MY GURU

L a l g u d i R a j a l a k s h m i
L
algudi Rajalakshrni, the third of the Lalgudi siblings,
is a respected violinist in the Carnatic music circles
of Bengaluru. "Lalgudi Mami", as she is fondly
called, is an endearing personality, but an uncompromising
teacher. I am fortunate to have been her disciple for the
last seven years.
Mami who belongs to the formidable Lalgudi lineage,
is the epitome of discipline and perfection. She learned
to play the violin from her father Lalgudi Gopala Iyer
and her brother Lalgudi G. J ayaraman, and started
performing at the age of ten. She settled in Bangalore after
her marriage in 1957 to Radhakrishnan; her late husband
who was employed in the Indian air force. Over the years,
Mami performed extensively as a soloist and accompanist.
She has accompanied several artists across generations like
M.L. Vasanthakumari, O.K. Pattammal, Bombay Sisters,
Sudha Ragunathan, Aruna Sairam, Neyveli Santhanagopalan,
Mandolin Shrinivas, and her own daughter J ayanthi
Kumaresh, and grandson Abhishek Raghuram. She has
also performed duets with her brother J ayaraman and
sisters Srimathi Brahmanandam (violin) and Padmavathy
Ananthagopalan (veena). During her long stint at All
India Radio she brought out many musical productions,
including women's and children's orchestras. Outside of
India, my guru has performed and taught in Singapore,
Malaysia, J apan, and the U.S.A. She has received many
awards - 'Swara Bhushani' presented by Gayana Samaja,
Bangalore, being the most recent.
34 SRUTI J uly 2014
Si n d h u j a B h a k t a v a t s a l a m
My association with Mami has been humbling and
enlightening. Though she is a strict disciplinarian
while taking classes, she is ever so positive and
encouraging. Mami teaches vocal music, veena,
the violin and flute. Classes go on simultaneously
in different rooms in her Bengaluru apartment, and
watching her multitask with ease, giving every
student her all, is an experience in itself. Mami
is willing to sit with a student assiduously for
hours, until every little gamaka is nailed down.
Her imageries in manodharma singing add more
colour to the classes. "Think of singing a raga
as if you were adorning a goddess", she would
say, emphasising the aesthetic as much as the
technical. True to the Lalgudi tradition, Mami's
'kanakku' and 'poruttam' in kalpana swaram
without sacrificing bhava, can be rivetting.
Her lessons in niraval singing involve ajudicious
mix of importance to sahitya, bhava, and laya.
My favorite sessions are when Mami teaches
with her violin. She plays on the violin to
communicate certain phrases and intricacies,
especially in rakti ragas like Dhanyasi and
Begada, and asks us to vocalise them. At times I
got so carried away that I forgot to repeat after her.
The way she
varnam Dera=. -'"
particularly
nishada, i
also compos
some for
Vadiraja COffiOOSlUiOO Sariaeno
rare raga \1
and reftec
For examp e.
Lord in the aaupallavi
'Anaathan
Lalgudi Rajalakshmi with Padmavathy Ananthagopalan (veena)
neenu, In the first part 'anaathanu
aanu which speaks of his plight,
. {ami has used the lower madhya
and mandara sthayi notes, whereas
'enagebandhuvu neenu', reflecting
the exalted state of the poet, takes the
tara thayi notes. There are several
illh instances in Mami's music.
heartily on food and music. Apart
from the delectable meals and the
long, absorbing lessons and
conversations on music, she would
make me listen to a variety of
recordings of stalwarts ranging
from Alathur Brothers and
GNB to S. Kalyanaraman and
T.N. Seshagopalan, and of course,
Lalgudi J ayaraman. "There is
something to take from everyone,"
she would say.
With LalgudiJ ayaraman and G.J .R. Krishnan
I have many memories to treasure
of my stay with Mami. She was
erogecanaauvu particular that I should be fed
35 SRUTI J uly 2014
innovative projects like the Indian
National Orchestra, and also manages
therecording label Home Records.
Although Mami has faced many a
personal setback including the tragic
loss of her husband and daughter,
her unbridled enthusiasm to learn is
inspiring. "I want to learn at least one
new song before every concert," she
told me not very long ago. And that is
the kind of spirit she kindles in her
students. Although she has settled
in Coimbatore for the last couple of
years, Mami keeps travelling to
Bengaluru and Chennai for concerts
and classes. Her unflinching energy
and passion for her art, and for life in
With Srimathi Brahmanandam (L)
Outside class, Mami is a fun person to be with - she has even indulged
me with movies and games! On one occasion, Mami, her mother
and I watched the Tamil comedy Michael Madana Kamarajan
and laughed ourselves silly. Mami is among the very tech-savvy
persons of her generation. She regularly teaches on Skype, is prompt
with emails, and scans hand-written lessons with her iPad and sends
them electronically to her students. She has a website too -
lalgudirajalakshmi.com.
Mami's daughters Usha and J ayanthi blossomed into excellent
musicians. The late Usha played the violin with her mother, and
J ayanthi took to the veena and trained with her aunt Padmavathy
Ananthagopalan. Usha not only sang and played the violin, but was
also a poet and composer. She married Ramkumar Raghu, son of
mridanga vidwan Palghat Raghu. The musical genes are obvious in
their son Abhishek Raghuram, a prodigious vocalist today. J ayanthi
Kumaresh is a renowned veena exponent, composer and teacher, heads
Receiving the Swarabhushani award
at Gayana Samaja, Bangalore
With J ayanthi Kumaresh
general are quite amazing. "The best
way to not get bogged down in life
is to keep yourself busy every
moment," isher advice.
Mami is a very affectionate guru and
treats us students as her own children.
She takes unabashed pride in our
achievements and is a constant source
of motivation.
(The author is a research scholar and
musician)
36 SRUTl J uly 2014