Tripunithura Viswanathan Gopalakrishnan (born 11 June 1932 in

Tripunithura Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (Malayalam:തൃപ്പൂണിത്തുറ) is a prominent historical and residential region in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura wa ...

, Kerala), known as TVG, is a

Carnatic Carnatic may refer to: *Carnatic region, Southern India *Carnatic music, the classical music of Southern India *, the name of several ships *, a minesweeper of the Royal Indian Navy *, the name of several ships of the Royal Navy See also *Karnata ...

and

Hindustani Hindustani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Hindustan (another name of India) * Hindustani language, an Indo-Aryan language, with Hindi and Urdu being its two standard registers * Hindustani Muslims are the Urdu-speaking, Hindust ...

musician from

Cochin, Kerala Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernakulam ...

, India. He was awarded the

Madras Music Academy Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more ...

Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sangita Kalanidhi () is the title awarded annually to a Carnatic musician by the Madras Music Academy. From 1929 to 1941, the award did not exist. The award was conceived in 1942 by Academy President K. V. Krishnaswami Iyer and on 1 January 1 ...

in 2014.

Early years

Gopalakrishnan was born on 11 June 1932 into a family of musicians with a history spanning over two centuries. His father, T.G. Viswanatha Bhagavathar, was a court musician for the

Cochin Royal Family The kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until i ...

and a professor of music at the S.K.V. College in

Thrissur Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...

. Gopalakrishnan was the eldest child of his parents, who totally had nine siblings. started playing the

mridangam The ''mridangam'' is an ancient percussion instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion in ...

at the age of four and had his arangetram at the Cochin palace at the age of six. He is a disciple of

Chembai Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar (born Vaidyanatha Iyer, 28 August 1896 – 16 October 1974) was an Indian Carnatic music singer from Kerala. He was born in Vatakara, Kerala, and moved to Palakkad along with his family during his childhood.L. R. ...

Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. Gopalakrishnan is married to Radha. The couple have 3 children – Two sons named Viswanath (Late), Ramanathan, and one daughter named Aparna Raghavan. Ramanathan is a leading saxophone artist who is also a disciple of Kadri Gopalnath. The popular violinist T.V. Ramani and

ghatam The ''ghaṭam'' (Sanskrit: घटm ''ghaṭ''; Kannada: ಘಟ ''ghaṭa''; Tamil: கடம் ''ghatam''; Telugu: ఘటం ''ghataṃ''; Malayalam: ഘടം ''ghataṃ'') is a percussion instrument used in various repertoires across the ...

exponent

T. V. Vasan T, or t, is the twentieth letter of the English alphabet. T may also refer to: Codes and units * T, Tera- as in one trillion * T, the symbol for "True" in logic * T, the usual symbol for period, the reciprocal of frequency * T, the symbol ...

were his siblings.

Career

Maestro Ilayaraaja with fellow musicians

He is a musician who is equally proficient in both Carnatic and Hindustani vocals, mridangam and violin. TVG has toured with

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

John Handy John Richard Handy III (born February 3, 1933) is an American jazz musician most commonly associated with the alto saxophone. He also sings and plays the tenor saxophone, tenor and baritone saxophone, baritone saxophone, saxello, clarinet, and ...

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hin ...

Ustad Alla Rakha Alla Rakha Qureshi (29 April 1919 – 3 February 2000) was an Indian tabla player who specialised in Hindustani classical music. Widely revered as one of history's most iconic players of the tabla, he was a frequent accompanist of sitar player ...

. He has also collaborated with drummer/composer Franklin Kiermyer,

Don Peake Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, Guja ...

, Seigfried Kutterer and

Carola Grey Carola Grey, born Carola Gschrey (born August 5, 1968, Munich) is a German jazz drummer and composer. Grey studied piano as a child, but switched to drums as a teenager after hearing the recordings of Gene Krupa.Mark Gilbert, "Carola Grey". '' The ...

. Gopalakrishnan was given the

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 ...

in 1990. He has been awarded the

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 ...

by 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 ...

in the year 2012. In 2018, he was awarded a doctorate by Bharatidasan University for his research on the topic "Layathwam in Carnatic music".

Discography

This is an incomplete list of releases. The release dates are also not always indicative of the original release date of the associated record. * ''Percussion Through the Ages in South India'' (instructional) (1961) * ''Melodious Strings of the Indian Violin'' (featuring T. N. Krishnan) (1991) * ''

Eastern Beats Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

'' (solo mridangam) (1995) * ''Meeting Sounds of T.V. Gopalakrishnan'' (featuring M. S. Gopalakrishnan) (2005) * ''Maragadamani'' (2008)

Awards

In his career spanning over five decades, many honours and awards have been bestowed on Gopalakrishnan. These include: *

Award from

, 2014 *

, 2012 *

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship is an honour presented by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Depar ...

, 2006 *

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultu ...

, 1983 *

* Sangita Laya Samrat * Rotary International Exemplary Citizen Award *

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government ...

* Life Time Achievement award from Bangalore Ramaseva Mandali * Swati Tirunall Lifetime Achievement Award * Sapthagiri Sangeetha Vidwan Mani Award (Tirupathi) * Legend of India Life Achievement Award * "Arsha Kala Bhushanam" (H.H. Dayananda Saraswathi Life Time Achievement Award) * Lifetime National Achievement Sankaracharya Award (Bombay), etc. * Mudhra Award for excellence * Lifetime achievement award from Bharath Kalachar, etc.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopalakrishnan, T V 1932 births Living people Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Hindustani singers Indian percussionists Mridangam players Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Singers from Kochi 20th-century Indian male classical singers 20th-century Indian drummers 21st-century Indian male classical singers Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship Recipients of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award