Praising the Sri Sathguru Sangeetha Samajam for playing the role of a catalyst in promoting Carnatic music, High Court Judge G.R. Swaminathan said that it gave a platform for vidwans to showcase their talents, and for music lovers to indulge in their passion in a a comfortable setting.
Speaking at a music festival organised in memory of Carnatic genius M.S. Subbulakshmi, the Judge presented ‘Madurai Sri Meenakshi’ award to veena vidwan Mudikondan S.N. Ramesh in the presence of Samajam president Shobana Ramachandran here on Sunday.
In his address, Justice Swaminathan said that Carnatic music was an important identity that reflected one’s culture. Though some in the society, including a few musicians, had different views on Carnatic music, every rasika should ensure that its essence remained undiluted.
The Judge praised the Samajam, founded by the House of TVS six decades ago. Hailing from Tiruvarur district and “being a neighbour of famous musician Muthusamy Dikshitar,” the Judge said he was proud to present the award to veena vidwan Ramesh, who hailed from neighbouring Mudikondan.
Samajam secretary L. Rajaram, S. Venkatanarayanan and other office-bearers offered felicitations.
Later, a veena concert was presented by vidwan Ramesh. He was accompanied by R. Sowmya (veena), Salem K. Srinivasan (mrudangam) and Tiruchi S. Krishnaswami (ghatam). The Samajam had organised vocal concerts by Gayathri Venkatesan and Vidya Kalyanaraman on Friday and Saturday.
