N. Ramani - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

N. Ramani (also known as Flute Ramani, b. 1934) is a renowned India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n Carnatic

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

flautist

Flautist

A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...

Early life and background

N. Ramani was born in Tiruvarur

Tiruvarur

Tiruvarur is a town and a municipality in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Tiruvarur is the administrative headquarters of Tiruvarur district. Tiruvarur is one of the oldest towns which has been popular as cultural head quarters for many centuries...

in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

. Aside from the influence of his place of birth, Ramani was born into a musical family. Ramani's grandfather, Sri Aazhiyur Narayanaswami Iyer, was his first guru and was a well known flute artist and singer himself. Aware of young Ramani's keen interest in the Carnatic flute, Ramani's initiation to Carnatic music began at the age of five.

He is a disciple of the legendary T. R. Mahalingam

T. R. Mahalingam (flautist)

-External links:* * * *...

, known more commonly as "Mali," who first popularised the Carnatic flute

Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...

in Indian music

Music of India

The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...

. The birthplace of Ramani is symbolic in that Carnatic musicians consider Tiruvarur

Tiruvarur

the sacred sanctuary of Carnatic music

Carnatic music

, being the birthplace of the "trinity" of Carnatic composers, Saint Tyagaraja

Tyagaraja

Kakarla Tyagabrahmam , colloquially known as Tyāgarājar and Tyagayya was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music or classical South Indian music. He, along with his contemporaries Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, forms the Trinity of Carnatic music...

, Muthuswami Dikshitar

Muthuswami Dikshitar

Muthuswami Dikshitar is a South Indian poet and composer and is one of the Musical Trinity of Carnatic music...

and Syama Shastri who laid the foundation for the tradition.

Origin of the Carnatic flute

Until the late 19th century, the Carnatic flute (better known in Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

as the pullanguzhal), a 8-hole bamboo flute, the South Indian equivalent of the North Indian 6-hole bansuri

Bansuri

The bansuri is a transverse alto flute of Bangladesh, India and Nepal made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven finger holes. An ancient musical instrument associated with cowherds and the pastoral tradition, it is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha, and is...

flute, had never been used in Carnatic concerts. Sharaba Shastri has been characterized by his followers as a musical genius after experimenting and creating the Carnatic flute. He is also known for bringing the Carnatic flute to the fore of Carnatic music concerts as an influential instrument.

The Sharaba Shastri style or bani of playing was established and was carried on by his disciple Sanjeeva Rao. However it was the self-taught "Mali" who brought a revolution in popularising the Carnatic flute and whose legacy was carried on by Ramani and other national and international disciples of Mali. Dr. N. Ramani Interview about Mali

Achievements

Although Palladam Sanjeeva Rao was Sharaba Shastri's successor, it was "Mali" and N. Ramani as well as K.S Narayanan (the first disciple of Mali), who brought international attention to the Carnatic flute both in their own distinct flute playing techniques, with the latter two improving on the former's methods.

He did so by studying the long bass flutes of the North Indian bansuri genius, Pannalal Ghosh which the later had incorporated successfully in Hindustani concerts. To further enhance tala dynamics, he followed the "GNB" style which was developed by the legendary G. N. Balasubramaniam

G. N. Balasubramaniam

G. N. Balasubramaniam , popularly known as GNB, was a legendary vocalist in the Carnatic tradition. He became the first superstar of Carnatic music, innovating the art through emphasis on laya control & reducing the gamakas which eventually made Carnatic music appeal to the lay and the learned...

. An interview with the Hindu

The "Mali" bani encompassed facial expressions such as slight tilting of the head, varied movement of the lips which produced the vocal effect in the Carnatic never explored before by Sharaba Shastri or Palladam Sanjeeva Rao.

Bringing out more of the tradition Mali introduced in the playing of the Carnatic flute, Ramani's distinctive style is the transformation of the Carnatic flute into the voice of a proficient Carnatic vocalist. Stressing such importance on the emphasis of vocal style of playing, he displayed characteristics of the human voice in his concerts often observed in his fast paced yet melodious performances. According to Ramani, "Mali's teaching methods were worth emulating. A good teacher should be open to learning from his students too. Mali learnt Aahiri raga from me, which I had learnt from T. Vishwanathan, Balasaraswathi's brother".

In 1996, he gained the most prestigious title/award in Carnatic music, Sangeetha Kalanidhi

Sangeetha Kalanidhi

Sangeetha Kalanidhi or Sangita Kalanidhi is the title awarded yearly to an expert Carnatic Musician by the Madras Music Academy. This honour is considered one of the highest awards in Carnatic music.-----Sangeetha Kalanidhis:-External links:*...

International acclaim

As a regular performer and an 'A top' grade artist on All India Radio

All India Radio

All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...

(AIR), his style and improvisations in the rendition of many compositions of Carnatic music brought him instantaneous fame from state level to national level and famous musicians from all walks of classical Indian music praised his genius including the world famous sitar player Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar

Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...

, who was so impressed and mesmerised with Ramani's unique and brilliant control of sruthi and laya made a personal visit all the way to Ramani's home in South India the very next day to praise Ramani and requested Ramani to stage the world's first Carnatic flute jugalbandhi
Jugalbandhi
A jugalbandi or jugalbandhi is a performance in Indian classical music that features a duet of two solo musicians...

concert (a North-South collaboration of Indian classical music).
Such concerts continually received international popularity and demand with the Carnatic flute, and with Ramani rendering both Carnatic and Hindustani ragas, he was the first Carnatic flautist to create the transparency between Hindustani and Carnatic music across India and in the world.

Contributions to Carnatic music

Considered an ace jugalbhandi flautist in the local and international arena, Ramani's contributions to the world of the Carnatic flute are immensely popular, especially the introduction of the duet flute concerts which have gained popular appraisals. He also introduced the long bass flute to increase the reach in the lower octaves. In addition, he introduced the 2.5 pitch flute, which is ideal for violin and veena concerts, keeping the strict tradition of Carnatic music.

At present, Ramani is also actively involved in improving flute playing techniques by experimenting with the sizes of the instrument's finger holes and the length of the flutes, especially in the area where fast tempo ragas can be delivered with ease and ultimately improving the quality and diversity of Carnatic music pieces delivered by the flute.

Beyond Carnatic music, his proficiency in Hindustani classical music

Hindustani classical music

Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...

pioneered the playing of the North Indian bansuri flute in Carnatic music concerts.

Scientifically, he is involved in music research, especially in the effects of Carnatic music on improving the quality of new flutist by exposing the music to the young, and also the possibilities of curing diseases or improving immunity against diseases in humans by exposing to Carnatic music.

Honours and accolades

N. Ramani's performances in All India Radio

All India Radio

(AIR) have received numerous praises from renonwned Hindustani and Carnatic musicians alike and his performances overseas had been recognised with numerous awards.

Some of the highlights include the Sangeetha Kalanidhi, awarded by the Music Academy in Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

, Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

, India

India

, the Sangeetha Acharya award from Wasser College, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, the honorary citizenship status in Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, and the Padma Shri

Padma Shri

Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...

Award from the President of India. He holds an honorary Cultural Doctorate from The World University

The World University

The World University is an educational institution based in Benson, Arizona, United States. It is dedicated to education in esoteric, spiritual, and non-traditional subjects. All courses and programs are offered via distance learning, although some on-campus instruction also takes...

of Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

.http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.indian.classical/browse_thread/thread/602e3a65eef3daef/046a6773671ff89c?lnk=st&q=%22world+university%22+arizona+ramani&rnum=1#046a6773671ff89c

Legendary teacher

N. Ramani is also an innovative teacher. He founded the Ramani Academy of Flute to promote the Carnatic flute to anyone who is interested in learning, regardless of age. As a teacher, Ramani believes that the practical mastery of any art is more important than receiving certificates. As a result, Ramani Academy of Flute does not offer certificates to students except with the rare opportunity to learn under the tutelage of Ramani. This learning policy has made his students well versed in the proficiency of the Carnatic flute and some of them being famed individuals and teachers located around the world. Ramani's son, flautist Thiagarajan Ramani, is also a noted flautist. He has equally performed with his father and has delivered a record of more than 2000 concerts all over the world. He has a large student following in India. Flute trio and flute ensemble concerts have been introduced recently, and Ramani's grandchildren, R. Athul Kumar, T. Suresh and Santosh Murali, are also noted as promising young flautists. Among his numerous students in the Ramani Academy of Flute, one of his most prominent students Tiruchy L. Saravanan Tiruchy L. Saravanan Tiruchy L. Saravanan, also known as Flute Saravanan, is a prime disciple of Dr. N. Ramani, one of India's pioneer Carnatic flautists.-Education:... also carries on his legacy and is now a permanent resident in Singapore.