SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Remembering musicians of the recent past
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harimau
Posts: 1819
Joined: 06 Feb 2007, 21:43

SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by harimau »

With regret I place on record the death of Sri Ramabhadran, founder-trustee of Shanthi Arts Foundation & Endowments.

Agnostic
Posts: 5
Joined: 17 Jul 2015, 11:02

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by Agnostic »

He was never after sponsors for a big money while many sabha organizers' livelihood is based on the donations collected.
He spent all his savings to promote the carnatic music; very honest and gentleman.

Vram39
Posts: 1
Joined: 17 Jul 2015, 11:30

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by Vram39 »

It is true that the late RAMABHADRAN was a dedicated carnatic music lover and involved himself fully with all his personal resources in preserving and promoting fine arts. He founded MUSIC TRIANGLE way back in 1973 in Mumbai and nurtured it as his own child. The same is run today with all his wishes and blessings. He named it as TRIANGLE to indicate music, dance and drama. After he moved over to chennai he founded SAFE and embellished it in his own inimitable way. We all pray for the departed soul.
Ramachandran. President, MUSIC TRIANGLE

cienu
Posts: 2387
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 11:40

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by cienu »

Heartfelt condolences to his family members and friends.

thanjavooran
Posts: 2972
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by thanjavooran »

My heartfelt condolences to his family members and friends.
Thanjavooran
17 07 2015

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by arasi »

Condolences to his family and friends.

Such men, though not known by many, leave us with the question: who else is going to fill the void and make it up for the loss of another nurturer of the arts? We are anxious about continuing musical traditions. Thanks to sponsors, they go on. Another vital element of it is the almost invisible dedication of such valuable rasikAs who cannot but contribute, wherever they happen to be...

harimau
Posts: 1819
Joined: 06 Feb 2007, 21:43

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by harimau »

arasi wrote:Condolences to his family and friends.

Such men, though not known by many, leave us with the question: who else is going to fill the void and make it up for the loss of another nurturer of the arts? We are anxious about continuing musical traditions. Thanks to sponsors, they go on. Another vital element of it is the almost invisible dedication of such valuable rasikAs who cannot but contribute, wherever they happen to be...
Sri Ramabhadran added more persons to the Board of Trustees of SAFE a few years back and gradually got them to get involved actively in SAFE. That is farsighted succession planning on his part.

While he was in New York, he was also involved promoting music concerts in the New York area.

Ramasubramanian M.K
Posts: 1226
Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by Ramasubramanian M.K »

I am totally shocked.Ramabhadran was OUR Family friend for over 60 years--both in Bombay and Chennai. I had no inkling that he was ailing--I last visited him in February in his house in Abhiramapuram--when he was in fine spirits and was busy tending to his wife who was having various ailments relating to old age. We shared a few concerts @ Raga Sudha Hall.There was absolutely no sign of weakness or slowing down in his movements. While he no doubt was in his late eighties, did not have any sypmtms that I know of. While he was in the US he was a neighbor of mine and whenever my father visited the US he and Ramabhadran would converse for hours together. In Chennai Ramabhadran went out of the way to provide a platform for unheralded youngsters. His foundation -- to commemorate the memory of his daughter who died young --has spawned many a young talent that is flourishing today ,thanks to his encouragement.

The SAFE events were virtually managed by him singlehandedly and although the foundation assets he had assembled went thro degrees of volatility in terms of returns,he never "flinched" from providing the best .Besides being a good friend of my father,I became very close to him along with my wife.In all his efforts he never once complained about the "apathy" of the bigger institutions around him nor did he expect the young artistes to be beholden to him after they had achieved fame and continued to do his service to Music quietly and indefatigably. A couple of years back during one of his visits to the US to see his children, he fell down and broke his ankle. The subsequent surgery although successful hobbled him because he would not "rest" them.
He and Maharajapuram Santhanam were schoolmates. A true Karma Yogi I have never seen before in my life. His stay in the US was just to make sure his children got US Citizenship and after that task was accomplished he did not waste a day more in the US. His work in the uS involved a long commute almost one hour each way.He bore all these difficulties for the sake of his children. We used to tease him as to WHY at his age he has to work hard and he would laugh and say he knows of nothing else.

Besides his wife and children,he is survived by his younger brotther Dr.P.Rajagopaalan who is now settled in Mylapore. Dr.PR was the Founder of the CMANA org in NA.

MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE!!

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by rajeshnat »

---------------------------------------------------------
Tribute to Safe Shri Ramabhadran from Rajesh
---------------------------------------------------------
If aspiring and established musicians are like the jews and if sabha secerataries can be considered as nazis , Safe Shri Ramabhadran is one of those rare "Oscar Schindler" types . His mission was as much as possible to push artists and give them a platform for performance and that has been truly his service.

We always have three buckets of performing musicians . Shri Ramabhadran never concentrated on the first bucket of established musicians - possibly budget was not the only reason , i think he deeply had his own aesthetic taste where he made his choices. His passion was usually on those bucket of musicians (2nd type)who had extraordinary musical merit but could not get that much opportunities from other sabhas for their lack of marketing/politicking/ lack of drawing crowds etc.. . Safe Ramabhadran always had an eye on the the 3rd bucket of young musicians where he genuinely spots those talents and gives them opportunities. He sits patiently in concerts , watches and hears musicians in Ragasudha , nadopasana,sastri hall, Ngs-mini everywhere and he keeps a regular tab and pushes the young and capable musicians to his safe sabha or he may have influenced other sabhas in getting meritorious musicians to perform.

I came to know about 8 or 9 years back that he started the sabha in the memory of his daughter Shanthi and the last time I saw him and his wife when they had come to Arkay convention hall when TRS anniversary function was held By Delhi V Muthukumar etal. He and his wife were bit struggling to cross the road . I just helped them , his eyes was bit moist and he talked how much he enjoyed TRS music .When he starts to communicate he can speak with lot of passion and his personality is very different when he organizes concerts. Shri TRS and Safe Ramabhadran both were surely Close friends.

4 or 5 years back he was talking with me though he explicitly did not state- while many mundane things were discussed - I think his favourite musician of all time was GNB. With he referring GNB and I recollected that and in one of the concerts during post main that day's vidwan/vidushi was just starting karunalaya nidhiyE in hindOlam, I looked at him, he showed remotely a thumbs up sign in one hand and he recollected that he told me about GNB to me. Ramabhadran was in ecstasy when that krithi karunalaya nidhiyE was on ,his face conveyed to me that CM is in safe hands.

As MKR Said he never bragged about what he did . He invited artists from every part of the country -surely no regional chauvinism. He regularly invited talent from other states and gave them a chance in chennai . A year back he gave awards to very deserving Type 2 artists like MS Sheela, Manda sudharani etc and overall he was in search of very genuine and non flashy sampradaya music. Even if he organizes any thematic concert , all of that will be put in his one page notice and he would not come to the podium and disturb us with his speech . Even if awards is given, I am told by one of the acquaintance that it will be short - though I have not participated in any of the award functions that he organized.His themes are in general well thought out and would only showcase the merit of the vidwan/vidushi who have already established and succeeded in those themes -there is no fresh untested ideas to promote any musician to claim that he /she is allrounder and dilute the content which is becoming a norm nowadays in many chennai sabhas.

As stated I am only assuming his favorite is GNB and Possibly his personality as a safe sabha chief patron was very much shaped after listening intently to GNB in his younger days.

We are having quite a loss of patrons for the past few years who had high motivation to organize concerts even if the going is very tough . They kept up with the axiom come what may let us have a concert and they contributed to chennai leading the CM organization race and many like me have surely benefited .That too i am so frustrated that I have no access to live music at all now for the last few months.

In the last few years we have lost lot of these super passion sabha patrons - those who cared for music without or minimally worrying that much on the commercial side . They were expecting more of their grandchildren to enjoy the divine CM . While sabhas like Ragasudha , Hamsadhwani have had good succession/continuity plans after SVK and Hamsadwani Ramachandran expired , I am not sure about many other sabhas in terms of having a recurring count of concerts .

As years roll by we have to see how chennai continues to maintain the leading edge of organizing perennial concerts . Atleast 4 key persons are gone MFAC - KS Venkataraman,Pozhichalur- Krishnamoorthy,NGS - krishnaswamy and Safe - Ramabhadran . These 4 sabha patrons have done a lot and to the best of my knowledge have been largely unbiased and were truly Oscar Schindlers.

Safe Ramabhadran - A crusader with a very "Shanti" nilava vendum personality.We(I) will miss you Sir.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: SAFE Ramabhadran, RIP

Post by rajeshnat »

Just read this Q&A with Safe Ramabhadran
http://carnatica.net/nvr/safe-ramabhadran.htm

and looks Safe also has a website
http://www.safe.org.in/index.html

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

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by Nick H »

Coming late to the thread from my holiday...

I am very sad to hear that there is another familiar face that I won't be seeing again. It was fellow member MKR who introduced me to him, so that the face became a name and an identity. Condolences to him and to all other family and friends.

parivadini
Posts: 1190
Joined: 22 Oct 2013, 22:44

Re: SAFE Ramabadran, RIP

Post by parivadini »

A Homage function for Ramabadran mama will be held at Raga Sudha Hall this evening. Live webcast of the event can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7JH4hfPtvE

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