you cannot picture the late Kunnakudi R Vaidyanathan, one of the most high-profile and gifted violinists in the country, without his trademark -- several layers of vibhuti and kumkumam on his forehead, a bright smile on his face and a violin in his hand.
When we first met him in his modest home in Chennai a few years ago, he was about to apply vibhuti on his forehead, but the trademark smile was intact. Soon, he was ready, with the violin in his hand, to pose for pictures.
He didn't only pose for the camera. He played the violin with utmost concentration, but the smile never left his face. I remember that smiling image of the violin maestro till date. The first thing he said, when he spoke about his childhood days in Kunnakudi in Tamil Nadu, was about his indifference to music. His brothers and sisters, on the other hand, were interested in serious music like his father Ramaswamy Sastry.
Finally one day, his mother urged his father to do something about Vaidyanathan. Sastry decided to make his son a violinist, as all his brothers played the mridangam and his sisters were vocalists. Soon enough, Vaidyanathan made the arangetram for his sisters' concert, at the age of 10.
Vaidyanathan has played the violin for almost every noted Carnatic musician. In 1962, he got his first chance to accompany the great Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.
Recalling the experience, he said, "I can never forget that kacheri (concert)... After he finished each raga and keerthanam, he would encourage me with a wave of his hand and say, 'start'. The audience was very appreciative of my performance that day, but I would say it was all only because of him, the way Semmangudi Swamy encouraged me. Unlike many vocalists, he would let an accompanying instrumentalist perform and earn appreciation. He never felt threatened by another's performance. The greatest moment was when he complimented me in glowing terms after the kacheri."
Also read: Violin maestro K Vaidhanathan dead
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