Walk down melody lane with eminent violinist V.V. Subramaniam

VVS looks back at his musical life

This year, as we celebrate the birth centenary of many legendary musicians with tribute concerts and special talks being organised in their memory, another stalwart musician is quietly celebrating his 80th birthday. Prof V.V. Subramaniam, who was known for his warmth and simplicity during his performance years, continues to be so.

An eminent instrumentalist, VVS (as he is fondly known) has always let his music do all the talking. Not the one to hanker for awards and honours, he loves to maintain a low profile. With an exquisite bowing technique, he held his own initially as an accompanist and later, in exclusive violin concerts.

Born in 1944 in Ernakulam to Vadakkancheri Veeraraghava Bagavathar and Annapoorani Ammal, he took to music at an early age. His father sent him to train under G.N. Balasubramaniam’s prime disciple T.R. Balu.

“I used to attend a lot of concerts. I particularly remember the one where T.N. Krishnan accompanied GNB. I was so enamoured by this concert that my guru, T.R. Balu, took me to GNB sir’s house at Abhiramapuram in Chennai. The legendary vocalist asked me to play the violin. He later told my guru that I should play the violin at his concert in Sathya Studios, named after the mother of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.G. Ramachandran. I vividly recall his Abhogi varnam, followed by Sudhamayi in Amritavarshini, both rendered with controlled speed. I followed him closely on my violin. He then took up ‘Eduta nilachite’ in Sankarabharanam. My father was delighted and felt I was extremely fortunate to have got this opportunity. I was around 11 years old then. I also played for GNB sir at a concert in Coimbatore, with Palghat Raghu on the mridangam.

“My audition for AIR happened when I was not even 16. It was compulsory to know 75 ragas and I learnt them all. On the day of the audition, a stern voice from behind a screen asked me to play Begada. As my father and I were returning home in a cycle rickshaw, a car passed by, and a handsome man waved at my father. ‘Aduthaanda GNB sir’ (that is GNB sir) said my father. GNB sir was the judge at my audition,” says VVS, remembering how 20,000 people had attended GNB’s overnight concert amid heavy downpour in Chengannur.

Counting Trichur Ramachandran and S .Kalyanaraman among his close friends, VVS recalls how his father would instruct his mother to make molagu rasam for SK, who bought a car for me for Rs. 2,500. He and T.V. Gopalakrishnan owned cars then. We were adventurous and enjoyed going on long drives. Once, after a concert, we drove back from Pondicherry to Madras.”

VVS refers to his association with M.S. Subbulakshmi as the highpoint of his musical journey. “T.N. Krishnan asked me to play in a concert with Srirangam Gopalaratnam. My father came along with me. MS amma and Sadasivam sir were there too. She asked me if I would play for her. I was just 14 then. My father was astonished. Before I could reply, my father said, ‘Yes, please take him with you’. MS amma invited us to her home the next day. When we went, she told us I would be accompanying her in 10 concerts, including the famous UN concert in 1966. I was the first Indian Carnatic violinist to play in the U.S.”