Honouring MAYAVARAM SARASWATHI AMMAL

[asri...@gmail.com]

Vocalist, flutist, vainika, and composer
A call to her disciples and music-lovers all over the world

Mayavaram Sarawathi Ammal, more popularly known in the music field
as Mayavaram Papa, born in Raja Mannargudi on 3 rd September, 1921,
to Sri Balasubramanian and Smt. Brahadambal, a musical family, first
started learning the flute from Sri Muthu, at Peruncheri near
Keeranur, in her seventh year. Relocating to Mayavaram, her vocal
training started under Mayavaram Sri Venugopala Iyer, and flute under
the stalwart Tirupambaram Sri Swaminatha Pillai. She was a very
quick learner and mastered the nuances of Karnatic music at a very
early age, proving to be a prodigy, and started performing
cutcheris in and around Mayavaram when she was hardly sixteen
years of age, and very soon on radio, (Tiruchi) in a very high grade
concert level. In 1942, Mayavaram Saraswathi Ammal relocated to
Chennai, the most happening place in Carnatic music, where her musical
career flourished with concerts, in temples and Sabhas, that included
performances at towns like Vellore as well as a concert tours to
places like Sri Lanka, performing in Colombo and Yazhpanam, with
leading artistes of the time as accompanists. She also developed her
scholarship and art further under very senior stalwarts like Patamadai
Sri Sundaram, (brother of Patamadai Sri Krishnan ) Patamadai Sri
Krishnan, Tanjore Sri Sankara Iyer, etc. Ramnad Sri Krishnan taught
music to her daughter, and through this, his musical ideas also
embellished her music.

Around the year 1952, she started teaching music extensively, and
trained a number of students on vocal. In 1959, she started learning
the veena also, under Sri Pichumani Iyer, and later under Sri M. A.
Kalyanakrishna Bhagavathar. At this point in time, she reduced her
concert engagements to concentrate on teaching, making her mark as a
teacher in vocal, veena and flute. However, she performed flute for
leading bharathanatyam stars Ms. Padma Subramanyam and Smt.
Vaijayanthimala Balir, travelling all over the world providing her
music. Her flute students includes flutist Sri K. Bhaskaran,
( www.kbhaskaran.com ) Sri S. Rajaram, Smt Arthi Lal, and Sri
Muthukumar, who had his initial training from her. Vocalist Sanjay
Subramaniam's mother was also trained in vocal music by her, during
her younger days. Saraswathi Ammal, apart from the above
contributions, has also been in the field of composing right from the
mid-fifties. She has to her credit several compositions which are
inspired devotional songs, not only in kriti format but also as
bhajans, kavadichindu, etc. She has also tuned several compositions
of yester-year musical stalwarts like Kothamangalam Sri Seenu for
many recordings and broadcasts over All India Radio, Chennai, Tiruchi
and such places. During the era when acting in films required one to
be a top singer, she has contributed extensively to that field also.

Mayavaram Saraswathi Ammal is nearing 90 years, and her disciples
based at Chennai are releasing a CD of some of her selected
compositions, and holding a function (planned for end February 2009,
in Chennai) and presenting her with a purse on the occasion. Leading
vidwans and dignitaries would felicitate her.
We invite contributions from her disciples all over the world. We
welcome contributions from well-wishers, music-lovers and art-lovers
who would consider it a privilege to honour a veteran guru, a
veritable cultural icon right from yester-years. Since she has also
been ailing with prolonged hospital treatment in the recent past, it
would be a gesture all the more significant. Contributions may be made
and sent to the address given below (preferably by cheque favouring
‘Mayavaram Saraswathi’ ).

Thank you, (on behalf of disciples of our guru)

K. Bhaskaran
Flutist
KESAVA, 3 rd Floor
New 65, Oliver Road,
Mylapore Chennai 600004
+91-44-24980702, 9841031680
bhask...@yahoo.com