Dancer Alarmel Valli

Dancer Alarmel Valli paid homage to her gurus Subbaraya Pillai and T. Muktha at a function held recently. Aged 90, Subbaraya Pillai is a third generation guru of the Pandanallur tradition.

Tanjai Naalvar

Elsewhere, Subbaraya Pillai, Chinniah Sivakumar (son of the late K.P.Sivanandham and Saradha Sivanandham) and the family of the Tanjore Quartet hosted the 'Tanjai Naalvar Music and Dance Festival'in Chennai.

The Tanjore Quartet - brothers Chinniah, Ponniah, Sivanandham and Vadivelu - were 19th century court musicians at Thanjavur in south India. They were known for re-arranging the format of a Bharatanatyam recital.

R. Pitchumani Iyer

At the Chennai programme dedicated to their memory, a lec-dem on 'Greatness of the compositions of the Tanjore quartet' was presented by vocalist Neyveli R. Santhanagopalan, a Bharatanatyam recital by Vyjayanthimala Bali, vocal concert by senior musician Tanjavur Sankara Iyer and veena duet by vidwan R. Pitchumani Iyer and R. Raman, were held.

Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Felicitations were offered to the senior prince of Tanjore, Babaji Rajah Bhonsle, Periyakulam zamindarini Haripriya Ramabhadran, senior musicians T.M. Thiagarajan, Thanjavur Sankara Iyer, mridangist T. K. Moorthy, veena vidwan Pitchumani, violinist M.S. Anantharaman and dancers Vyjayanthimala Bali and Indu Varma.

At another event in Madras, senior carnatic vocalist T.M. Thiagarajan was honoured with the 'Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar Memorial award' of Rs. 1 lakh. The patron of Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar Memorial Trust, M. A. M. Ramaswamy said that Thiagarajan was chosen for his lifetime services to the cause of Tamil music. Thiagarajan, who headed a few music colleges, has authored about ten books on Thamizh music and is an active guru for well-known artistes even today.

Finaly Sruti magazine devoted to the arts which celebrated its 20th anniversary recently, honored S.V. Parthasarathy, an octogenarian carnatic vocalist and veena vidwan.