Mridangist TV Gopalakrishnan honoured with RK Srikantan Trust Award

TV Gopalakrishnan
| Photo Credit: Ravindran_R

Among the thousands of foreign students who requested mridangist TV Gopalakrishnan to mentor them, was an European drummer wanting a crash course on the Indian laya. Under Gopalakrishnan’s expert guidance, the drummer performed a special tani-avarthana (Carnatic percussion solo) on stage within a month of dedicated practice.

“The credit goes to his passion and effort,” says TV Gopalakrishnan over a video call ahead of his visit to Bengaluru to receive an honour during the annual Sankranti Music Festival helmed by the Vidwan RK Srikantan Trust. “My way of teaching is different — I want to make every student of mine a performer,” says the spirited 93-year-old, who is happy that he is still able to perform at around 40 concerts a year, preferring to travel by road with his wife Radhai, a connoisseur of music.  

“Srikantan’s dedication and perfection remains an inspiration for all generations,” says Gopalakrishnan, who will be bestowed with the title of ‘Srikanta-Shankara’ at the event, for his musical journey over the past eight decades. He is not just a mridanga-vidwan, but also a classical vocalist, composer, researcher, teacher and collaborator across global genres. Gopalakrishnan has perfected a style in laya that is both traditional and global in its influence.

“It mirrors his eclectic spirit of involvement, helping him widen his student base to include film, jazz and rock worlds, apart from classical-based musicians from outside the world of Carnatic music,” says vocalist Ramakanth Srikantan, now steering the RK Srikantan Trust. “My father, RK Srikantan, who performed several concerts with Gopalakrishnan as his mridangist, would often say he was a versatile all-rounder.”

TV Gopalakrishnan
| Photo Credit:
RAVINDRAN R

“In the last four decades, TVG has introduced the largest number of performing young artistes on stage and composed music for hundreds of kritis, while his disciples include sought after vocalists and mridangists,” says Ramakanth.

Your Voice

Tripunithura Viswanatha Iyer Gopalakrishnan, or TVG as he is referred to in the music world, says what he has enjoyed most — apart from his trailblazing cross-cultural exchanges with musical legends such as George Harrison, John Mclaughlin, John Handy, Pt. Ravi Shankar and Pierre Favre amongst others — was his research in Voice Culture and Music Therapy. His book, Your Voice encompassing both ancient Vedic literature and modern scientific studies of the singing voice, has benefitted scores of musicians.

“I have also devised a unique methodology and syllabus to get into the art of performance, pronunciation and diction related to music. Where Carnatic music is concerned, language barriers can create a malady rather than melody, as words have to be scrupulously contemplated upon to get the right meaning across. I want to create a manual on this too,” says TVG.

The maestro’s love for Karnataka goes back to his association with most artistes and sabhas in Bengaluru where he has been performing for decades. “Karnataka is blessed to have birthed the bhakthi movement that has the treasured works of Dasa Sahitya. I have composed music for the album Dasaru Kanda Srinivasa that covers the works of six Dasas,” says TVG adding, “I love Kannada, and I have always wished to be associated with Karnataka more.”

TV Gopalakrishnan
| Photo Credit:
R RAVINDRAN

Gopalakrishnan, a Padma Bhushan recipient, is the disciple of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, and was born in 1932 at Tripunithura in Kerala. He was the eldest of nine siblings and his family history goes back to two centuries of music with his father TG Viswanatha Bhagavatar, a professor of music, being a court musician for the Cochin Royal family. TVG started playing the mridanga at the age of four and had his first performance at the Cochin Palace at the age of six. He holds a doctorate in laya aspects in Carnatic Music.

Over the years, he has developed a signature style sporting silk jubbas, zari-bordered dhotis, shiny ear studs, and sandalwood and kumkum smeared on his forehead.

Music festival

The three-day Sankranti Music Festival by the RK Srikantan Trust will run from January 14 to 16, and there will be concerts every evening. The award function will take place on the inaugural day. The RK Srikantan National Eminence Award and the title Srikanta-Shankara will be bestowed on TVG, while the title of ‘Shankaraadwaita Tatvagna’ will be bestowed on Veda expert G Shivarama Agnihotri in the presence of Sri Swayamprakasha Sachidananda Saraswati Swamiji of Hariharapura.