| Lakshminaryana Global Music Festival 2002 | ||
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| Pandit Ram Narayan | ||
| Pandit Ram Narayan began his professional career in Lahore in 1944 and continued in Delhi and Mumbai emerging as the most sought after accompanist. Throughout this period, he was learning, researching and experimenting with his instrument. His efforts received encouragement and praise from singers like PT. Omkar Nath Thakur, Pt. Kishan Rao Shanker Pandit and many others. His command over the technique of playing the Sarangi reached a point when he felt his role as an accompanist was too constrictive as he has far too much to offer in music than his role allowed. He then launched a solitary one- amn effort to enhance the status of the Sarangi on the concert platform. As in any pioneering enterprise, the initial response is always disheartening. His unrelenting dedication and perseverance however, kept his efforts alive. The technical innovations he instituted have revolutionised its playing, introducing a style that is now universally accepted as a model standard for all Sarangi players. | ||
| Besides his phenomenal technical ability, Ram Narayan’s success is also based on the richness of his musical ideas. By principle a purist, he has combined a powerful technical ability with a traditional approach to the actual music content, to produce a music, a sound that is at once appealing to any intellect. It must be pointed out here, though, that Ram Narayan has received admiration in far greater degree in the West. It is probably for this reason that Ram Narayan’s faithful admirers include musicians like Yehudi Menuhin, Pablo Cassals and Rostropovich amongst others with whom he has had long associations. In addition to perfecting the art of performing, Ram Narayan has also nurtured musical talent amongst his students. He has several who are promising musicians. Among his Sarangi students, outstanding is his daughter Aruna who has imbibed her training and musicial qualities in a large measure and is already a Sarangi player of great individual merit. Brij Narayan, his son, has chosen to further the outstanding family tradition through another medium – he is a Sarod player. He is now teachoing his grandson Harsh Narayan, who has great talent and will soon start performing. He has won numerous awards including the Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Padmashree, PadmaBhushan, Sangeet Shiromani Award, Sangeet Ratna Puruskar and Maharastra Gaurav Award. |
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