Ramnad Krishnan: Music Was His Life

Tuesday, 1st May 2012
Savita Narasimhan

In an age when the nagaswara-inspired, robust, masculine, forceful music of G.N. Balasubramaniam, Alathur Brothers and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer held sway, Ramnad Krishnan's choice of the veena-like, delicately modulated style of singing was a decisive deviation from the general trend. Regarded as synonymous with raga-s like Sahana, Begada and Saveri, Ramnad Krishnan was as passionate about what he believed to be aesthetic and pure music as he was steadfast in creating his own path in the midst of several performing greats of his times, no mean achievement. Yet, none could match his sense of the aesthetic and suggestive in music. Far ahead of his times, Ramnad Krishnan was a musician with a revolutionary streak, who innovated and experimented with aesthetic brilliance. Today, he is often described as an ideal musician and role model for aspiring Carnatic vocalists.

Early life and training

Krishnan was born on 14 September 1918 in Alappuzha in Kerala, to Vaidyanatha Iyer and Brihannayaki, hailing from Kooniyur in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. When Krishnan was four months old, his father shifted from Alappuzha to Ramanathapuram (anglicised to Ramnad) district in Tamil Nadu to join the service of the Maharaja of Ramnad. Krishnan was one of eight siblings. Since the family spent many years in Ramnad, all of them prefixed Ramnad to their names. Krishnan began his first vocal lessons in Carnatic music under the tutelage of his elder brother Lakshminarayana and his guru C.S. Sankarasivam (a disciple of Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar). Among the brothers, Lakshminarayana and Venkatachalam learnt the violin, while Raghavan and Eswaran were trained to play the mridanga. By the age of seven, Krishnan had mastered Arunachala Kavi's entire opera – the Ramanataka kriti-s. His singing prowess earned him opportunities in theatre while at school in Ramnad. Even at a young age, Krishnan had an inbuilt sense of rhythm. His guru Sankarasivam, who sang the complex Tiruppugazh in difficult tala cycles, accompanied by Pudukottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai, enjoyed making Krishnan keep the beat with his impeccable sense of rhythm.

Read More