Thalainayar Narayanaswamy Sivakumar (T. N. Sivakumar) is a visually challenged
carnatic flutist
The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
guru from
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
. He is a disciple of Sri
T. R. Mahalingam. He has performed in various cultural concerts across the globe. He was told by Kanchi Paramacharyar H.H.Chandrashekara saraswathy that he would be leading the rest of his life with a bamboo stick; (South Indian bamboo flute
venu
The ''venu'' (Sanskrit: ; /मुरळि; ''muraļi'') is one of the ancient transverse flutes of Indian classical music. It is an aerophone typically made from bamboo, that is a side blown wind instrument. It continues to be in use in the ...
). Sri. Sivakumar lost his father at an early age and was brought up by his mother. His mother was very well versed in carnatic music who was his first teacher. Sri.Sivakumar started learning vocal music from his mother and started learning the flute from the age of seventeen. He started learning many songs just by listening to the radio. She contributed a lot by taking her visually challenged son everywhere to learn music taught him to play songs in a particular style. He mastered many songs composed in a way his mother sang.
About
Sri Sivakumar was trained by flute maestro Sri
T. R. Mahalingam, who was also his maternal uncle. He was trained at the Government Music College, Madras (Chennai) by Smt. T. R. Navaneetham for a period of 3 years, where he went on to get his Diploma titled ''"Vadya Visarada"''. For a period of 10 years (1976 to 1985), he was also trained by Sri Prapancham Sitaram.
Apart from
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 ...
, Sivakumar also learnt
Hindustani 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'' ...
under Sri Krishna Nandhan. He learnt to play film music from Sri P S Divakar for 2 years. He became handicapped as both his eyes were hurt in an accident which led to retina damage. His preliminary education in music was under his mother's guidance for the first 5 years.
He continues to train students in flute and keyboard. He has trained around 2000 students over the past years. He has traveled around the globe and given concerts in America, South Africa and Europe.
Awards and achievements
He was awarded the ''"Sangeetha Shiromani, D.U.E.M.S"''. His first ''
Arangetram'' was on 1 March 1977 at Thygaraja Vidwad Samajam, accompanied by Sri B.A. Chidambaranathan (A.I.R) on the violin and Sri Rajam on the Mridangam. His second performance was at
Sadguru Sri Thyagaraja aradhana,
Thiruvayaru on 11 January 1978 in the presence of Sri
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (2 March 1935 – 8 September 2008) was an Indian classical music violinist and music composer.
Early life
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan was born on 2 March 1935 and was trained by his father, Ramaswamy Sastry. His father, sang an ...
. He has also left his imprint in film music. One can hear his flute in films like ''"
His Highness Abdullah
''His Highness Abdullah'' is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language musical drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Nedumudi Venu, Gautami, Sreenivasan, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair and Mamukkoya. The ...
"'' (
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
) and ''"Nizhalgal"'' (Tamil).
See also
References
External links
Sri.T.N.Sivakumar's Official WebsiteSri.T.N.Sivakumar's Official YouTube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sivakumar, T N
Venu players
Living people
Indian flautists
1957 births