Sikkil is not only famous for its ‘Singaravelar Temple’ but also for the renowned ‘Sikkil Sisters’ Kunjumani and Neela. The wind instrument ‘flute’, which is generally played by men those days, was made famous by the ‘Sisters’.
Their uncle Azhiyur Narayanaswamy Iyer of Sikkil was a flute vidwan and Kunjumani drew inspiration from him. Their house was steeped in music because Ramanamurtham Iyer, another uncle, was a mridangam vidwan. Kunjumani and Neela’s father, Natesa Iyer was a prolific singer and a mridangam
vidwan.
When Kunjumani, the older of the two sisters, was barely eight years old, she imagined the candle stand to be the flute and started playing on it. This triggered her parents’ desire to put her under the tutelage of her uncle Narayananswamy Iyer. “My Periyappa is my first guru who laid a strong foundation,” declares Kunjumani. She would reproduce the notes as taught by her guru, without detracting from it. Kunjumani was at great ease with the instrument. Her practice sessions at home would be only with accompaniments. What a great boon to the flautists to be drowned in the ocean of music!
Kunjumani’s maiden performance was at Nagore at the Radha Kalyana Utsavam. The mellifluous notes from her flute cast a magic spell on the audiences and the organisers. She was invited to perform at the famous
Ettukudi Murugan temple.
Neela, the younger of the two sisters, started performing at the tender age of seven and her guru was her sister. The conservative family tradition opposed Kunjumani playing in concerts. She was young and naïve, not able to understand the opposing relatives. But her father did not relent. A connoisseur of music, he turned a deaf ear to his relatives.
The Sisters performed together for the first time in 1954 at the famous
Thanjavur temple. Their father accompanied them on the mridangam. They shifted to Chennai in 1965. As Madras is called the ‘Mecca of Music’, they were flooded with concerts. The Sisters brought out the nuances of a raga deftly. The spell of raga sancharas satisfied the listeners to a great extent. As they lingered on each note, they had all the nuances of dhyana. The sweet melody of their instrument captured thousands of listeners. “Playing flute is like meditating,” declares Kunjumani. Sadhakam is sangeetham opines
Neela.
They do not change the flute during the concert and follow the old method of continuing to play with the same flute.
They are widely travelled and praise the foreign audience for their musical knowledge. The Sisters do not indulge in ‘swara bedham’ as they feel there is enough for creativity in the prescribed format itself.
Is there any award they have not received? They have been decorated with state and national awards including the ‘Padmashree’. They have been made the ‘Asthana Vidwan’ of Sringeri Sarada Peetam which is a sort of spiritual awakening for them.
The Sisters are a perfect foil for each other. The moment Neela and Kunjumani place the flute on their lips, resonant notes waft in the air and keep the listeners in a trance. Devout and God-fearing, they owe their success and popularity to the grace of the Almighty. They have carved a niche for themselves in the music world, storming the male bastion with their
vidwat.
Mala Chandrashekar, their daughter, is a torchbearer of their tradition, who also performs with them.
They are simple and soft spoken, endowed with human values. Music is the oxygen of their existence.
Sikkil sisters
