Rajkumar Bharathi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rajkumar Bharathi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | |
| Origin | India |
| Genres | Indian classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, composer |
Rajkumar Bharathi is a classical singer and composer from India. He is the great-grandson of the renaissance poet Subramanya Bharathi.[1] Rajkumar is an Electronics and telecommunications engineer graduated from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai.[1][2] Rajkumar Bharathi a native of Chennai stands today as one of the most popular artists of his generation. He has also got a great following in the Indian state of Karnataka owing to his pleasing style of rendering Dasara Padagalu.[3]
Rajkumar Bharathi was introduced to music by his mother Lalitha Bharathi at the age of 5. He was also trained later under the tutelage of classical musicians like Valliyur Gurumurthy, M. Balamuralikrishna and T. V. Gopalakrishnan.[1] For Rajkumar Bharathi it was but natural to be associated with Music owing to his families keen interest in art and literature.[4] By the instructions of his master T. V. Gopalakrishna, Rajkumar decided to quit his job in an R&D division and devote his time for classical music.[4]
Performer
Rajkumar Bharathi has given Classical Carnatic music concerts throughout India and abroad. He has traveled across USA, Canada, U.K. Gulf countries, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.[1] He has many audio cassettes and CDs to his credit. He has also rendered all the 18 chapters of Srimad Bhagavd Gita, in 4 volumes produced by Ramakrishna Math.[1] He was also a member of the Madras Youth Choir, one of the oldest Indian choral groups formed under the aegis of the late music director M. B. Sreenivasan.[1][5] He has sung in films – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Sanskrit and Tulu and was the leading Indian singer along with Sharon Rose the widely respected Black American singer in the adventurous venture, the Asian Mafia – a daring interplay between Indian and Pop style singers.[1] Rajkumar conducts workshops every summer for the London-based Carnatic music students and has performed Jugalbandi concerts with Ramesh Narayan, Parameshwar Hegde and Sanjeev Abyangar. He has given performance in the prestigious Canadian India Festival to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Indian Independence, in 1997.[1]
Musical Excellence
Music lovers have admired him for his style of singing with clear diction and enunciation of lyrics (Sahithya Bhava). Rajkumar Bharathi's sound knowledge, imagination, and aesthetic presentation are sought after by many composers. He is also appreciated for his skill in understanding phrasing (the way the elements of a particular work are interrelated including articulation, melodic construction, and links), harmony (scales, intervals, and chords), and variation (melodic and rhythmic) while composing tunes for dance. He is also known for his creative explorations and improvisations as every composition of his is believed to be distinctive from the other.[6]
Awards
Rajkumar Bharathi has been honored by several Awards. A few of them are listed below.
- Outstanding Young Person Award by the Rotary Club of South Madras.[1]
- Sangeetha Gana Sudha Nidhi by Thyagaraja Samithi, Anantapur.[1]
- Sangeetha Sudhakara by Sri Sringeri Sankaracharya, Sringeri Math.[1]
- Asthana Vidwan of Shri Datta Peetham, Mysore and Sri Sringeri Math, Sringeri.[1]
- Gana Kala Bharathi by Hindu American Temple and Cultural Centre, NJ, USA.[1]
- Outstanding Young Musician Award by Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer trust, Madras.[1]
- Kalki Award for Young Musician by the Kalki Magazine, Madras.[1]
- Central Excise Award for Young Achiever by the Central Excise Department, Government of India.[1]
- Sahitya Priya Award by Jankalyan Trust, Madras.[1]
- TTK Award – TTK Award
In 1950, the Music Academy instituted the Certificate of Merit, given to senior musicians who had made a mark in the field as icons and gurus. This in the 1980s was named the TTK Award in memory of TT Krishnamachari, former Union Minister and industrialist, who was a great patron of the arts and who as Vice-President of the Music Academy did much to make its auditorium a reality. Two senior performing artistes are selected annually for this award.
