The Music Academy presents the Sangita Kala Acharya award to honour the efforts of teachers in training sishyas

Professor Parasala Ravi. | Image source: special arrangement

Mridangam maestro V. Raveendran Nair, popularly known as Professor Parasala Ravi, is a well-known teacher, administrator and academician. With several decades of teaching experience in prominent music colleges in Kerala, this octogenarian percussionist has mentored countless students. He is currently a member of the Curriculum Committee of Kerala University and MG University.

Ravi was born into a musical family on August 10, 1944. His father was K. Viswanatha Pillai, who hails from Parasala, Nagaswara Vidwan and his mother Ji Gomathi Amma was a music teacher. His maternal grandfather was Natuvanar of Padmanabhapuram Palace, and Ravi learned the basics of percussion from him. He started learning mridangam from Kalyapan Annavi and went on to advanced training under the famous mridanga vidwans like Chennithala Krishnankutty Nair, C.S. Krishnamurthy, Mavelikara Velukutty Nair and T.K. Murthy. Although mridangam is his instrument of choice, he also played the ghatam and kanjira in concerts.

In his long and illustrious career, Ravi has played with many loyal players. He is a top-notch artist on All India Radio and has also conducted programs for AIR.

The veteran percussionist is the author of several books on Layya, namely Mridangam – a Carnatic musical instrument, Adi Thallam, Chappu Thallam, Mridanga Bodhini, Mridangatinti Thani Avarthanam and Mridanga Padhanam. He also wrote several articles on music and musical instruments. The veteran continues his research on percussion instruments.

Parasala Ravi’s books are a documentation of the rhythmic insights he has gained through years of experience. He has easily systematized the methods of creating moras and corvais. By experimenting with these techniques, archery scholars can explore the tool’s vast potential and showcase its versatility, he says. Blending tradition and innovation, the ‘Parassala Ravi’ style encourages creativity and aesthetics in mridangam playing. He believes that learning should not be limited to the classroom, but should include absorbing the teacher’s teachings, observing his playing style in concerts, as well as learning outside formal lessons.

For his contributions to the performance and propagation of mridangam, Ravi was appointed Asthana Vidwan of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Asthana Vidwan of Tripunithura, and was decorated with numerous awards, including Laya Vadya Vichakshana, Laya Ratna, Mridanga Bhupathi, Vadya Sreshtha, Mridanga Kala Shiromani, Sangeetha Tilakkam and Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (later fellowship too).

Geetha Raja: Commitment to classicism

Geetha Raja. | Image source: special arrangement

Geetha Raja is a famous concert player, vainika and teacher. Geetha was born on June 5, 1955 into a family deeply interested in music and arts. She received her initial training in music from Vidwan Bombay Ramachandran, after which she had the honor of being under the tutelage of Vidushi T. Brinda. Geetha also learned veena from vidwan KS Narayanaswamy and intricacies of Laya from vidwan Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan.

As one of the torchbearers of the T. Brinda school of music in the Veena Dhanammal tradition, Geetha’s singing is characterized by a strong commitment to classicism. Its performances feature a wide repertoire.

Geetha is actively involved in teaching Carnatic and devotional music. She has been conducting workshops and classes on padams, javalis, abhangs and ancient compositions. In 2020 and 2021, Geetha and her disciples made a series of video recordings consisting of the rare trinity kritis, padams and javalis – the legacy of her guru T Brinda.

Geetha is a top-tier artiste at All India Radio in Chennai and performs regularly on radio and television. She has sung for several record companies.