How Padma awardee L Subramaniam bridged East-West divide in music
What's the story
On Saturday, the president approved the conferment of 139 Padma awards, including seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri.
Of the seven Padma Vibhushan awardees was L Subramaniam, who received his first Padma award when Russia was still the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and R Venkataraman the president.
But the violin maestro, who has been instrumental in putting the Indian violin on the world map, said it was his father who had the big ambitions.
Father
'My father's dream was to transform instrument to solo status'
At a session 'Swaras and Stories' in Kozhikode last year, he spoke about his father V Lakshminarayana's vision of making the violin a solo instrument, instead of an accompanying one, in Indian classical music.
"My father's dream was to transform the instrument to solo status like in the western world where violinists like Lord Yehudi Menuhin were playing in...big orchestras," Subramaniam said at Manorama Hortus.
"He wanted to hear Carnatic violin and Indian violin in those kinds of situations."
Cultural collaboration
Subramaniam's cultural exchange with Yehudi Menuhin
His father, Lakshminarayana, knew what he wanted, but he also recognized the obstacles that impeded his global aspirations.
"He realized there was a big gap in technical finesse and innovation. The average student in the west had a better technique than some of our most renowned violinists," Subramaniam said.
"When you just play support, you don't develop technical virtuosity," he said.
Lakshminarayana then relocated to Jaffna and started trying to help his students become more technically proficient.
Musical collaboration
Subramaniam's journey to bridge musical divides
Inspired by his father's efforts, Subramaniam started his musical journey by bridging the north-south divide in Indian music, collaborating with North Indian artists like Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Bismillah Khan.
His ambition then grew larger, to connect Eastern and Western music cultures.
A major milestone in this was his meeting with legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin during India's 40th Independence celebrations in 1987.
Musical redefinition
Subramaniam's efforts to redefine Indian classical music
Subramaniam also worked tirelessly to dispel misconceptions about Indian classical music being labeled as folk music by Western audiences.
He emphasized the sophistication of Indian classical music, which is based on 22 'shruthis,' compared to the West's 12 tones per octave.
In light of his contributions, Subramaniam was announced as a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan award on January 27, 2025.
He said he was delighted to receive national recognition for the Indian classical violin.
National honor
Subramaniam's recognition and contribution to Indian classical music
"Getting foreign recognition is one thing but getting it in your own country...is another," he said.
He is the eighth notable achiever from Karnataka who would receive the Padma awards.
The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna.
Other recipients from the state include actor Anant Nag, folk artists Bhimavva Shillekyatar and Venkappa Ambaji Sugatekar, eminent oncologist Vijayalakshmi Deshmane, among others.