To many music lovers, the voice of Trivandrum R Krishnaswamy has for long remained celestial — one that is sweet and endearing even as its source of origin cannot be seen. For, this classical vocalist had been a staffer of All India Radio. During the 1970s and ’80s, before television managed to distract people looking for cultural entertainment at home, a loyal band of listeners of Carnatic music used to keenly wait for that radio announcement at dot 7.45 in the morning. And, it would unfailingly reach their drawing-room or kitchen: “Aaakasavaani, Thiruvananthapuram, Aalapuzha: Karnaataka Sangeetha Paatam. Padippikkunnathu Shri R Krishnaswamy…” The announcement meant that it was time for the 15-minute programme, where you hear the master teaching South Indian classical vocal to a disciple or two seated in the faraway AIR studio. In its core circuit, this ‘learn to sing’ programme used to enjoy immense popularity.
Occasionally, other vidwans too would handle the sessions, but Krishnaswamy’s anchoring it topped audience preference. There were quite a few households that tuned their morning routine in such a way that they wouldn’t miss the AIR class.
Not surprisingly, Krishnaswamy ran it for a period of 25 years. And that came as much more than a pastime for many families; there were many who immensely benefited from it by learning quite a few compositions — without paying a fee. Ours was one such. In short, Krishnaswamy’s has had many pupils who he never saw. For most of them too, the guru has largely been sort of a revered myth.
Today, the master is in his eighties. And, is leading a calm life at Kalady on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram — the very city that his legendary guru, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, had made home for long.
It was during Semmangudi’s stint as principal at the Swati Tirunal College of Music in the Kerala capital that Krishnaswamy completed the ‘Gayaka’ and, later, the ‘Ganabhushanam’ courses along with several big names in music as his peers. He has, ever since been, a follower of the grand Semmangudi style; Krishnaswamy’s husky and serene voice lends an additional charm to his renderings. Among his admirers is eminent Chennai-based singer Seetha Rajan, herself another devoted disciple of Semmangudi (1908-2003).
Krishnaswamy brims with enthusiasm when he recounts his AIR days. “It is extremely gratifying to know that music lovers still remember my radio lessons,” he notes. Months ago, when I, along with my poet-connoisseur friend P Ravikumar, visited the veteran at Krishnaswamy’s residence, we asked him if he stuck to certain yardsticks while choosing Kritis for the radio lessons. “Their selection was done with immense care,” he said. “We had to ensure coverage of all great composers as well as varieties of songs in many languages.”
The Pancharatna Kritis of Saint Tyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s Navagraha Kritis and Kamalaamba Navaavarana Kritis besides the Navaratri Kritis of Swati Tirunal were taught during the initial years of the scheme. Those were days of ‘listen or lose’ and the ‘radio students’ attended the relays religiously. Kritis of lesser known composers from Kerala too found authentic propagation through Krishnaswamy’s lessons. Gaanakairali — an exclusive radio slot featuring native compositions of the likes of Irayimman Thampi, Kuttikunju Thankachi and K C Kesava Pillai besides a host of contemporary lyricists — was perhaps a natural fallout of such initiatives. Krishnaswamy, who has produced several musical features including the Udayageetam and conducted many Vadyavrinda (classical orchestra), retired from AIR in 1982.
The artiste has reverential memories of his illustrious mentor, T Lakshmanan Pillai (1864-1950), a bureaucrat and a noted composer from Travancore with around 200 Tamil songs to his credit. The Kritis, with a marked spiritual inclination, caught the attention of many including Papanasam Sivan, the iconic composer of those times.
Two fine examples are Pillai’s Kadavulai ariyaatha kalvi (Kaanada raga) and Emaatram (Begada). Sankatamey jagam (Kuntalavarali raga) was hugely popular among the masses. Krishnaswamy has compiled most of Lakshmanan Pillai’s songs with notations.
In 1980, Madras Music Academy awarded him the TV Subba Rao Memorial Best Musician of the Year. The Kerala Sangita Nataka Akademi honoured him in 1995. The Neelakanta Sivan Award (1995) and the Swati Tirunal Sangita Sabha Award (1996) are some the numerous honours that he had received. Many of his disciples, including his daughter Dr Premalatha, are leading music exponents now.
The octogenarian is full of praises for the present generation of youngsters. “They are intelligent, inquisitive and have high regards for tradition. The future of music is safe in their hands,” he says with the satisfaction of a job well done.
— The writer is a Chennai-based veena player and writes about Carnatic music. musicsiva@gmail.com