RK Sriramakumar, an authority on the creation of the deekshati, receives the Sangita Kalanidhi Award

RK Sriramakumar. File | Photo Credit: B. Velkani Raj

Violin player RK Sriramakumar has been selected for this year’s Sangeet Kalanidhi Award.

He made Semangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Ms. Sabbalakshmi, DK Pattamal, DK Jayaraman, T. Binda and T. Mukta, M. Somya and TM Krishna with Balamuralikrishna, KV Narayanasamy and current musicians and current musicians – Somya and TM Krishna.

The President of the Music Academy N. Murali said in a press release, on 23 March, the academy’s executive committee said, “Decided to give the award on Sri Sriramakumar, who belong to the family of famous musicians of Rudrapatnam.”

“Over the last few decades, he has been accepted as an authority on Subbarma Dixit’s Sangita sect state, one of the most famous compilation of Muthuswamy Dikshati’s compositions. It is fitting that he has been selected for this prestigious award in 250th master’s.

Sriramakumar belongs to the Rudrapatnam family of musicians. His name is named for Rudrpattinam, which is a village on the banks of the Cauvery River in Karnataka.

Violin player RK Venkatarama’s grandson, who operated Tyagaraja Aradhana in Thiruvayaru since the 1950s, had his early lessons in Violin from Savitri Satyamurthi. He was also trained in a violin playing and vocal music by his grandfather Shri RK Venkataram Shastri. He later received guidance in the vocal music from VV Subrahmanyam playing violin and Sangita Kalanidhi Shri DK Jayaraman.

Santita Kalanidhi RK Srikantan is his grandfather (his grandfather’s younger brother) and singers Rudrpatnam brothers RN Thayagarjan and RN Tharanhanathan are his uncle.

“This is the grace of God and the blessings of my gurus,” Sri Sriramakumar said, expressing happiness over being selected for the prestigious award in the world of Karnataka music. Sangita Kalanidhi will preside over the academic sessions of Nominee 99^Wan The annual conference and concerts of the Sangeet Academy to be held between December 15, 2025 and 1 January 2026.

Shri Murali said that dancer Urmila Satyanarayana was selected for the Nriti Kalanidhi Award. The Sangita Kala Acharya Awards will be presented to singer Shayamala Venkateswaran and Thawal Mestro Tra Govindarajan. The players of TTK Awards Kathkali artist Madambi Subramania Nambothiri and Veena will go to Jayayaraj Krishnan and Jayasari Jayaraj Krishnan.

The Santita Kala Acharya Awards and TTK Awards will be presented on January 1, 2026 with the Santata Kalanidhi Award on the day of Saad. Ms. Urmila will receive the award on 3 January 2026 at the inauguration of the 19th annual dance festival of the Sangeet Academy.