Sikkil Gurucharan
Encyclopedia
Sikkil C. Gurucharan is among the foremost young performing musicians of Carnatic music
in India today. He is the grandson of Sikkil Kunjumani, elder of the internationally acclaimed flautists the Sikkil Sisters. Gurucharan has been under the tutelage Vaigal Shri S. Gnanaskandan and is currently being mentored by Shri B. Krishnamurthy. He is an 'A' grade All India Radio artist. The magazine India Today featured him among 35 Game Changers Under (the age of) 35 in India, a list of young achievers from different walks of life.
This was how Gurucharan was made his initial forays into Carnatic music. Soon after the initiation, his family had to shift base to Hyderabad. At this juncture, his mother Mythili Chandrasekaran decided to impart the bala padam (initial exercises) and popular songs like Mudhaakaratha modhakam, Madhuraashtakam and Kurai ondrum illai among others. He began to involuntarily register the lessons that his sister learnt to play in the flute as well.
In 1990, the family returned to Chennai and the Sikkil Sisters wasted no time in ensuring that Gurucharan began serious music training under the aegis of Vaigal Shri S. Gnanaskandan, disciple of Dandapani Desikar
and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
. Guru Gnanaskandan was then the producer of All India Radio
. Being a strict disciplinarian, Gnanaskandan ensured that Gurucharan took music seriously, especially when the people at home had created an ambience filled with Carnatic music to build his interest in singing.
Gurucharan passed out of Vidya Mandir as the Best Outgoing Student in recognition of his achievements as an all-rounder. Following this, he enrolled himself at the prestigious Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College which became integral to him pursuing music as a career due to the encouragement he received from all sides.
On the music front, by now he was more in tune with concert-related techniques and had begun singing during the Madras Music Season
. The professors at college were knowledgeable in Carnatic music
and were very supportive of his development. In 2002, Gurucharan passed out of this college with a gold medal for excellence in academics and was awarded the Best Outgoing Student once again.
By this time, Gurucharan had realized that his destiny was to pursue music. Regular outstation concerts and other assignments forced him to further his education through correspondence. He completed his masters degree in Financial Management from Loyola College, Chennai
in 2004.
After completing post-graduation, Sikkil Gurucharan did a brief stint as a radio jockey at Worldspace Radio. In this profile, he was in-charge of presenting programmes, interviewing artists and doing voice-overs for the 24-hour Carnatic music channel "Shruti". Later when the channel shifted base from Chennai to Bangalore, Gurucharan decided to stay in Chennai, the seat of Carnatic music and pursue his passion.
(Chennai), Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha (Mumbai), Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
(Singapore), Riverside Theatres (Sydney), Korean Arts Management Centre (Seoul), the Sangeet Natak Akademi
(New Delhi), Chowdiah Memorial Hall
(Bangalore) and also at popular festivals like the Tyagaraja Aradhana
(Tiruvaiyaru), Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana
(USA), Rabindra Utsav (Kolkata), to name a few.
Apart from performing the traditional Carnatic music concerts conforming to the Paddathi style, Sikkil Gurucharan and pianist Anil Srinivasan
, have brought together the classical piano and Carnatic vocal music to create a format which has been termed as "devastatingly beautiful" by the legendary guitarist, John McLaughlin
. Their music which has gathered followers in India, Singapore, Australia, USA and Europe in a short span of time, presents and preserves classical music in a way that reaches out to the younger listeners of music but at the same time, satisfies the puritans who look out for the aesthetic value. They have several albums to their credit. The duo has performed with renowned artists like the Dhananjayans
, Anita Ratnam
, Anandavalli, Ramli Ibrahim and Muraad Ali among others.
He has also won several prizes in the competitions held at Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha, Mylapore Fine Arts etc during the years 1995–1999
Gurucharan has worked on an album with John McLaughlin, Mandolin U. Srinivas
, Louis Banks
called "Miles from India" which was nominated for the Best Contemporary Jazz Album at the 51st Grammy Awards.
His album "Ramayana" is a musical dramatization of the epic, drawing on ragas and kritis to portray the various episodes. This album has been the underlying theme in Gurucharan's concerts in Singapore and Indonesia and received critical acclaim. On the other hand, his album "Madhirakshi", together with Anil Srinivasan, is the first of many a contemporary experiment with piano and voice. The album "Parama", has recently received a nomination for the category 'Best Carnatic Classical Album - Vocal' at the Global Indian Music Awards 2011.
Here is a comprehensive list of his albums.
is an acclaimed flautist and is married to Chandrasekar, grand son of the legendary singer M. S. Subbulakshmi
.
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
in India today. He is the grandson of Sikkil Kunjumani, elder of the internationally acclaimed flautists the Sikkil Sisters. Gurucharan has been under the tutelage Vaigal Shri S. Gnanaskandan and is currently being mentored by Shri B. Krishnamurthy. He is an 'A' grade All India Radio artist. The magazine India Today featured him among 35 Game Changers Under (the age of) 35 in India, a list of young achievers from different walks of life.
Early life
Around 1987, as a 5-year-old, Gurucharan was casually coaxed by his grandmothers, the Sikkil Sisters, to sing some tune. After a little cajoling, he sang a popular film song. The sisters, especially Smt. Neela, were amazed at the "sruthi sudhham" or tonal perfection in his singing and also the near-perfect alignment of the notes. Together they decided that he must pursue vocal music. Almost every second member in the family had been trained in flute. But they were insistent that this boy should pursue singing, especially since he had shown immense promise at that age.This was how Gurucharan was made his initial forays into Carnatic music. Soon after the initiation, his family had to shift base to Hyderabad. At this juncture, his mother Mythili Chandrasekaran decided to impart the bala padam (initial exercises) and popular songs like Mudhaakaratha modhakam, Madhuraashtakam and Kurai ondrum illai among others. He began to involuntarily register the lessons that his sister learnt to play in the flute as well.
In 1990, the family returned to Chennai and the Sikkil Sisters wasted no time in ensuring that Gurucharan began serious music training under the aegis of Vaigal Shri S. Gnanaskandan, disciple of Dandapani Desikar
Dandapani Desikar
M M Dandapani Desikar was a Carnatic vocalist, actor and composer.Dandapani Desikar was born in Tiruchengattangudi, near Nannilam in Madras Presidency. He got training from Manicka Desikar and Kumbakonam Rajamanickam Pillai. He was the son of Muthiah Desikar. He gave his first performance in...
and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer is considered to be one of the greatest Carnatic vocalists of the twentieth century...
. Guru Gnanaskandan was then the producer of All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
. Being a strict disciplinarian, Gnanaskandan ensured that Gurucharan took music seriously, especially when the people at home had created an ambience filled with Carnatic music to build his interest in singing.
Education and initial career
Sikkil Gurucharan was a student of Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Mylapore, a premier institution where music was a part of the curriculum. This school was and continues to be known for encouraging cultural art forms. In his very first year at school Gurucharan won the first prize in an inter-class music competition. This was a turning point for him then because the boy was thrilled by the accolades and recognition he received among teachers and fellow students. It made him think about music with a degree of seriousness. From then on, all through school, he seldom missed a chance to exhibit his talent and the response, in his own words "improved and refined the inherent talent in music, further."Gurucharan passed out of Vidya Mandir as the Best Outgoing Student in recognition of his achievements as an all-rounder. Following this, he enrolled himself at the prestigious Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College which became integral to him pursuing music as a career due to the encouragement he received from all sides.
On the music front, by now he was more in tune with concert-related techniques and had begun singing during the Madras Music Season
Madras Music Season
Madras Music Season is an event hosted every December–January in the present-day south Indian metropol of Chennai. Spanning some six weeks, a number of large and small kutcheris are performed by highly competent musicians...
. The professors at college were knowledgeable in Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
and were very supportive of his development. In 2002, Gurucharan passed out of this college with a gold medal for excellence in academics and was awarded the Best Outgoing Student once again.
By this time, Gurucharan had realized that his destiny was to pursue music. Regular outstation concerts and other assignments forced him to further his education through correspondence. He completed his masters degree in Financial Management from Loyola College, Chennai
Loyola College, Chennai
Loyola College is a Jesuit institution in Chennai, India. The college admits undergraduates and post-graduates and offers degrees in the liberal arts, sciences and commerce. It is an autonomous institution affiliated with the University of Madras.-History:...
in 2004.
After completing post-graduation, Sikkil Gurucharan did a brief stint as a radio jockey at Worldspace Radio. In this profile, he was in-charge of presenting programmes, interviewing artists and doing voice-overs for the 24-hour Carnatic music channel "Shruti". Later when the channel shifted base from Chennai to Bangalore, Gurucharan decided to stay in Chennai, the seat of Carnatic music and pursue his passion.
Music as a profession
Sikkil Gurucharan’s first concert was held at the Music Academy, under the aegis of the Gnanaskandan Trust in the year 1994. From the time he decided to devote himself to Carnatic music as a full-time professional, there has been no looking back. In a span of close to 13 years, Gurucharan has performed extensively in India and abroad, spanning prestigious venues such as the Music AcademyMadras Music Academy
Madras Music Academy, or simply Music Academy, is one of the premier and early Music Academies in the South Indian city of Madras, now Chennai. It plays an important role in encouraging and promoting primarily the Carnatic Music south Indian art form. It also played an important role in revival of...
(Chennai), Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha (Mumbai), Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore...
(Singapore), Riverside Theatres (Sydney), Korean Arts Management Centre (Seoul), the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
(New Delhi), Chowdiah Memorial Hall
Chowdiah Memorial Hall
Chowdiah Memorial Hall is a cultural centre in Bangalore which provides a home for musical and theatrical performances as well as competitions. Located in Malleswaram, it was built as a tribute to Tirumakudalu Chowdiah. It is administered by Academy of Music, an independent registered body, founded...
(Bangalore) and also at popular festivals like the Tyagaraja Aradhana
Tyagaraja Aradhana
Tyagaraja Aradhana is an annual Carnatic music festival held in January and February. Many exponents of Carnatic music come to perform and are watched by thousands of ardent fans of Indian classical music....
(Tiruvaiyaru), Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana
Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana
-External links:*The Cleveland aradhana is one of the biggest aradhana organizations in the world. Taking place in Ohio, the aradhana has more than a thousand people a day!people from all over the world will participate in this festival....
(USA), Rabindra Utsav (Kolkata), to name a few.
Apart from performing the traditional Carnatic music concerts conforming to the Paddathi style, Sikkil Gurucharan and pianist Anil Srinivasan
Anil Srinivasan
Anil Srinivasan, born June 3, 1977 is a classical pianist born in Madras, India and educated at the University of Southern California and at Columbia University, New York...
, have brought together the classical piano and Carnatic vocal music to create a format which has been termed as "devastatingly beautiful" by the legendary guitarist, John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin (musician)
John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...
. Their music which has gathered followers in India, Singapore, Australia, USA and Europe in a short span of time, presents and preserves classical music in a way that reaches out to the younger listeners of music but at the same time, satisfies the puritans who look out for the aesthetic value. They have several albums to their credit. The duo has performed with renowned artists like the Dhananjayans
Dhananjayans
Vannadil Pudiyaveettil Dhananjayan and Shanta Dhananjayan, popularly known as the Dhananjayans are regarded as the legendary dancing couple of India.-Personal life:...
, Anita Ratnam
Anita Ratnam
Anita Ratnam is an accomplished Indian classical and contemporary dancer and choreographer, whose career spans four decades and in 15 countries...
, Anandavalli, Ramli Ibrahim and Muraad Ali among others.
Awards & recognition
| Title / Award | Presented By | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Yagnaraman Award of Excellence | Sri Krishna Gana Sabha | 2010 |
| CMANA MLV Award for Best young Musician | Narada Gana Sabha | 2008 |
| Nada Sri | Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Foundation | 2008 |
| Best Concert of the season | Indian Fine Arts Society | 2008 |
| Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar | Sangeet Natak Akademi | 2007 |
| Shanmukha Sironmani Award | Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha, Mumbai | 2007 |
| Tchaikovsky Award for the best young musician of the year | Russian Cultural Center | 2006 |
| Yuva Kala Bharathi | Bharat Kalachar | 2005 |
| Isai Chudar | Karthik Fine Arts | 2005 |
| Naada Oli | Naada Inbam | 2005 |
| Best Vocalist proficient in all aspects of Music | Indian Fine Arts | 2005 |
| TAG corporation's Ramabhadran Centenary Award for most promising young artiste of the year | TAG Corporation | 2005 |
| Kalki Memorial Award | Kalki Memorial Trust | 2005 |
| Dharmatma memorial Award | Raja Annamalaipuram Sabha | 2005 |
| Swarna Venkatesha Dikshitar award | Music Academy Conference | 2004, 2003, 2002 |
| Best Concert | Music Academy Conference | 2003 |
| Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer award for best raga renditions | Sri Krishna Gana Sabha | 2002 |
| Best Performer in Sub Senior Category during Music Season | Indian Fine Arts Society | 2002 |
| Best Vocalist Award | Sri Krishna Gana Sabha | 2000 |
| Special Talent Award | Thyaga Bramha Gana Sabha | 1997 |
| Special Talent Award | Thyaga Bramha Gana Sabha | 1997 |
| Sangeetha Bhaskara | Gnanaskandan Trust | 1994 |
He has also won several prizes in the competitions held at Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha, Mylapore Fine Arts etc during the years 1995–1999
Albums & discography
Sikkil Gurucharan is among young musicians who stand as youth ambassadors for the future of Carnatic Music. In bringing this art to students and aficionados alike, he has opened the gates to a larger and interested audience having a welcoming attitude towards innovation while retaining the spirit of the original art form. This is evident in his active participation in youth festivals, lec-dems and his concerted effort at recording theme-based albums that have greater appeal with listeners.Gurucharan has worked on an album with John McLaughlin, Mandolin U. Srinivas
U. Srinivas
Uppalapu Shrinivas , is an Indian mandolin player of the Carnatic musical tradition of Southern India. Shrinivas plays an electric mandolin and has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Michael Nyman, and Michael Brook...
, Louis Banks
Louis Banks
Louis Banks is a Grammy Award nominated film composer, record producer, jazz musician-keyboardist and singer...
called "Miles from India" which was nominated for the Best Contemporary Jazz Album at the 51st Grammy Awards.
His album "Ramayana" is a musical dramatization of the epic, drawing on ragas and kritis to portray the various episodes. This album has been the underlying theme in Gurucharan's concerts in Singapore and Indonesia and received critical acclaim. On the other hand, his album "Madhirakshi", together with Anil Srinivasan, is the first of many a contemporary experiment with piano and voice. The album "Parama", has recently received a nomination for the category 'Best Carnatic Classical Album - Vocal' at the Global Indian Music Awards 2011.
Here is a comprehensive list of his albums.
Personal life
Sikkil Gurucharan's mother Mythili, the daughter of Sikkil Kunjumani is a retired flute teacher from the Government Music College, Chennai. His father Chandrasekaran, a consultant with a leading pharmaceutical distribution firm, is a popular Tamil theatre artist who has also done cameo roles in films like Sivaji. Gurucharan married Janani on May 23, 2010 and the couple resides in Chennai. His maternal aunt Sikkil Mala ChandrasekarSikkil Mala Chandrasekar
Sikkil Mala Chandrasekhar is a noted South Indian musician playing the flute. Mala Chandrasekhar was born to a musical family.Mala Chandrasekhar started learning from her aunt and mother Sikkil Sisters - Kunjumani & Neela...
is an acclaimed flautist and is married to Chandrasekar, grand son of the legendary singer M. S. Subbulakshmi
M. S. Subbulakshmi
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi , also known as M.S., was a renowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. She is the first Indian musician to receive...
.