- Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
Infobox Person
name = Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
imagesize = 130px
birth_date = birth date|1935|3|2|mf=y
birth_place =Kunnakudi ,Madras Presidency ,British India
spouse = V. Bagirathi
death_date = death date and age|2008|9|8|1935|3|2|mf=y
death_place =Chennai ,Tamil Nadu ,India
awards =Padma Shri Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (
March 2 ,1935 -September 8 ,2008 ) wasIndian classical music violinist.Early Life
He was born to Sri Ramaswamy Sastri and Smt. Meenakshi at
Kunnakudi , a temple town of LordMurugan in the southern Indian state ofTamil Nadu .His father was an erudite scholar in
Sanskrit and Tamil besides being a great composer and exponent ofCarnatic Music and Kathakalakshepam. Vaidyanathan started learning South Indian Classical Music from his father at a very young age.Vibhoothi or sacred Ash and a big Vermilion Dot smeared prominently on his forehead were his trademark symbols.Career
The
Violin was his forte. Known for the dexterity and subtlety in handling the violin, he catered not only to the music scholar but also to the layman. His play reflected his own different moods and the demands of his audience with whom he establishes and enjoys a good rapport. He dwelled with ease and competence in the high as well as the low octaves.At the young age of 12, he accompanied great stalwarts like
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar ,Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer andMaharajapuram Santhanam in concerts. He also performed with legendaryNadaswaram vidwans like T.N.Rajarathinam Pillai and Thiruvenkadu Subramania Pillai [ [http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090960931300.htm Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan - The Hindu] ] .He stopped accompanying vocal artistes in 1976 to concentrate more on solo concerts. He was famous for his fingering techniques on the violin. His interest in new attempts and innovations led him to work with veteran
thavil vidwan Valayapatti Subramanian. They performed over 3,000 shows together which were also very successful.Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan had deep faith in the therapeutic merits of music.
Film Music & Films
He also made a significant contribution to Tamil devotional music. A. P. Nagarajan giving him his first break in the movie "Vaa Raja Vaa". He had several hits such as "Agathiyar" and "Raja Raja Chozhan", for which he scored music.
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan made a special appearance in the 2005 Tamil blockbuster movie
Anniyan directed by Shankar, on theTyagaraja Aradhana festival sequence for the song "Iyengaaru Veetu" which is a recreation of the real festival. He had guest appearances in many other films too.He tried his hand at film production with a feature film in Tamil "Thodi Ragam", with
T. N. Seshagopalan in the lead, which failed enthuse the audience.Awards
He was awarded the prestigious "
Padma Shri " title by theIndian government ,"kalai mamani", "Sangita Mamani" by the "Sangeeth Natak Academy" and the "Carnataka Isaignani award". He has also won "Best Music Director" awards for his background scores for films.Other Associations
Vaidyanathan, had a long association with the All India Radio. An able administrator, Mr. Vaidyanathan served as Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nadaga Mandram. As the Secretary of Thygabramha Sabha, Tiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district he also conducted the
Tyagaraja Aradhana for several years. He also served as president of the Raga Research Centre.Death
Vaidyanathan passed away at 8.45pm on September 8, 2008 at a hospital in Chennai, after prolonged illness. [ [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200809082321.htm News Item - The Hindu] ]
References
External links
* [http://www.musicindiaonline.com/music/carnatic_instrumental/s/artist.175/ Listen All Songs from musicindiaonline.com]
* [http://www.coimbatorebest.com/discovercoimbatore/artandculture/musicanddance/kunnakudiinterview.asp Interview with Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan] Interview with Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
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