K. N. SHASHIKIRAN
Born
into a family of renowned musicians on the 10th
of September 1970, Shashikiran soon made his mark in the
family. His grandfather, Gottuvadyam
Narayana Iyengar was a legend in his times, not to mention his father ‘Chitravina’ Narasimhan, a musician with
a vision and mission and brother ‘Chitravina’
Ravikiran, an internationally acclaimed genius. His father discovered Shashikirans’s talents when he was a
mere toddler and nurtured it with great care. Thus, at two, he stormed the
music world as a child prodigy who could identify Ragas (melodies), demonstrate complicated Talas (rhythms) and
answer other technical questions pertaining to Carnatic music. He has also had the privilege of honing his
musical skills under stalwarts like T
Brinda, T Vishwanathan and K S
Krishnamurthy.
THE TALENT
His
first vocal concert was at the age of 9, when he sang in tandem with his
younger sister Kiranavali. Since
then, there has been no looking back for Shashikiran.
He is now an established vocalist with a vast experience of over 1000 concerts including lectures-demos,
jugalbandis and fusions in prominent organisations in India, USA, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia and
so on. He has been regularly featured in Radio,
Television networks and commercial
albums. He also has the added advantage of being a mridangist, having
trained under the late Palghat Sundaram.
He
obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Madras where he ranked first. Then followed a
Master’s degree in Music from the University
of Madras where again his talents showed as he was a Gold Medallist. He is
currently working towards achieving a Doctorate on “Teaching Methodology in Carnatic Music”. Alongside he also holds a
diploma in Audio and Video Technology.
Shashikiran has won laurels many a time for his
talent. He was awarded the Rani
Sethulakshmi Bai Memorial Award in 1990, the Best Pallavi Singer for his
concert at the Rasika Ranjani Sabha
in Trichy which was a series featuring many eminent musicians. In 1997 he received an award for being the
Best Exponent of Any Raga from the Music Academy. Also included among this
never ending list of accolades are an award from the Carnatic Music Association
of North America in 1998 for being the Best Vocalist and
finally the Bharat Nirman Excellence
Award in 1999 for meritorious
accomplishments in diverse fields of activity that have immensely contributed
to the Nation’s progress. He is the youngest person and the first musician in
India to receive this honour .He was the recipient of the Ford Foundation scholarship on the “Vina Dhanammal Bani” in 1990
He
was the lead male vocalist in Chitravina Ravikiran’s ballet, Lakshmi
Prabhavam, premiered in the US,
which performed to packed halls and standing ovations in over 20 cities in the USA and Canada in between March
and June 1997.
Shashikiran doesn’t limit his himself
to field of music alone. He contributes to other websites and newspapers
through articles and reviews.
He
has conducted and compered several quiz programs, participated in panel discussions
and presented papers in major centres like the Rice University, Houston;
Ethnomusicology Society, Indiana State University; Drew University, New Jersey.
He
was featured by the National Radio, Purdue, USA and US and Singapore Television networks
He
is the Founder and Managing Director for Srishti’s
Carnatica Private Limited along with noted Carnatic vocalist S.Sowmya and is also the Managing
Trustee of Carnatica Archival Centre.
He was the Former Course Director and Chief Co-ordinator for the International Foundation for Carnatic Music.
His success as a concert artiste has
been immense and he is a very well known young artist of the present
generation. He has had over five years of successful experience in management,
administration, co-ordination, public relations, concept-designing and
marketing.
THE CYBER CARNATIC MUSICIAN
Shashikiran
is the producer, author and the brain behind the world’s first interactive and encyclopedic CD-ROM on Carnatic music titled
“Nadanubhava – The horizons of Carnatic
music”. He also has the credit of being the Joint Creator and developer of
the world’s first twin-pack VCD on
Carnatic music titled “Nadopasana –
My own Carnatic tutor”, a self-help guru with Karaoke features. The
Producer of other popular music albums (audio & video) like the VCD on Bharatiyar songs, Vintage
Reminiscences and “Melting melodies”. Furthermore
he is the Designer of one of the first
websites on Carnatic music – http://www.clickcarnatica.com and http://www.carnatica.com.
Actively
involved in documenting Carnatic music through the Carnatic Archival Centre in Project Carnatic music – 2010 Shashikiran is also the Coordinator of
several successful events like Raganubhava
series.
As
a prodigy he has been watched by the press over the years and the following are
some of the excerpts on the young and inevitably prominent talent of
K.N.Shashikiran.
Deccan Herald, Bangalore, 1973
“….
Another child prodigy…. This was Shashikiran. Just 30 months old, Shashikiran
takes less than no time to recognise the ragas, which are sung to him.
Shashikiran already knows 200 Ragas…”
The Skyline, Hyderabad, 1974
“…The boy is so young that he cannot even pronounce the Sanskrit
words properly. It was a wonder to watch him baffle his audience no end the way
he achieved these great musical feats. Shashikiran’s in every way a match to
his elder bother”.
Deccan Chronicle,
Bangalore, 1974
“…Shashikiran,
a toddler of three years of age demonstrated that he is a musical wonder. One
may find living examples of reincarnation…. This is the declared view of many
eminent persons…”
Subbudu in Indian
Express, 1974
“…His
concert at the Mylapore Fine Arts
Club was of high professional standards. He has a rich and resonant voice and
he is impeccable in Sruthi. He is very confident in every aspect of Carnatic
music. In the Pallavi, it was obvious from the manner in which the young lad
operated the reverse gear technique that he has a research oriented mind….”
Indian Express, Madras, 1985
“….
When such phenomena as Shashikiran occur, one can understand Albert Einstein
rushing to the stage to embrace the young Mehuhin and exclaiming, “Now I that
know there is a God in heaven”...”
The Hindu, Madras, 1985
“…Shashikiran
displayed a bold voice and delivery and seemed to know much about the art of
presenting Carnatic music….”
Indian Express, Madras 1993
“…Young
Shashikiran’s vocal recital revealed his refined artistic schooling. He fitted into
the character of Tamil pieces with aplomb...”
The Statesman, New Delhi, 14th March 1995
“Flawless recital by Shashikiran…. Shashikiran gave an outstanding vocal recital on Saturday morning…Shashikiran’s Ragam Tanam Pallavi was of top quality. His control over talam was more than flawless...”
The Statesman, New
Delhi, 1997
“…Hunting for new talents. I discovered a bright young
artiste at Bharath Kalachar in the person of Shashikiran. He has a stentorian
baritone voice, capable of any maneuver. Very few Carnatic vocalists have this
gift. At times, he reminds one of the late vocalist M.D. Ramanathan. He is able
delve deep even into the sub-bass register that strikes a sympathetic chord in
the audience…”