N. Rajam (born 8 April 1938) is an Indian

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist who performs

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...

. She remained professor of music at

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

, eventually became head of the department and the dean of the Faculty of Performing Arts of the university. She was awarded the 2012 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour in the performing arts conferred by the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English language, English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture (India) ...

, India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama.

Early life and training

N. Rajam was born in Chennai in 1938 in a musical family. Her father, Vidwan A. Narayana Iyer was a well-known exponent of

Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

. Her brother, T. N. Krishnan, was a prominent violinist of the Carnatic style. Rajam started her initial training in Carnatic music under her father. She also trained under

Musiri Subramania Iyer Musiri Subramanian Iyer (9 April 1899 – 25 March 1975) was a Carnatic vocalist whose stage performing career spanned the 1920s to the 1940s. After retirement from the stage, he remained an iconic figure in Carnatic music as a dedicated teach ...

, and learned

raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...

development from vocalist Omkarnath Thakur. Rajam received the prestigious titles of

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

and

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

from the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

Personal life

N.Rajam is married to T.S.Subramanian, a chartered accountant and a former executive of

Life Insurance Corporation of India The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is an Indian Public Sector Undertakings in India, public sector life insurance company headquartered in Mumbai. It is India's largest insurance company as well as the largest institutional investor ...

. Her mother in law Mrs. Padma Swaminathan, social activist and Carnatic music singer, was the last surviving daughter of F. G. Natesa Iyer Mrs.

Vani Jairam Vani Jairam (born Kalaivani; 30 November 1945 – 4 February 2023) was an Indian playback singer in Indian cinema. She is fondly referred to as the "'' Meera of modern India''" Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. ...

, playback singer in South Indian cinema, is her sister in law.

Performing career

Under the guidance of her father, A. Narayana Iyer, Rajam developed the ''Gayaki Ang'' (vocal style). Rajam has performed across the globe and in numerous places throughout India. Rajam was a professor of music at

(BHU) in the Faculty of Performing Arts for nearly 40 years. She has been the chair of the department and the dean of the college at BHU.

Students

She trained her daughter Sangeeta Shankar, her granddaughters Ragini Shankar and Nandini Shankar, her niece

Kala Ramnath Kala Ramnath is an Indian classical violinist. She belongs to the Mewati gharana, a lineage of musicians. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy Puraskaar in 2016, Rashtriya Kumar Gandharva Sanman in 2008 and the Pandit Jasraj Gaurav Puraskar ...

, Pranav Kumar, Prof. V. Balaji (B.H.U.) and Dr. Satya Prakash Mohanty

Awards

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

, 1990 *

, 1984 *

, 2004 *Puttaraja Sanmaana, 2004 * Pune Pandit Award, 2010, by The Art & Music Foundation, Pune, India * 2012: Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) *2018: Tana Riri award

Discography

* Violin Dynasty (

Raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...

Bageshri) * Dr. (Mrs.) N. Rajam (violin recital) * A Duet On Strings

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajam, N. 1938 births Hindustani instrumentalists Indian women violinists Hindustani violinists Living people Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Musicians from Chennai Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Tamil musicians Academic staff of Banaras Hindu University Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Indian music educators Indian women music educators 21st-century Indian violinists