Yes, I learnt both vay paattu and violin from my father but more chances came my way in violin. Many people wanted me to play the violin, and that was how I became a violin player.

Do you remember the first time you held a violin?

No, I don't remember that. I feel I have been playing the violin longer than I can remember. I did play the violin as an accompaniment at a concert at age 12. So, I must have been playing the instrument from much earlier.

You brought the violin from the status of an accompanying instrument to the solo level in Carnatic music. Was it a difficult journey for you?

On the contrary, it was quite easy for me. My father taught me the violin but I never copied him; I played it the way I felt like. I think people saw the individuality in the way I played the instrument and also appreciated it.

But whenever I played for an artist, I merged with him; I never tried to make my violin stand out in any of the concerts. Naturally they expected me to play differently and with devotion when I played solo.

Though you said you merged with each artist, you revolutionised a unique style of violin playing for Carnatic music. It came to be known as Lalgudi Baani. Please tell us something about Lalgudi Baani.

When you are playing as an accompanying artist, you should not dominate the concert as yours is only an accompanying instrument. After playing the violin for so many great musicians, I don't know how I developed a style of my own. It just happened. After playing violin as an accompaniment for several stalwarts for around ten years, people started calling my style Lalgudi Baani.

(His wife added: "Not only Carnatic musicians but even the listeners also started asking for him. They used to ask, is Lalgudi playing for GKB? Is Lalgudi playing the violin for Semmangudi? People came to listen to Lalgudi playing the violin. If the main artist sang for ten minutes, he used play violin for four minutes and the performance used to be magical and that was when people started describing his style as Lalgudi Baani. His style used to be one with that of the musician.)