Violin virtuoso Lalgudi G. Jayaraman was on Sunday conferred an honorary doctorate by the Tumkur University in Karnataka for his enrichment of Carnatic music as creative performer, innovator and teacher to hundreds of disciples.
Conferring the D.Litt. degree on the musician, S.C. Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of Tumkur University, said Lalgudi Jayaraman was one of a rare kind and an embodiment of various virtues.
A composer, musicologist, philanthropist and tutor rolled into one, Lalgudi Jayaraman was also of a saintly disposition, Prof. Sharma said. In conferring this honoris causa degree on a musical phenomenon like him, the prestige of the university had only gone up, he said.
In his felicitations, R. Thyagarajan, founder-chairman, Shriram Group, said Lalgudi Jayaraman was the epitome of excellence and throughout his remarkable musical journey he had never pursued awards and honours; in fact, fame and recognition had only come in search of him. He also had a word of praise for the Tumkur University, which through conferring the degree on an outstanding musician, had honoured the realm of Carnatic music.
Urging the university to make the conferment of musicians an annual or biennial practice, he felt that the act of an academic institution honouring classical musicians could go a long way in raising the visibility of Carnatic music among the youth.
Prof. Thayagarajan also wished that the Tumkur University would apply as yardsticks for future recipients of its honoris causa degree a musician's mass appeal, intensity of influence, the impact of his contributions in raising musical standards and the range of creativity.
