On a rare rainy day in Chennai, I got a rare opportunity to spend some time with a living legend. The time I spent with violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman was one of the blessed moments of my life as a journalist. The last time I experienced a similar sentiment was when I got to interact with Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, another legend.
Lalgudi has been slowly recuperating from a stroke that temporarily put an end to what he was born to do; play the violin. His speech is still not legible; his wife, Rajalakshmy, was there by his side throughout the interview to help clarify what he said.
Recently, the Music Academy in Chennai, on its 80th anniversary, chose to confer upon him the Lifetime Achievement award. On the eve of the occasion, he went back in years and spoke of the days he had first played the violin at a concert.
As we sat speaking, it poured outside, and it was like music in the background.
Image: Lalgudi Jayaraman with wife.
Text : Shobha Warrier | Photographs: Sreeram Selvaraj
Also read: A year without the Nightingale
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