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Rare, Not Exclusive
There cannot be two opinions on the fact that Lalgudi Jayaraman,
our Violin Maestro is a living legend. He was initiated into
Carnatic Music at a tender age, by his father Lalgudi Gopala
Iyer. An inherent, creative talent, a brain that has a
computer-like storage capacity and the daring to pick up , with
cool patience, the gauntlets thrown by the main performer are
Jayaraman's forte. He is a solo performer par excellence, a
lovely accompanist, a versatile composer and a good teacher. An
ashtavadhani. His control over Laya is so great he can be
rightly called the Layaraman!
It is little surprise that the Music Academy,
Chennai chose to confer on him the Special Life Time Achievement
Award. One does not know if the award was for the achievement of
a lifetime or for a lifetime of achievements.
Conferring the Award, West Bengal's erudite
and scholarly Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi rightly condemned the
commercialism that is tarnishing the serenity of Carnatic Music.
The present day music is marred by the technical fuss and
beeping cell phones, he said. He defined classicism in his own
inimitable way. To be distinct, yet not elitist; to be rare, but
not exclusive; to be fastidious, but not fetishist; to innovate,
but without gimmickry; to conserve without mummifying is to be
classical.
Lalgudi is a personification of Classicism.
Yet, he has a refreshing originality. That is why he is on the
top. Let's applaud Music Academy on its timely gesture.
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