RK Srikantan:

his classicism was hundred percent classicism. He does not like the modernity in Music. His was very Heavy Classical music. Even in Heavy Music, he had the talent of singing to the pleasure of the audiences. These are some of the salient features of Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar, as I remember. He did not seem to have come to Bangalore all that much. He used to come to Rama Seva Mandali, he once had come to Tatachar's house and visited my house also.

He talked very well. He was a very good conversationalist. He was a highly knowledgeable Musicologist also. He could give very good speeches. Whatever we ask about Music, any topic, he would speak very well and explain very well. He was very good speaker and also a good Musicologist. It was a great thing about him, as a practical Musician and also a Musicologist. He was a great Vidwan. There is no doubt about it. As I said, full of classicism and very heavy music. He would sing very well without any deviation to this side or that side. His Ragalapanam was a very pure Ragalapanam (Parisuddhamana Ragalaapanam). Perfect Ragaswaroopam. It is very classical with all its salient features (Sancharas) of that raga he would expose. These are some of the qualities, which I noticed in his performances.

I listened to his concerts in Bangalore and over the AIR and not in Madras. In Madras, once his Kutcheri was scheduled in the Music Academy. I could not go there. I missed that performance. I also listened to him in Mysore. I had met him in Madras Academy also. In Mysore, there were brothers called Mysore brothers. He, Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar was there with them, with Chandrasekharayya and Sitaramayya. I used to meet him in Mysore also. If he comes to Bangalore, he would come to my house and also to Tatachari's house. I don't remember his coming to AIR.

He had a very good repertoire also, kritis of all the Trimurties and other Vakgeyakaras of Karnatic Music. He used to sing Annamacharya's compositions also and also of Purandaradasa compositions, everything. He was a Bhavagnya. There is importance to Bhava (expression) in Music. One should feel and sing. This was one of his good qualities; he would feel and sing. Usually, not all Musicians will have this quality. Most people will have mechanical reproduction. It is not enough to know the language, they should understand the poet's (composer's) heart or feelings. Only then they can sing with Bhavam. Having the knowledge of the language is not enough. For a Thyagaraja Kriti, one has to understand under what circumstances that song was composed and at that time what his feelings were (Mano Bhavam). Singing with that kind of understanding is the perfection. I should get into the shoes of Thyagaraja and then sing.