Good training and focussed efforts towards the goal can really help to climb the ladder of success, admits renowned violinist Dr M Narmadha who recently completed 25 years of scintillating service in the field of Indian violin.

Equally proficient in Hindustani and Carnatic music, Narmadha won her doctorate from Delhi University as a Senior UGC Fellow for her thesis on a comparative study of raagas of Indian music which she has published as a book titled, 'Indian Music and Sanchara in Raagas'.

The book gives equal importance to the ragas of Hindustani and Carnatic music. Pakhad, chalan, murchana, sanchara, raga development and history of raaga sanchara have been dealt in great detail.

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With great stress on 'comparative study' of Indian music and with special reference to raaga sanchara, the book illustrates and brings out the infinite characters of Indian music. This is the first of its kind on both classical systems, Hindustani and Carnatic in equal depth and equal mportance demonstrating that thinking about music is as important as performing.

Nearly 25 raagas have been taken up from each system with lucid examples of practical demonstration tapes of raagaalap, given along with the transcribed passages.

Besides, the bibliographical content of the book contains wonderful authentic references of earlier publications, including the Natya Sastra of Bharat (2nd century BC) to the late 19th century. The book amply points out the painstaking efforts of the authoress to verify and refer every available material on the subject.

She has won several awards including the prestigious Kalaimamani 2000 from the Government of Tamil Nadu for her meritorious services in the field of Indian music as a versatile violinist, vocalist and musicologist.

Music naturally runs in her veins as she was trained by her grandfather Parur A. Sundaram Iyer from the age of five, father Padmashri M S Gopalakrishnan and mother Meenakshi Goplakrishnan. She had the chance to learn both systems simultaneously from her father in violin and from her mother in vocal.

Narmadha opines that the Parur-MSG style, which she has specialised in, is characterised by the distinct flavour of Bhavatmik music appealing straight to the heart, bowing continuity, extraordinary tonal richness and melodious bowing and fingering, emotional appeal, perfection and dedication.

Unstoppable and never at a loss for words, Narmadha's attitude and love towards academics has won for her recognition as a musicologist-cum-performer. Her skills on exposition and elucidation of ragas in her lecture-demonstration concerts is par excellence especially when she demonstrates with her violin and sings them with equal command and ease in her melodious voice.

Open-minded, progressive, well-travelled possessing the rich legacy of a lineage, Narmadha's passion for the biolin has been built with a vision and a dream. She has done a variety of concerts like violin duets with her father, violin solo concerts jugalbandi concerts in both Hindustani and Carnatic music, besides presenting several special programmes for the various satellite channels worldwide. Her solo violin CD for Times Music Mumbai is a hot-seller and she has done simultaneously in Hindustani as well.

www.drmnarmadha.com has many interesting details on her carreer, awards and her book.

Narmadha believes that objectivity, clear picturisation, emotional approach, traditional yet open to innovation, sensitivity, modernity, selectivity, clarity in high speed and highlighting the tonal character of the violin is important.

C M Rana