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Neyyattinkara Vasudevan - A Profile
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| The late Mudikondan Venkitarama Iyer, one of the greatest
grammarians in the realm of Carnatic music used to maintain that the
future of Carnatic Classical Music depended upon a musician's capacity
to attract young listeners day by day. For achieving this the musician
should be competent enough to present his wares in a highly polished
format. It is the innate flair in Neyyatinkara Vasudevan to draw in
more and more young music lovers to his fold by presenting his music
in a novel form, that has helped him to carve a niche of his own,
even at the very outset of his career. |
| Training and Music Career |
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Vasudevan was born in 1940 in humble surroundings
and after finishing his high school studies, his ardent love towards
Carnatic music prompted him to join the Swathi Thirunal Music College
at Thiruvananthapuram. He passed Ganabhushanam in 1960 and Sangeetha
Vidwan in 1962 with colours. His skills were honed in the College
by a bunch of reputed musicians under the leadership of the illustrious
Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer. Later Vasudevan imbibed the esoteric subtleties
from a rigorous training meted out by Ramnad Krishnan in Chennai. |
| Vasudevan's career graph soared upwards with his arrival
to Tripunithura to serve as Assistant Professor in RLV College of
music there. This hoary royal town has ever provided a fecund soil
for any aspiring musician to bloom and Vasudevan was no exception.
With his charming disposition and a positive approach to his chosen
vocation, he became immensely popular. In 1974, he joined the All
India Radio, Trivandrum as 'A Grade' Staff artist in Vocal Music from
where he retired in 2000. The AIR honoured him with 'A Top Rank' -
the highest rank in Carnatic Classical Music. |
| He has been to American countries and Canada in 1983,
1984 and 1994 respectively for giving public performances and for
imparting music to music lovers. He has also given public performances
in Abudhabi, Dubai, and Muscat during his tour in 1992. |
| The A.V.M Studios has released a cassette of Swathi
Thirunal Krithis sung by Vasudevan. The C.B.S has produced two cassette
volumes, sung by him, containing Krithis of different composers. The
HMV & Manorama Music have also produced a volume of krithis rendered
by him. |
| For the film "Swathi Thirunal", Sri.Vasudevan
served as consultant for music aspects. He has also sung in films
(Classical Music only) such as "ENIPADIKAL (1968)", "SWATHI
THIRUNAL (1987)", "CHITHRAM (1988)", "VACHANAM
(1990)" & "MAZHA (2000)". |
| His strict adherence to tradition and yet innovating
within it, unique style of raga elaboration, inimitable style of rendering
rakthi ragas, rendering of compositions in appropriate tempo, compact
swaraprasthara and above all his capacity to build up a rapport with
the accompanying artists as well as his listeners brought him encomiums
even in a place like Chennai where the audiences are fastidious by
nature. When he secured the prize for the best sub-junior vocalist
in 1971, at the Music Academy, roaring reviews had appeared in the
leading newspapers. Vasudevan's gift for voice modulations and flourishes
are always enviable. He comes out always with a clean diction and
his format during a concert is evenly distributed among our Sahajavaggeyakaras.
He has taken a lot of pains in popularising, Swathi Thirunal compositions
throughout the country and abroad. |
| Vasudevan is blessed with a number of disciples in
South India and U.S.A. Some of the performing musicians who are his
disciples include M.G.Sreekumar, Sreevalsan.J.Menon, Late Thripunithura
Lalitha, Mukhathala Sivaji, Alleppey Sreekumar, Suresh.K.Nair, Vellayani
Ashok Kumar, Narayanan Nair etc. |
| Vasudevan has been given the Indian President's Award
in the A.I.R. Music competition in 1960. |
| He has been given music concerts regularly in Madras
Music Academy ever since 1972. He has been given awards for Best Vocalist
in the years 1972, 1978, 1982 and 1988 by the same institution. In
1993 he was given award for Best Musician in Raga rendering. |
| He has been giving public performances throughout India
and abroad. Almost all top ranking violinists and mridangists have
accompanied him in his concerts. He has also been featured in the
National Programme of Music and Radio Sangeetha Sammelan concerts. |
| The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award was given
to him in the year 1982 and the prestigious Sangeetha Nataka Academy
Fellowship in 1989. He received the Tulasivanam Award of Kerala in
1992. |
| The title "Asthana Vidwan" was conferred
on him in 1984 by the Sri. Venkateswara Temple Trust, Pittsburgh,
U.S.A. |
| The Govt. of India's Sangeeth Natak Academy, National
Academy of Music, Dance and Drama honoured him with the Academy award
for Carnatic Music in 2000. The prestigious Padmasree came in search
of him in 2004 and the Swathi Puraskaram in 2007. |
| That apart, several organisations and music lovers
associations have honoured him with innumerable awards. |
| Whatever Vasudevan has attained in his long career
as a vocalist and trainer, has always been against heavy odds. His
modesty on and off the stage is a rare trait and his geniality, a
great asset. Vasudevan is known to the world as "Neyyattinkara"
- his place of birth and when one hears the word 'Neyyattinkara' one
is reminded only of this great musician! |
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