Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer

Venkatarama Iyer was born in Mudikondan, a small village in the Nannilam taluk of Tiruvarur district in Tamil Nadu, India to parents Chakrapani Iyer and Kamakshi. His father was a singer of Hindu religious hymns while his maternal grandfather Srivanchiyam Swaminatha Iyer rendered padams and javalis with lilt that earned him the pet name 'talukku' Swaminatha Iyer. ==Education==

Mudikondan's father wanted him to learn English, so he went to college in Chennai (then called Madras) after school. However, his father died, which forced him to leave college and return to his village. He then decided to receive formal training in Carnatic music. He furthered his education with help from Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer. He learned tala and laya from a 'Tavil Vidwan' known as Ammachatram Kandaswami Pillai. Simizhi Sundaram Iyer taught him the bhava aspect. Swaminatha Iyer came from Saint Tyagaraja's lineage while Sundaram Iyer was from Muthuswami Dikshitar's lineage. This ensured that Mudikondan acquired a very rich repertoire of Krithis. He also spoke many languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, and English, had a working knowledge of Astrology and Ayurveda, and frequently prepared herbal medicines at home. ==Music career==

Mudikondan's inaugural concert took place at Cuddalore when he was 17 years old. In 1919, he performed his first concert in Chennai under the auspices of the Mylapore Sangeetha Sabha. Mudikondan was an expert in rendering Ragam Thanam Pallavi. He had information at his finger tips. When anyone wanted to clear a doubt, he could explain without referring to any book. He would answer the dispute without ambiguity. According to The Hindu, his lecture and demonstrations at the annual conferences of the Music Academy were well-attended by scholars, students, and professionals. In 1952 he gave a presentation of a Pallavi in Simhanandana Tala that made waves (128 aksharas). He retired from the Teachers' College of Music in 1972, but continued there as an Honorary Professor. His disciple Vedavalli was awarded Sangeet Kalanidhi title in 2000. Mudikondan's namesake musicologist T. L. Venkatarama Iyer, who became a Supreme Court judge, was also awarded Sangeet Kalanidhi in 1944, five years before Mudikondan. ==Awards==

• Sangeetha Kalanidhi, 1949 by Madras Music Academy • Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, 1961 by Sangeet Natak Akademi • Sangeetha Kalasikhamani, 1971 by The Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai ==Death==

After a short illness, Mudicondan died on 13 September 1975 in Chennai. He was 77. ==References==