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 Parur school stands for quintessential Carnatic violin-music whose founder Parur Sundaram Iyer sowed the seed and which has grown into a banyan tree. Well versed in both the streams of music, Carnatic and Hindustani, he used to play both with great precision.
His illustrious sons, MS Anantharaman and MS Gopalakrishnan, were nurtured in their childhood by the essence of classical music. A few hours with MS Anantharaman made me catch a glimpse of his musical odyssey which spans a mind-boggling seven decades.
 “The violin was thrust on me declares,” Anantharaman. Thus, he entered the musical arena when he was barely seven years old. He would practice for nearly eight hours a day. A doyen amongst musicians, Sundaram Iyer would invite eminent musicians for a chamber music concert at his house and was credited with starting the Thyagaraja vidwat samajam in Mylapore.
His relentless efforts to bring all the musicians under one umbrella have been lauded by the people and the press.
 Anantharaman's interaction with them gave him a firm grounding in the grammar of music. He made rapid strides and established himself as a front-ranking musician. Anantharaman broadened his horizons by learning Hindustani music too. He specialised in Mathematics in Pachiappas college and secured a diploma in German from Max Mueller Bhavan. A lover of English language I was amazed to see him quote from Milton's Paradise Lost even at this age.
 “My father used to make me sing all the kritis before practicing on the violin,” states MSA. He has had the honour of performing with three generations in his family –father, brother, sons and grandson. The violin virtuoso has performed with titans of Carnatic and Hindustani music. He has accompanied
Omkarnath Thakur, Pt.Vinayak Rao Patwardhan to name a few.
 His foray into film music will be etched in one's memory forever. Who can forget the song Katrinile Varum Geetham immortalised by MS Subbulakshmi. Anantharaman accompanied her on the violin in that piece.
The legendary sitar maestro Pt Ravi Shankar gave a sitar recital in their house while young.
MSA has toured throughout the world but recalls a memorable concert at Jaffna while accompanying KB Sundarambal. They were shell shocked to see a sea of humanity waiting patiently to hear them. He recalls his interaction with the great composer Koteeswara Iyer who used to visit his house.
 Anantharaman built an incredible repertoire and wanted to give the rasikas something fresh. His teaching stint at the Tamil Nadu Music College was beneficial to the students. He has regaled the audience through performances for AIR and Doordarshan. His equally talented sons MA Sundareswaran and MA Krishnaswamy have imbibed his flawless techniques. He received a slew of awards and bridged the gap between tradition and modernity. Truly one might say of him Age cannot wither him nor custom stale his infinite variety.
Mira
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