Opinion A magician with a violin

So much has been written and said about this great legend. Yet,every time one writes about him,we only end up feeling that not enough has been said. Every musician today is his disciple or follower in some way or other. I have been extremely fortunate to have been born in his family as his sister’s daughter,and to watch him play the fiddle since childhood. Learning from him was an experience. He was a true romantic at heart and lived in his own sensitive and subtle world. His spirituality came out in the silence between the two notes he played. His tapasya would shine out in the siddhi he achieved in every single note. Yes,he was a nada yogi. The entire universe had converted itself into a nada lok for him and he was the master creator,creating music in different forms to suit each occasion. He was an ace performer,composer,guru,creator and much more.

He was a musician who changed the entire approach to music during his lifetime. Aesthetics was his forte. Be it an alap or a krithi or swaraprasthara or a varnam or thillana,the inimitable Lalgudi stamp was there,which means that it was grammatically impeccable,melodically unsurpassable,mathematically supreme and tonally pristine. There is so much to take in from his music. His padantharam (tradition) of krithis is unique. He gave a new dimension to the krithis of Saint Thyagaraja,so much so that every time,I used to imagine Saint Thyagaraja was nodding from up there in great appreciation to what Lalgudi ji had done with his compositions.

Lalgudi mama’s playing had a silken finish,his expression was that of a poet and there wasn’t an ungraceful note or movement in the entire piece of music he rendered. Completely within the grammar of the classical idiom,he wove many permutations and combinations,which only a genius could do,and moved his audience to the hilt. He brought great status to the violin as an accompaniment to vocal music during the years that he accompanied great stalwarts.

Who said Lalgudi ji is no more? What has happened is only a space between two notes. His physical presence is not here,that’s all. His music will go on and continue to echo in the cosmic world,creating vibrations that are so positive and so moving,touching all our hearts for years to come.

The writer is a veena player and Jayaraman’s niece