Tiruchy L. Saravanan
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Tiruchy L. Saravanan, Flute Saravanan is one of the foremost and outstanding disciples of Dr. N. Ramani, one of India's most acclaimed flautists
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[edit] Schooling in Music
Also a disciple of the late K.S. Narayanan (one of the prominent disciples of Dr. N. Ramani), late V. Sundaresan and emminent violinist Nagai R. Muralidharan, Saravanan is a Yuva Kalabharathy Award winner from the Government of Tamil Nadu. His highly energetic yet melodic and vocal renditions of many Carnatic compositions have made him one of the most respected Carnatic flautists in the music fratinity of Tamil Nadu.
He began his schooling at a very young age in both vocal and Carnatic Flute. After several years of schooling in music under renonwned teachers, he got the rare privilege of learning under the tutelage of Dr. N. Ramani whose revolutionary techniques of improvised flute playing brought a new image and dimension to Indian Classical Music as a whole in the 1900s. Looking at the style of Saravanan which is similar to himself, Dr. N. Ramani's highly disciplined method of instruction which focuses on bringing out the human voice in the flute, honed Saravanan into a young, fine and exceptional flautist in the orthodox tradition of Carnatic Music.
[edit] National Recognition & Awards
He has received several awards and titles for his performances, in particular, the Senior Fellowship from the Government of India and the Yuvakalabarathy award.
He also received the Senior Flautist award from the Madras Music Academy. In the Rama Gana Sabha in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh he was honoured as Venu Gana Nipuna.
He was a Flute lecturer with the Tamil Nadu Government Music College before he joined the SIFAS Academy as a Carnatic Vocal and Flute Tutor in January 2004.
A prolific performer himself, Saravanan has accompanied some of the finest musicians in the country including Padmashri Sudha Raghunathan, Nithyashree Mahadevan, Bombay Jayashri, A. K. C. Natarajan in clarinet & flute duets, Sangeetha Kalanidhi T.N.Seshagopalan, Sangeet Saamrat Chitravina N. Ravikiran and chiefly Padma Vibushan Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna on world tours.
His expressive embellishments, powerful sense of raga bhava and superb control of rhythm got him the 1st prize in the All-India-Radio National Flute Competition which has both Hindustani & Carnatic contenders.
[edit] Contribution in Singapore
Saravanan is also a composer in the National Arts Council of Singapore (NAC) in the prestigious biennial National Indian Music Competition which showcases budding talents in the field of Indian Classical Music. The SIFAS octet ensemble which he composed in 2004 won the second prize in the competition.
Saravanan's natural gift in understanding the nuances of Carnatic music, put him on the edge over other composer musicians in Singapore. His sensitivity and almost perfect diction in orchestrating Indian classical music is noteworthy. In 2006, he again created the SIFAS ensemble now with a ten member team incorporating North Indian music instruments such as Tabla and Sitar in a Carnatic music orchestral piece blending with the traditional South Indian instruments such as violin, flute, mridangam and etc. In a challenging NAC National Indian Music competition, he won the 2nd prize again but this time winning critical acclaim from the judges and the audience for his individual effort and unique creativity in orchestrating a Carnatic music ensemble blending North and South Indian music instruments brilliantly.
Saravanan has also composed several other compositions for the institution and in the year 2006, he also composed for the President of India, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam a ragamalika based on the Presidents own poems, in a cultural show in SIFAS celebrating the visit of the president to SIFAS and was well received by the President himself.
[edit] The Experimentalist
Saravanan is probably one of the few Carnatic flautists in the world, who has tailor made his flutes ranging from the Venu to the Bansuri by himself partly due to his gifted skill in recognising the accuracy of the swaras, which are often hard to achieve in flutes. By recreating the 7 hole Bansuri flute in the bamboo (from Kerala) used by Venu flutes, he has widened the avenue of Carnatic style Bansuri playing in Carnatic music which was pioneered by his famous guru. In using these heavier yet deep base flutes which often require heavy blowing techniques as in the Venu flutes to achieve the tonal clarity of the Bansuri flutes made of the Assam bamboo, he is able to bridge the worlds of both the Bansuri and the Venu into a single classical dimension by playing both North & South Indian ragas with ease.
[edit] A Teacher of Purity
As a Carnatic vocal and flute teacher, Saravanan imparts a performing verve to his students and the emphasis of practical presentation over theoretical knowledge proves that he is the torch bearer of Dr. N. Ramani's legacy. Just like his famous guru, his method of instruction is inclined towards excellent clarity of swarasthana with a high standard of classical tradition. Emphasising on the strong tradion of chaste Carnatic music with barely cine or external influences, he brandishes a style that suits any connoisseur of classical music.
In Singapore itself, he has won the respect and blessings of the most famous critic in Singapore's Carnatic music fratinity; Viswakala Bharathi Shri Eelanallur S. Sathyalingam, the music director of Apsaras Arts Ltd. A disciple of famous doyens such in the likes of Mysore Vasudevachar, Papanasam Sivan in Kalakshetra, Shri Sathyalingam's music is the closest one can say synonmously with orthodox and tradition.
His students include students of all age groups and even a student of Dr. N. Ramani, who is currently the music director of the Indian orchestra in the National University of Singapore [1].
With such an impeccable standard as a performer and a teacher, Saravanan is also exploring other genres of classical music from Hindustani to Western classical with even showing interest in Greek, Persian and Chinese music to reach a yet higher level of performance in his concerts without altering the very fabric of Carnatic music.
[edit] An Everlearning Musician
A great admirer of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and M. S. Subbulakshmi, Sarvananan has dedicated his entire life for the cause of music and embracing music as a form of penance, his increasing need for scholarships and sponsorships for polishing his skills and to popularise the Indian flute both the Venu and Bansuri on the international stage are among his latest interests.
