Lineage
Late Grandfather - Aachaarya Choodamani Shri O V Subramanian
Shri O V Subramanian was born on 17th November 1916 in an orthodox brahmin family to Seethalakshmi Ammal and O K Veeraswami Iyer. After completing SSLC, he joined Annamalai University in the year 1934 to pursue music and was conferred the title Sangeetha Bhushanam in 1938. He was under the tutelage of great stalwarts like Tanjavur S K Ponniah Pillai, Tiger Varadachariar, T S Sabesa Iyer, and Satthur Krishna Iyengar. For two years, he was teaching music in Chennai, and later joined the Karnataka Sangeetha Sabha, New Delhi, as a music teacher in the year 1940. In 1944, he joined as the principal of Tyagabrahma Sangeetha Vidyalaya, Tanjore, and taught music for over 100 students until 1954. In 1955, he was again called back to New Delhi, this time for teaching under the aegis of Shanmugananda Sangeetha Sabha. After a while, he took to private teaching and continued for the next four decades. As a graded artist of AIR, he had performed regularly for over 60 years.
He has taken part in important Music Festivals and Conferences like ICCR, Parivar Parampara, Vishnu Sabha, New Delhi, Digamber Festival, Music Academy, to name a few. He has received several awards - the Maharajapuram Vishwanatha Iyer Memorial Award for a senior Vidwan, Acharya Choodamani, Naadha Bhushanam, Kanchi Kamakoti Karnataka Sangeetha Sewa Trust Award for Music from Thiruvarur District. He has trained several students who are well-established artists of today. His children have followed in his footsteps in music. His sons, O S Thiagarajan, O S Sridhar, O S Sundar, O S Mohan, and O S Arun, are well-accomplished musicians.
His late daughter, Padma Natesan, also trained several students in Delhi and Bangalore. His grandchildren, Sudha Raghuraman, Vidhya Srinivasan, Aparna Balaji, 0 S Mukundan, Sriram Natesan, Archana Swaminathan, and Bhavani Srikanth carry forward the family tradition of this wonderful art form.
Late Father - Sangeetha Choodamani Shri O S Thiagarajan
Born on 3 April 1947, he was the son and disciple of Sangeetha Booshanam O V Subrahmanyam. He learnt music from Sangeetha Kalanidhi T M Thiagarajan, while Padmabhushan Lalgudi Jayaraman provided guidance/mentorship early in his career. An ‘A-Top’ graded artist of the All India Radio and of Doordarshan, he gave a large number of concerts and was considered one of the eminent artists of his generation. He was regularly featured by all leading sabhas in Chennai as well as throughout India and was accompanied by top accompanists such as Lalgudi Shri G Jayaraman, M S Gopalakrishnan, V V Subrahmanyam on violin, Palghat Mani Iyer, Dr T K Murthy, Palghat Raghu, Karaikudi Mani, Trichy Sankaran, Umayalpuram Sivaraman on mridangam, Shri G Harishankar on Kanjira and Vikku Vinayakaram on Ghatam. He toured many countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa, and many countries in Europe.
He worked as Dean and Faculty of Fine Arts at Annamalai University for 5 years. Thyagarajan trained many disciples who are active on the concert circuit. He died on 31 December 2023, at the age of 76.
Uncle - Kalaimamani Dr. O S Arun
Kalaimamani Dr. O S Arun, hails from a family whose holy grail was preaching the greatness of music. Furthering the mantle of his father Sri O V Subramaniam, he has acquired global acclaim for his effervescent musical quality, sound knowledge of the art, and the skilful mastery of interlacing the two.
The impressive legacy he carries forward as an illustrious musician practicing varied forms of vocal music for four decades and counting, stems from the generous tutelage he received from industry greats, his countless diverse experiences traversing the world and his own perseverance, making him an indelible imprint on the field. After all, dabbling in a multitude of genres resulted in the creation of a unique style and is enhanced with a voice as mellifluous, and a stage presence as magnetic as his own, bringing the art a novel outlook.
Often submerged in the art, devoid of regard for time and place, Arun’s concerts are typically immersive musical interactions between the artistes, the spectators and the mindful integration of the two. Additionally worth noting, is the unparalleled emphasis he places on the deep-rooted emotion of a song the Bhava, lending a compatible hand to music for dance in most forms, almost as versatile as himself. As a Veteran Musician in the world of Carnatic music who has managed to carve a niche for himself, awards and accolades are anything but alien to Arun, having been a recipient of International, National, State and Organisational Recognition.
Along Arun’s career trajectory, the propagation of the fine arts is held in the highest regard. Established by him, Alapana foundation has its origin in the year 1998 with its sole focus in such endeavours through which he seeks not just to facilitate an intercultural synthesis of the diverse forms of art across the globe, but also to inculcate a broadened sense of music by extending its bounds beyond mere performance-oriented fronts, such as its immense role in therapy, healing, mental health wellness and community service. In this respect, Ratna Sangamam, an initiative seeking to aid underserved communities across the board, from the socioeconomically disadvantaged in shelter homes, people on the spectrum, to older adults at senior homes and health-impaired individuals.
Acharya - Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri Neyveli R Santhanagopalan
Neyveli Santhanagopalan (born 1963) is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and teacher. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi for the year 2020. He has learned from masters such as Shri Thanjavur Sankara Iyer, Shri Maharajapuram Santhanam, and Shri T N Seshagopalan.
He has distinguished himself with numerous concerts worldwide and is the recipient of several awards in India and overseas. He is known for his traditional and purist style of rendering ragas, musical compositions, and swaras. Currently, Santhanagopalan anchors the Jaya TV program "SaRiGaMaPa". Santhanagopalan's style is distinguished by his adherence to strict raga interpretation, especially in his rigorous manodharma (creative interpretation) and raga sancharams (bringing out the essential elements or qualities of a raga).
His conformity and respect for the traditional approach to Carnatic vocal music are often reflected by the orthodox nature of his concert attire (the panchagacham and namam).
Santhanagopalan has been acknowledged for his emphasis on purity of nada and tone, and his restrained and measured grasp of kritis is well-regarded by the Carnatic musical fraternity. Being a thinking man's musician, his cerebral, methodical approach to raga delineation reflects his own growth in music.
He is a regular and sought-after performer during the December and January Madras "Music Season", and his concerts have consistently sold out in such prestigious venues as Madras Music Academy, Krishna Gana Sabha, Mylapore Fine Arts, and Narada Gana Sabha. He is also a Grade 'A Top' artist with All India Radio and Doordarshan.
