Venneti Subbalakshmi:
Venneti Subbalakshmi
is a radio artist and a music teacher who lives in Vizag with her husband and family.
Sometime in 1952 or 1953, when she was
12 years old, she interviewed with Vinjamuri in order to join the Music College at
Hyderabad for which he was the founder principal.
(Interview conducted on April
19, 2001 at about 10.00 a.m. by Vinjamuri's daughter Sandhya Vinjamuri-Giri at the house
of Smt. Venneti Subbalakshmi Vizag - AP. This is the English translation script to
Telugu conversation Audio taped.)
 |
My name is Venneti Subbalakshmi, in those days it was Kuchimanchi Subbalakshmi. Someone told my brother that the (music) college is being started. Then he told me, since you are very interested in Music, (when anyone sings any song I also used to sing it with a loud voice), they are starting a music college, and do you want to join the Music College? I said I am very interested. I want to join and he took me there. In those days, one lady called TT Sita, a Radio artist, used to live next to our house. She found me so interested in Music and she directly started and taught me four or five Keertanas. I used to repeat the songs just like the way she would sing. She did not have any tutions but looking at my interest she taught me Kritis and I used to sing them well. |
Your father, Varadaraja Iyengar, when I went there (to the music college), made me sit in the office room and asked me whether I came to join the college and I am interested in Music. I said yes, I am very interested in Music. So he said that he has to test my voice and asked whether I could sing any song. I said I would and I sang Vinayaka Ninu Vina Brochutaku in Hamsadwani. I was 12 years old then, it was the blessing of my first Guru TT Sita and I sang the good way she taught me. On hearing my singing, he was very happy and, I can never forget it, he said, I will make you a great singer (Vidwansuralu) you have a lot of talent in you.
I could not utilize any of that. I did not have any class from your father. After I joined, I asked where he was and they said that he left the job and Dantale was the principal. He (Dantale) came only to become a teacher but I do not know what the politics was or with what recommendation he came, they removed your father. I did not have a chance with him, I only had the luck of his blessing.
Varadaraja Iyengar's music is pure classical. His Bani is like how it should be in Karnatic Music with all those Gamakas and correctness and melody. He used to produce the music so well and beautifully. Wherever his Kutcheri was, I never used to miss and attend them all the time. Even in the Radio, if there is Varadaraja Iyengar's program, I used sit close to the Radio and listen to it with all interest. I listened to his Kutcheries in Hyderabad. After he went to Madras I used to listen to his programs on the Radio. In the Madras Station, it used to come at about 8.20 a.m. called Arangisai. If there was his program, I would not even move from there. I used to feel bad that he did not teach me and I could not learn from him. It is the interest that he inculcated in me that I learnt from the Sangeetha Sikshana of Voleti Venkateswarulu.
The reason for my having all the interest in the music of great musicians is your father, Varadaraja Iyengar. You should have brought a photo with you. I want to keep his photo and do Namaskaram once a day. Nowadays, people are learning for hours together. But for me, I think it is the blessing of all those big people who introduced me to the right path and very first one was your father's blessing. He commented so happily, you have a lot of talent; I will train you very well. When they say testing they just test and see how the music is but which guru will encourage in a few words and do it so happily? I could not get that affection; I could not attend even a single class of his. It is very unfortunate. (Smt Subbalakshmi's eyes get filled with tears and and her throat gets chocked with emotion while saying the above words)
(Sent a Thank-You card and a personal letter along with the picture of Venneti Subbalakshmi taken during the interview, also a picture of Vinjamuri as she requested- June 2001)BACK TO: Others About About Vinjamuri Home Page