleti’s rendition of this very song with a larger public. Here we feel that Tyagaraja’s universal genius is expressed in the most appropriate manner: we are witness to an intimate exploration of both, the elaboration of one of the most important ragas of Carnatic music, and one of the famous compositions by Tyagaraja. For the saintly poet-composer, being a Nada Yogi was not an end in itself but part of an even greater quest, one that is not limited to the cultural boundaries of southern India.

Finally I would like to point out the the congenial accompaniment by Karaikudi Mani and Lalgudi GJR Krishnan. With the restraint inspired by the personality of Voleti Venkateswarulu, they have contributed to an unforgettable listening experience I encourage listeners to also share with others. In gratitude for their kind permission I share this precious recording with the larger world of music.

— Ludwig Pesch, Amsterdam 17 September 2011

On behalf of all listeners, Sunaada Radio thanks Ludwig for sharing concerts of Voleti Venkateswarulu and Pudukode Krishnamurthy.

However, the first email came from a nonagenerian (91 years) Sri R Thiagarajan who was living in S.S.M residency in outskirts of Chennai. His enthusiasm was no lesser than any teenager and overwhelmed us by his immense contributions of his recordings of great artists including his wife Late Smt. Kamala Thiagarajan. He was very knowledgable about both Carnatic and Hindustani music.

Sri R.Thiagarajan, 92 years, Retd Director, Geological Survey of India, Son of Sri. V.Rathakrishna Iyer , passed away suddenly on Feb 11, 2011, 10.00pm at SSM Residency/Hindu Mission Hospital Tambaram.

Sunaada Radio team is very fortunate to have known and corresponded with him although for short period of 8 months. On behalf of all listeners, we thank Sri R Thiagarajan for his contributions.