Artistes, patrons recall contribution of Krishna Gana Sabha’s founder Yagnaraman

Celebrating centenary of R. Yagnaraman, founder of Krishna Gana Sabha, artistes and connoisseurs praised his commitment to arts, open-mindedness & dedication. He created a safe space for artistes to showcase their work & invested in them, making room for new talent. He believed in curation & execution of festivals despite financial constraints. His son & present Sabha general secretary, Y Prabhu, carries forward his legacy.

Artistes and connoisseurs of art came together on Friday to celebrate the centenary of founder general secretary of Krishna Gana Sabha R. Yagnaraman on Friday.

Nalli Kuppuswami Chetty, president, Krishna Gana Sabha said the name Yagnaraman was synonymous with Krishna Gana Sabha. He had an innate ability to spot, recognise and be committed to the growth of a talent.

Mridangam vidhwan Umayalpuram Sivaraman said Yagnaraman had a singular focus and dedication for the cause of arts. He not only tirelessly created a dedicated space for the showcase of arts but also invested time and energy in artistes, listening to their ideas. 

Dance guru Chitra Visweswaran said he had created a lucky space for her and that she had presented several of her creations there. Dancer Anita Ratnam said: “Krishna Gana Sabha was a safe space where you would not be judged for being experimental; it is, I can say, a very special gift for an artiste.”  

Bharathanatayam guru Padma Subrahmanyam said that the nerve centre of Yagnaraman’s curatorial skills was his open-mindedness and he brought to everything he did with a sense of imagination and innovation. 

Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam said he carved out growth paths for aspiring artistes who could scale up to a senior slot always making room for younger, new talent to find way into the Sabha and to the performance space.”

Cleveland Sundaram said: “Despite trying financial circumstances in some phases of his life, Yagnaraman never compromised on curation or execution of festivals. He believed the show must always go on.”