For the Chennai music season 2019, The Hindu brings to you a series of articles from our archives on interviews with rising artistes in 1990s who are now some of the biggest names in Carnatic music. Today, an interview with violinist A. Kanyakumari
“In my early years I was not at all interested in music. But my two sisters were learning music from Ivatturi Vijayeshwara Rao. By listening to them I learnt the songs they were taught. My mother was very anxious to make me take to music,” said violinist Kanyakumari recalling her home life in Vizianagaram.
“Can your father and mother sing or play any instrument?”
“My father has a good ear for music. My mother is a Veena player. She had been a radio artiste. Hearing me sing at home as a young girl, my guru Ivatturi Vijayeswara Rao was very particular that I should learn music. He insisted on it and with my mother also desiring the same thing, I began learning in a systematic way. In fact, my guru started a music school, the Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu Memorial School, to teach violin and vocal music, just for my sake.”
“Why was the School named after Dwaram?”
“My guru was a disciple of Dwaram Narasinga Rao who was himself a sishya of Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidugaru. I was the first student to join the school and there were six more. My guru paid particular attention to my progress.”
“For how many years were you a student in the school?”
“Six years. The teaching session would start at 7 a.m. and go on till 9 a.m. Then I would attend school. In the evening, the classes would be held from five to seven. First my guru would sing. I would repeat it and then it would be played on the violin. That was the method we adopted. I also passed the Diploma in Music (violin) with distinction. My guru was one who never expected any monetary returns for teaching music. He had such deep involvement in seeing his sishyas rise to the top.”
“What made you come over to Madras?”
“In 1969, I passed the PUC examinations. “What next?” was the question, My maternal grandfather was at Annamalaipuram, Madras. He advised me that I must come to Madras.
My father had three years of service before his retirement. He said he would stay back in Vizianagaram and made my mother and me shift to Madras.”
“At that stage were you qualified well enough to play on the violin for concerts?”
“ Yes, occasionally I would be an accompanist. I joined the Queen Mary's College of for the B.A. course with music, psychology and philosophy as my subjects”.
“ What brought you to the notice of M.L. Vasanthakumari with whom you were teamed till her death”
“ Charumathi Ramachandran was three years senior to me. Her mother liked me very much and the way I played the violin. She took efforts to introduce me to MLV, who said she would try my competence. 1971 I accompanied MLV in marriage performance. Obviously she was satisfied since then she gave me encouragement. What I am today I owe completely to MLV. I came to know later that she had privately asked her admirers and GNB fans to hear me in my first Kutcheri when accompanied her and report to her about my abilities. They must have also given a good chit to me. So from 1972 to 1990, till MLV’s death I was her accompanist.”
“That long association with MLV must have given you enormous experience in accompanying techniques and must have also thrown up challenges to you in raga elaboration, tanam and pallavi. MLV was greatly respected for these aspects.”
'certainly, I have benefited greatly from my association with her. After every performance she would review my role. She would point out where I had faulted, and give hints on how to follow a vocalist. She taught me the nuances of playing tantrum, etc.”
“I have heard that you also received some training from M. Chandrasekharan.”
“Yes, after coming to Madras I was learning music from him. My other guru Chandrasekharan too Was altruistic in teaching me and was not actuated by monetary considerations. I have given duet performances for two or three years with Chandrasekaran before joining MLV. I received enormous encouragement from Chandrasekaran. After MLV’s death I have accompanied many senior Vidwans.
“Have you been taken by surprise by any incident in your performing career?”
“once the Tansen festival in New Delhi, MLV gave a performance at which titles where is conferred on her and other north Indian artists, Amjad Ali Khan was one of them. He was present the shawl. He presented the shawl to me instead of saying ‘you play exceedingly well. Let us have a jugalbandi soon’. But somehow jugalbandi did not take place. Again during a visit to the U.S., MLV gave a performance at Minneapolis. After the concert, a violinist brought to our room ten violins and asked me to choose any one of them. He said he was offering it in the appreciation of my playing technique. I chose one and that is the one I am playing on now.”
“In the recent performance I am told, you used a violin with an in built mike.”
“yes, when I recently went to the U.S., I saw in a violin shop, an instrument painted white with an in-built mike. That was the one I used in the recent Madras performance while accompanying Kadri Gopalnath.”
“Nowadays you give more solo performances.”
“Yes, many well-wishers suggested that I must play solo. Subas to offer me the chances.
But personally I prefer being accompanist as it is more challenging because the main artiste’s Manodharma includes new lines of development of ragas, Swaras when my chance comes. In a solo I convey whatever I know” she looked immensely satisfied with what her stay in Madras had done to the career.
