Journalism of Courage
Violin virtuoso Padmabhushan N Rajam,who introduced the Khayali Gayaki Ang on the violin,will receive the Pune Pandit Award next month
When she picks up the violin,it sings to her tunes,literally. Acclaimed violinist N Rajam has received many an accolade for her mastery over this western instrument,and in September,she will be felicitated by the city-based Art and Music Foundation in September with the Pune Pandit Award. She has previously received the Padmashree in 1984 and the Padmabhushan in 2004,apart from the Sangeet Natak Academi Award. She smiles,It always makes an artist extremely happy when his/her work is appreciated.
Rajam’s music is unique; she introduced the ‘Khayali Gayaki Ang’ on the violin. It’s almost as though her fingers enchant the instrument. The technique is such that when the instrument is played,it sounds as though someone is singing. It has been propagated by my family, says the woman who began playing the violin at the age of three.
Learning how to play Hindustani classical music on the western instrument was never a difficult task for her. One,because the violin has been in her family for seven generations,and two,because she was extremely dedicated. How easy or difficult something is depends entirely on your commitment and passion. If you have the right training and the right guru and if you’re ready to put in sufficient amount of practice,then everything is easy. I was lucky to train under the Late Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, she says.
Rajam headed the faculty of performing arts at the Banaras Hindu University for 40 years,from 1959-1998. I have done a lot of research and contributed greatly towards the improvement of the violin in India, she says. She has performed all over India and has even taken her skills abroad. And though I am not connected to any university right now,I still teach a selected few who are really devoted to music, she says.
Apart from the many felicitations and awards,Rajam’s prized moments are when she performs along with her daughter Sangeeta Shankar and granddaughters Ragini and Nandini Shankar. They have been trained in Hindustani classical music on the violin under the expert guidance of Rajam. They play so well and are lauded by music enthusiasts, she smiles.
