Music, his passion and life For This Violinist Par Excellence

Music remains a passion for many but only a few are born with it. T T Srinivasan, violin Vidwan of Malleshwaram, is one of them. Imbibing the skills from his famous father, T S Tatachar, the moment he touches the violin, magical notes follow.
He considers having been born in the family of musicians as the greatest boon that God has bestowed on him and gives the entire credit for his achievements to his parents.  Right from his childhood, Srinivasan had the ability recognize the different 'raagas'. Observing his father performing at concerts, he gained proficiency in it automatically.

First concert at 15
"For me, music is everything then and now.  I used to play my father's violin in his absence, based on whatever I had heard and observed. He recognized my skill during one such occasion. Later, he taught me the basic lessons, but never encouraged me to proceed further. Though he took me to concerts, attaining education was more important for him and he was very strict in it too," said Srinivasan, who gave his first concert at the age of 15.
Having performed with almost all the great stalwarts of the music industry, Srinivasan claims that it is the proper basics and learning given by his father that made him reach this level of excellence. Performing together with his father remains as the best memorable time for him even now. He had given duet concerts with his father and also done many solo performances. Having accompanied almost all the top-ranking South Indian musicians like D K Pattammal, Dr M Balamuralikrishna, M L Vasanthakumari, Maharajapuram S Santhanam and D K Jayaraman, he is a favourite among them all.

Mad for violin and music
His madness for music even made him travel miles to attend almost all the concerts when he was still young. "My father wanted me to pursue education and get a job. He never wanted me to follow the career of a violinist. But I was all along mad about it; still I followed his wishes and pursued my academic studies equally well," he said.
And thus he secured an MSc degree in Physics becoming a professor in MES College, Malleshwaram, from where he retired after heading the Physics Department. His deep devotion to music never left him, for even while being a teacher, he used to give concerts. "It was really hectic with college schedule and concerts. During Navaratri, I used to be on a tour for 10 days for different programmes at different venues. I owe the entire credit to my wife, Geetha, who is also the current Principal of MES College, for taking care of the home and our two daughters in my absence," the maestro said.

Public response more valuable than awards
Though felicitated at various venues, Srinivasan feels that awards do not matter much and the real reward is the response of the people. He is an A grade artiste of AIR and Doordarshan and writes articles on music and has given concerts all over India and abroad. Recently, he composed a programme of seven episodes based on the works of Dr Rallapalli for the FM channel, Amritavarshini. He accepts only a few invitations for concerts these days.
He has this piece of advice to the upcoming talents: "Everyone should listen to the great musicians of the past, who have left nothing undone. Listening to them only will increase your knowledge. One should also respect the senior musicians; only then would one be respected by one's juniors."
Imparting knowledge to upcoming generations, T T Srinivasan still continues his journey through music with unfettered passion and devotion.

Awards and recognitions
Recipient of the Asthan Vidwan, award by the Kanchi Kamakoti Peeta.
Karadeepthi Award by Tyagaraja Gana Sabha.
Felicitated by Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.
Honoured as Artiste of the Year by Bangalore Gayana Samaja.
The Maharajapuram Santhanam Memorial 'Violinist of the Year Award' in 2001 in Chennai.
Gana Kala Tilaka by the Carnatic Music Society of Goa.
–SUCHITRA PILLAI