Sangita Kalanidhi Bombay Jayashri Ramnath

Vidushi Bombay Jayashri Ramnath was conferred the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi award by the Music Academy, Chennai during its Sadas organized in the evening on 1st January 2024. The birudu, citation, and medal were presented to her by the chief guest, former Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi who presided over the Sadas of the 97th annual conference and concerts. He congratulated the vidushi and stated that by honouring Bombay Jayashri “We honour the purity of her svaras, the sublimity of her bhava, the yogic equipoise of her singinging soul and the amazing strength of her will power.”

In his erudite presidential address he dwelt on the advantages and disadvantages of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution. He declared that AI must nurse and not doctor music. He called upon organizations like the Music Academy to guide and influence the regulators that must be placed in position for artificial intelligence in the realm of music.

In her emotional acceptance speech, Bombay Jayashri thanked her parents, her gurus and mentors and her family, without whose solid support and guidance she would not have been what she is today. She also thanked recent the Sangita Kalanidhis who had so graciously stood in for her by presiding over the morning academic sessions.

Senior Bharatanatyam exponent and arts administrator Ms. Leela Samson felicitated Sangita Kalanidhi Bombay Jayashri Ramnath.

N. Murali, President of the Music Academy, said that “Bombay Jayashri would undoubtedly be at her musical best at the next season to enthrall us all”. He expressed his thanks to everyone who had helped to make this December season a grand success.

The citation for Bombay Jayashri was read out by V. Srikanth, one of the Secretaries of the Academy, and the Birudu Patra by President N. Murali.

Sangita Kalanidhi Sikkil Smt. Neela -- Our Deepest Condolences

Sikkil Neela, younger of the famous flute duo in Carnatic music — popularly known as the Sikkil Sisters, passed away on 17th September 2023, in Chennai. She was 85 and was ailing for some years.

Kunjumani and Neela were born to Sita and Azhiyur Natesa Iyer. The father was a reputed mridanga vidwan who initiated the children into music. Neela was born on 9th September 1938. The sisters learnt to play the flute from their uncle Azhiyur Narayanaswamy Iyer, but Neela’s principal mentor and guide was her sister Kunjumani. The sisters plunged heart and soul into their chosen field, they gave many concerts together for several decades. Playing the flute was their life-breath. Both Kunjumani and Neela were top grade artistes of All India Radio and Doordarshan.

Delicate delineation of the raga and exquisite swara volleys well within the rules of grammar, and a firm eschewal of populist trends in classical music were some of the attributes that made the music of the Sikkil Sisters — Kunjumani and Neela, a classical treat. The Sisters perfected the ’gayaki’ style of playing Carnatic music on the flute.

Recognition came in the form of several concert assignments in different parts of India and abroad, and awards too came aplenty. The earliest was the Venugana Praveena awarded to them as early as 1942, by the Mysore samasthanam. The Sikkil Sisters went on to receive several prestigious awards like the Padma Shri from the Government of India, the Sangita Kalanidhi from the Music Academy, Madras, and the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi award to name a few.

To quote from the article published in the Music Academy Souvenir – 2002 when the Sikkil Sisters were conferred the Sangita Kalanidhi birudu: “The Sangita Kalanidhi comes attached with several ‘firsts’ to the credit of the Sikkil Sisters. In the history of the Academy, it is the first time that women flautists are being honoured thus. Another noteworthy fact is that, in view of the platinum jubilee celebrations in the Academy, for the first time there are going to be two artists to be honoured simultaneously. This has never happened so far, not even in the case of the famed Alathur Brothers and others.”

The Music Academy mourns the passing away of veteran flute vidushi Smt. Sikkil Neela.