Bangalore Balu Raguraman, Violinist

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carnaticbreeze
Posts: 3
Joined: 31 Aug 2010, 23:29

Bangalore Balu Raguraman, Violinist

Post by carnaticbreeze »

Violinist fronm Bangalore, now based in London

MaheshS
Posts: 1186
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Bangalore Balu Raguraman, Violinist

Post by MaheshS »

Balu is a good friend of mine. He teaches in Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan in London. I have spent many hours with him over there along with Bala [Mridangam teacher BVB], listening to music. I used to have a sort of concert collection and so did he. Every weekend we used to meet and exchange tapes and listen to it for a few hours. We always to used to finish on a tani. Bala, Balu and me are mad about the Palani school. So it would inevitably be a Palani / Trichy Sankaran which concluded our session. There was also a tani by Umayalpuram Sivaraman and Vellore Ramabadran on the ghatam. Any new concerts we managed to get, straight fast forward to the tani and then go thro the concert. You should see his face light up when I say I've got a new GNB/Lalgudi/Palani concert and then his enthusiasm discussing the finer points of it. He was just a rasika like me, learning, understanding and appreciating.

I learnt two violin lessons from him before I got shifted to Manchester. While I didn't learn much about playing the violin as I was still trying to hold and play Sa with the correct hand angle [man that hurts!] and still messed up every 90 seconds or so. I still consider him as my guru for the things he has taught me. Along with Bala, he was the person who made me appreciate percussion [not just the tani part] better.

He is very knowledgeable and what I've seen and heard a great teacher to many. He has a vast repertoire, can sing very nicely as well. That's no suprise as he's a student of Mrs Neela Ramgopal. I've seen him perform, whether it be a solo, or with BMK or TNS or our very own Manorama Prasad or just playing something to show me or on my request, his concentration, preparation and presentation is second to none. With BMK he played a brilliant Kalyani [Kamalambam Bhajare IIRC]. The TNS concert is one I will never forget. The legends legendary pallavi in Bhairavi and Sindhu Bhairavi. A rare 3.5 hours concert in London without the usual break in between. Brilliant Brilliant playing. When Balu mentioned that TNS was coming, my first question was, ninga vasika porela? [are you going to play] and as usual, came the smile with Yes!! I think that was his first concert accompanying TNS, only a week before we were listening to the TNS Academy concert with Mysore Manjunath and T K Murthy, with Akshayalingavibho main and a small Sindhu Bhairavi pallavi [Vennai thinna ..]. TNS was very appreciative of Balu's playing, on and off stage.

If only Balu was based in Madras, he would be one of the top and most popular violinist in the likes of R K Sriramkumar. India's loss, Britain's gain!

Sreeni Rajarao
Posts: 1283
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 08:19

Re: Bangalore Balu Raguraman, Violinist

Post by Sreeni Rajarao »

Mahesh,
Thanks for more info. about Balu. I would like know who is Balu's guru for violin.

ragam-talam
Posts: 1896
Joined: 28 Sep 2006, 02:15

Re: Bangalore Balu Raguraman, Violinist

Post by ragam-talam »

I understand Balu Raguraman studied with Ulsoor Chandrasekhar, A Sundaresan and VV Subramaniam. He has also learned vocal music from vidushi Neela Ramagopal.

Came across this nice youtube clip of Shri Balu: http://youtu.be/D3c1eAxdFiA

Nick H
Posts: 9379
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Re: Bangalore Balu Raguraman, Violinist

Post by Nick H »

If only Balu was based in Madras, he would be one of the top and most popular violinist in the likes of R K Sriramkumar. India's loss, Britain's gain!
I couldn't agree more! he is a wonderfully sensitive and expressive soloist and accompanist.

I'd better add that he is a friend of mine too!

I knew that he has a passion for laya and calculations. I used, when comeing to mridangam classes, comparing some composition with my guruji, or hear one tell the other that they had solved some problem they must have been working on that day.

I can tell you that he learnt mridangam from Raja Rao. I think TNK was there somewhere in his violin instruction too.

A very versatile performer. As able at the side of the bharatnatyam stage as on the concert platform. On the London arangetram stage, he has the knack of showing his true ability without making the inexperienced youngster look any the less.

Oh, and he's a nice guy too :)

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