Tributes (New!)
21/01/20 09:05
Tributes to Sri H Ramachandra Rao
Sri Ramachandra Rao, fondly called as Ramanna by his friends, relatives and his vast admirers was highly respected for his inimitable music and personality. My association with him started about six decades back, that is, in early 1960s. Since then I have accompanied him on Mridangam in a number of his concerts. I loved to play for his concerts which were soulful, highly traditional and enjoyable. His rendering had technical perfection, clarity of sahithya, Shruthi and laya which are essential in the presentation of music by a great artist which he was. He wholeheartedly appreciated my accompaniment which made me happy and gave me satisfaction for having listened to play for great music. He sincerely appreciated the good qualities of music in other artists.
He was a gentle human being and humorous. Puns and humour in his conversations was very enjoyable.
With his sad demise we have lost a great musician and an affectionate friend who will dwell in our memories. May his soul rest in peace. I pray the Almighty to give strength to his family members to bear the loss.
——
Having a close association with Sri H Ramachandra Rao, I remember his active interaction with all the individuals in their area of activity. He was very witty, and easy won over all the people.
As far as Music is concerned, he was a truly devoted, hard-working and determined musician. He was all the time thinking about music, be it performing or teaching. He was regularly attending concerts of artists, be it a seasoned musician or an upcoming youngster and would appreciate the good aspects without fail. I had the opportunity of moving very closely with him and lucky to have his blessings always. He took serious interest in translating musical scripts from Tamil books to Kannada and has given me about one hundred krithis, and asked to teach them to my students, thus propagating those krithis.
I consider lucky to know that he was remembering me several times even during his recent illness; I consider that he has bestowed his blessings on me. I pray the almighty, may his soul rest in peace.
——
——
A "Sampoorna Ghana Ragam" is what comes to my mind when I think of maestro Vidwan Sri Ramachandra Rao. Always committed, welcoming, cheerful and encouraging youngsters and kids, I have grown with his blessings in the musical world. One should be lucky to be nurtured under this "Aalada Mara". I am sure he will continue to bless us always. We will miss him in the front row during the concerts.
——
Vid. H Ramachandra Rao was known to me for many decades. He was a great musician who adhered to the traditional style. He was very innovative and always thought out of the box about every aspect of music. He had transcribed kritis of Muthuswamy Dixit, Patnam Subramnya Iyer, Ramanad Sreenivasa Iyengar and Muththaiah Bhagavatar to Kannada.
He was always with a smiling face and would make everyone around him smile too with his ready wit and humour. A soft-spoken person, he always had only positive things to say about everyone else.
When Vagadheeshwari Kala Kendra requested him to grace our Executive Committee, he readily agreed and provided guidance to us from time to time along with Vid. R K Srikantan. For the past few years he had been the President of our Executive Committee and had honoured many artistes on behalf of the Kala Kendra. His departure to the heavens is a huge loss to the music community at large and to us in particular.
——
Ramanna whose name is so popular in the field of karnatic music a strong follower of purity and tradition his contribution for the music field especially rare compositions which were in Tamil he has transcribed into Kannada. I have known him for the past 45 years. A very disciplined and respectful personality. His concerts where so rich with lot of manodharma. His approach of singing compositions and Swara was so much educated. Apart from all these things he was a very kind and friendly personality and so humble. I still remember when I met him for the first time the way he taught me Raaga Naatakurinji. Till today I remember the sanchara. I am so blessed and proud that we felicitated him about out 10 years back. The concert she gave about a year back is still ringing in our ears.
— —
Vid Ramachandra Rao was known to me from past several years. He was a great musician and a great teacher who adheared to the traditional style. He was always with a smiling face and would make others around him smile too. I have seen him coming to many concerts whether it is a junior, senior or a professional,and listen to the full concert and bless them. I have been blessed by him in so many concerts and when ever I meet him. He was such a humble person. We have lost a great musician. His departure to the heaven is a great loss to the music community and to me in particular.
——
by Vid. Venkat Ayalur
It was about fifteen years ago when I decided to revive my Karnatic Music journey. After several years of active learning in Mumbai, I had to pause my learning due to job commitments.
Back in Bangalore, I went around looking for a teacher who can take me through the next phase of my learning. During my search, I chanced upon Sri Rao’s contact information. Looking back, I must say it was my sheer fortune that I came across Sri Ramachandra Rao. The very first meeting convinced me that he is the right mentor, guide and teacher I was looking for.
Once I started my music classes with him, there was no looking back. I greatly benefited through my 15 years of association with him. I learned much more than music from him; I learned about life itself, from his humility and simplicity.
His music was pure, chaste and classical. It was vibrant, magnificent and beautiful. It had a certain grand resonance that immediately caught your attention. It had a stately stride that you can never miss. Overall, it was pure and wholesome music, nothing less.
Sri Rao was indeed very humble, unassuming and very witty, as all his close friends tell us. His humours comments and one-liners were just awesome. He was an extremely talented musician, and a practitioner of the art who understood music in its true sense.
Unfortunately, everything must come to an end though we wish it otherwise. His was a magnificent concert that concluded with mangalam on the morning 10th January 2020. Now we are left with just memories. Memories of a great life well lived. Yet we are very sad he had left us all for his heavenly abode. Perhaps he is presenting a blissful Sankarabharanam or a stunning Bilahari to the celestials now. May he carry on his musical journey up there. And continue to bless us from above.
.....
by Vid. Abhijit Ramesh
Looking back, I vividly remember the evening when my mother accompanied me on my first lesson. She made me prostrate before him and after doing so herself, she told him "I leave him in your care. He is yours now" It was June, 1991 and I was seven years old. In retrospect, I feel it was he who chose me and not the other way around. It was divine intervention.
He was an exceptional artist and one of our last purists. I feel I am less than qualified to comment on his music. He was an embodiment of simplicity. Even a child could listen to him sing for hours. His music was accessible and to me, that is a divine quality, rare to come by and takes years of rigorous sadhana to master. Whenever I sang a sangathi in a way that would highlight my talent, his comment would always be the same. "What use is your talent to the audience if you cannot draw them in? If you cannot immerse them in it?"
Nearly thirty years later, I realise the significance of what he said. His music, rich in its innovation and clarity, never once wavered from the strict sampradaya, the rigorous tradition that he came from and strove to perpetuate. With his departure, we have lost not only an irreplacable talent, but a beacon for generations to come.
In all the time I knew him, never once did he stop his sadhana. It was steadfast. I dont know another person who shared his focus. Even towards the end, when the rest of us were photocopying notations of krithis, he would translate from Tamil to Kannada, making multiple handwritten copies.
That was how my guru was. Always a child at heart, his lessons were always lucid, simple and profound. Music to him was never about just techinique. His advice would always be concise and clear. A Guru never tells you what to see, he always points at the right direction. Vid.Ramachandra Rao encouraged me to grow as my manodharma permitted. I still remember the day I told him I wasnt interestd in music exams. He told me that exams are never a real test of vidwat. And that it was fine. "But your journey must continue" he had said.
I could go on and on about him but it'll suffice to say that to me, he was more than a Guru when he lived. Now, every time I sing a kriti or listen to one, I remember him. He will live on, in my memories and continue to guide me. I wish I had been a better disciple, more deserving of him.
——
[Would you like to pay tribute to Sri Rao? Please send the same by mail to hrmanjunath66@gmail.com]
Vid. A V Anand, Mridangist:
Sri Ramachandra Rao, fondly called as Ramanna by his friends, relatives and his vast admirers was highly respected for his inimitable music and personality. My association with him started about six decades back, that is, in early 1960s. Since then I have accompanied him on Mridangam in a number of his concerts. I loved to play for his concerts which were soulful, highly traditional and enjoyable. His rendering had technical perfection, clarity of sahithya, Shruthi and laya which are essential in the presentation of music by a great artist which he was. He wholeheartedly appreciated my accompaniment which made me happy and gave me satisfaction for having listened to play for great music. He sincerely appreciated the good qualities of music in other artists.
He was a gentle human being and humorous. Puns and humour in his conversations was very enjoyable.
With his sad demise we have lost a great musician and an affectionate friend who will dwell in our memories. May his soul rest in peace. I pray the Almighty to give strength to his family members to bear the loss.
——
Vid. D V Nagarajan, Vocalist:
Having a close association with Sri H Ramachandra Rao, I remember his active interaction with all the individuals in their area of activity. He was very witty, and easy won over all the people.
As far as Music is concerned, he was a truly devoted, hard-working and determined musician. He was all the time thinking about music, be it performing or teaching. He was regularly attending concerts of artists, be it a seasoned musician or an upcoming youngster and would appreciate the good aspects without fail. I had the opportunity of moving very closely with him and lucky to have his blessings always. He took serious interest in translating musical scripts from Tamil books to Kannada and has given me about one hundred krithis, and asked to teach them to my students, thus propagating those krithis.
I consider lucky to know that he was remembering me several times even during his recent illness; I consider that he has bestowed his blessings on me. I pray the almighty, may his soul rest in peace.
——
Vid. Dr R K Padmanabha, Vocalist:
My association with Ramanna (Vid. Ramachandra Rao) is more than 44 years. In my view, Ramanna was an ideal performer. I had developed a sort of special liking and fascination in his singing style. He was very confident in his presentation. No ambiguity. No circus. It used to be pure divine traditional singing. His voice had special jeer (like tambura drone) and fineness. I have learnt some keerthanas from him like Bhakthi Bhiksha Meeyave in Sankarabharana. I will be failing in my duty if don't mention his sincerity, that he recorded all the five pancharatnas and gave a bound note book which contained notations for pancharatna in his own handwriting. I cannot forget this. Whenever I sing pancharatna krithis, I remember him. He never bothered about awards or money. He was a true follower of Tyagaraja. Music was everything to him. Very, very jovial, friendly and encouraging us always. Thumbu jivana. I have lost a very intimate friend, musician, and an elderly soul. No words can express my grief. Ramanna, you can never go out of my and heart. RIP.——
Vid Sudarsan Chakravarthy, Mridangist:
A "Sampoorna Ghana Ragam" is what comes to my mind when I think of maestro Vidwan Sri Ramachandra Rao. Always committed, welcoming, cheerful and encouraging youngsters and kids, I have grown with his blessings in the musical world. One should be lucky to be nurtured under this "Aalada Mara". I am sure he will continue to bless us always. We will miss him in the front row during the concerts.
——
Vid, Yashasvi, Violinist and vice president Vagadeeshwari Kala Kendra:
Vid. H Ramachandra Rao was known to me for many decades. He was a great musician who adhered to the traditional style. He was very innovative and always thought out of the box about every aspect of music. He had transcribed kritis of Muthuswamy Dixit, Patnam Subramnya Iyer, Ramanad Sreenivasa Iyengar and Muththaiah Bhagavatar to Kannada.
He was always with a smiling face and would make everyone around him smile too with his ready wit and humour. A soft-spoken person, he always had only positive things to say about everyone else.
When Vagadheeshwari Kala Kendra requested him to grace our Executive Committee, he readily agreed and provided guidance to us from time to time along with Vid. R K Srikantan. For the past few years he had been the President of our Executive Committee and had honoured many artistes on behalf of the Kala Kendra. His departure to the heavens is a huge loss to the music community at large and to us in particular.
——
Vid. Thirumale Srinivas:
Ramanna whose name is so popular in the field of karnatic music a strong follower of purity and tradition his contribution for the music field especially rare compositions which were in Tamil he has transcribed into Kannada. I have known him for the past 45 years. A very disciplined and respectful personality. His concerts where so rich with lot of manodharma. His approach of singing compositions and Swara was so much educated. Apart from all these things he was a very kind and friendly personality and so humble. I still remember when I met him for the first time the way he taught me Raaga Naatakurinji. Till today I remember the sanchara. I am so blessed and proud that we felicitated him about out 10 years back. The concert she gave about a year back is still ringing in our ears.
— —
Vid. M K Pranesh, Flautist:
Vid Ramachandra Rao was known to me from past several years. He was a great musician and a great teacher who adheared to the traditional style. He was always with a smiling face and would make others around him smile too. I have seen him coming to many concerts whether it is a junior, senior or a professional,and listen to the full concert and bless them. I have been blessed by him in so many concerts and when ever I meet him. He was such a humble person. We have lost a great musician. His departure to the heaven is a great loss to the music community and to me in particular.
——
A Magnificent Concert Ends, We Have Only Memories Now
by Vid. Venkat Ayalur
It was about fifteen years ago when I decided to revive my Karnatic Music journey. After several years of active learning in Mumbai, I had to pause my learning due to job commitments.
Back in Bangalore, I went around looking for a teacher who can take me through the next phase of my learning. During my search, I chanced upon Sri Rao’s contact information. Looking back, I must say it was my sheer fortune that I came across Sri Ramachandra Rao. The very first meeting convinced me that he is the right mentor, guide and teacher I was looking for.
Once I started my music classes with him, there was no looking back. I greatly benefited through my 15 years of association with him. I learned much more than music from him; I learned about life itself, from his humility and simplicity.
His music was pure, chaste and classical. It was vibrant, magnificent and beautiful. It had a certain grand resonance that immediately caught your attention. It had a stately stride that you can never miss. Overall, it was pure and wholesome music, nothing less.
Sri Rao was indeed very humble, unassuming and very witty, as all his close friends tell us. His humours comments and one-liners were just awesome. He was an extremely talented musician, and a practitioner of the art who understood music in its true sense.
Unfortunately, everything must come to an end though we wish it otherwise. His was a magnificent concert that concluded with mangalam on the morning 10th January 2020. Now we are left with just memories. Memories of a great life well lived. Yet we are very sad he had left us all for his heavenly abode. Perhaps he is presenting a blissful Sankarabharanam or a stunning Bilahari to the celestials now. May he carry on his musical journey up there. And continue to bless us from above.
.....
An exemplary Vidwan and my beloved Guru
by Vid. Abhijit Ramesh
Looking back, I vividly remember the evening when my mother accompanied me on my first lesson. She made me prostrate before him and after doing so herself, she told him "I leave him in your care. He is yours now" It was June, 1991 and I was seven years old. In retrospect, I feel it was he who chose me and not the other way around. It was divine intervention.
He was an exceptional artist and one of our last purists. I feel I am less than qualified to comment on his music. He was an embodiment of simplicity. Even a child could listen to him sing for hours. His music was accessible and to me, that is a divine quality, rare to come by and takes years of rigorous sadhana to master. Whenever I sang a sangathi in a way that would highlight my talent, his comment would always be the same. "What use is your talent to the audience if you cannot draw them in? If you cannot immerse them in it?"
Nearly thirty years later, I realise the significance of what he said. His music, rich in its innovation and clarity, never once wavered from the strict sampradaya, the rigorous tradition that he came from and strove to perpetuate. With his departure, we have lost not only an irreplacable talent, but a beacon for generations to come.
In all the time I knew him, never once did he stop his sadhana. It was steadfast. I dont know another person who shared his focus. Even towards the end, when the rest of us were photocopying notations of krithis, he would translate from Tamil to Kannada, making multiple handwritten copies.
That was how my guru was. Always a child at heart, his lessons were always lucid, simple and profound. Music to him was never about just techinique. His advice would always be concise and clear. A Guru never tells you what to see, he always points at the right direction. Vid.Ramachandra Rao encouraged me to grow as my manodharma permitted. I still remember the day I told him I wasnt interestd in music exams. He told me that exams are never a real test of vidwat. And that it was fine. "But your journey must continue" he had said.
I could go on and on about him but it'll suffice to say that to me, he was more than a Guru when he lived. Now, every time I sing a kriti or listen to one, I remember him. He will live on, in my memories and continue to guide me. I wish I had been a better disciple, more deserving of him.
——