Indira Sivasailam Endowment medal bestowed on Pantula Rama
By Our Special Correspondent
Chennai:
18-10-2019 1:56PM
The 10th Indira Sivasailam Endowment medal was bestowed upon leading
Carnatic music exponent Dr. Pantula Rama at the annual Indira Sivasailam
Endowment Concert here recently. The Indira Sivasailam Foundation was
instituted by Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman of TAFE, in memory of her
mother Indira Sivasailam.
Three accompanying artistes, R. K. Shriramkumar (violin),
J. Vaidyanathan (mridangam) and . Bhagyalakshmi M. Krishna (morsing)
were awarded The Indira Sivasailam Foundation 10th Anniversary Special
Award for their exceptional performance as accompanying artistes.
Dr. Pantula Rama, along with Shriramkumar, Vaidyanathan and
Bhagyalakshmi M. Krishna, later enthralled the audience with their
musical performance at the Indira Sivasailam Endowment Concert held at
and in collaboration with The Music Academy, Madras.
Shriramkumar belongs to a family of eminent Carnatic
musicians. He was trained in vocal music and violin by his grandfather
R. K. Venkatarama Shastry, a veteran violinist. He later learnt violin
from V. V. Subrahmanyam and vocal music from D.K. Jayaraman.
Vaidyanathan hails from a family of great musicians. He is the son of D.
K. Jayaraman and nephew of D. K. Pattammal. He is the disciple of T. K.
Murthy.
Bhagyalakshmi M. Krishna is one of the few women morsing artistes in
India. She is the daughter of legendary morsing artiste Bheemachar. She
is a Grade A artiste of the All India Radio. She has performed in over
1,000 concerts across the world.
The Indira Sivasailam Endowment medal aims to recognize the outstanding
contribution made in the field of Carnatic music, thereby preserving and
propagating the art form. The recipient of the award is selected on the
basis of specific criteria as defined by the eminent jury at The Music
Academy, Madras, and Mallika Srinivasan.
This year’s awardee, Dr. Pantula Rama has been selected for her unique
style, distinctive for brilliant artistry, clarity of diction, an
ever-fresh approach, demonstrated efforts to disseminate knowledge and
the ability to bring about a greater and deeper public appreciation of
Carnatic music.
N. Murali, President of The Music Academy, welcomed the gathering and
spoke about the long-standing association between the Indira Sivasailam
Foundation and The Music Academy.
Mallika Srinivasan felicitated Dr. Pantula Rama and said, “The Indira
Sivasailam Foundation in its milestone 10th year takes pleasure in
presenting its annual Endowment Award to Dr. Pantula Rama.
Knowledge, vidwat, bhava, bhakti and manodharma puts Pantula Rama right
up there in the echelon of outstanding musicians of our times.''
Accepting the award, Dr. Pantula Rama said, “It’s a very special and
significant occasion for me as it is a tribute, filled with valuable
sentiments and aesthetic sensibilities, to a Sangeeta Rasaasvaadini
Indira Sivasailam and also it reinforces the essence of my contribution
to the world of Carnatic music.”