The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Swathi Puraskar for Srikantan

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Thursday, Jun 18, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Swathi Puraskar for Srikantan

Ranjani Govind

R.K. Srikantan

BANGALORE: Carnatic vocalist R.K. Srikantan will be the first vidwan from Karnataka to receive the prestigious Swathi Puraskar 2008, instituted by the Government of Kerala. The musician will be the 11th recipient of the award, instituted in memory of composer Swathi Thirunal.

A committee headed by Kerala Sangeeta Natak Academy chairman Murali, and consisting of members mridangam maestro Umayalapuram Sivaraman and Swathi Thirunal College of Music principal N. Balasubramanian, selected Mr. Srikantan recognising his seven decades of service to the world of music.

“It’s God’s grace; just overwhelming,” said Mr. Srikantan. “I have joined the galaxy of stalwarts such as Bhimsen Joshi, Jasraj, Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer, M.S. Subbulakshmi and D.K. Pattammal who were some of the earlier recipients,” he said.

Kerala Minister for Culture M.A. Baby congratulated Mr. Srikantan on being selected for the award, which includes a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh and a citation.

What seems to be more satisfying for the 90-year-old vidwan is his pioneering efforts at All India Radio to popularise Swati Tirunal’s works through the “Gana Vihara” programme during his stint as music producer decades ago.

“I am proud that my focussed work of taking across the Maharaja’s compositions to students and rasikas in workshops and cutcheri platforms has paid off,” he said. Mr. Srikantan, who hails from Rudrapatna in Hassan district of Karnataka, was trained under his father Rudrapatna Krishna Shastri and later by his eldest brother, Venkatrama Shastry, a violinist.

From his primary entry to the cutcheri platform at the age of 13, the maestro still keeps active on stage in India and abroad.

“I still go on with my routine practice at home apart from my four hours of teaching in my music classes,” he says.

The vocalist, who is also a recipient of the prestigious titles Sangeeta Kalanidhi and Sangeeta Ratnakara, is equally known for his meticulous efforts in popularising the kritis of Purandaradasa and other Dasas after obtaining the original lyrics from a variety of sources and setting several of them to tune in the original ragas that were in vogue during the Dasa period.

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