By P P Ramachandran

Readers could be interested to know of the services rendered to our Community by unknown and talented people. One such person belongs to the world of music and she is Smt Seetha Ramakrishnan who in suburban Mumbai at Andheri has taught violin for over 30 years. A special function was arranged, recently, by her students and well wishers to felicitate her. There were a large number of speakers who spoke with authority as musicologists. I spoke as a layman and as a parent of a student. Perhaps some on the Site could find this tribute worth reading.

We have assembled in such large numbers to felicitate and honour Violin Mami Smt Seetha Ramakrishnan ,on the happy occasion of her completing thirty years of teaching this divine art.

I am the perfect example of a perfect misfit to stand on the dais on this day. As of music I know but little and of Carnatic music much less. My sole qualification is that my daughter is Violin Mami's student and I find that no parent has paid tribute so far.

Yet I do feel confident of standing before you as I know that I can tell you good stories and fairly well too !

Let me take you to the cultural capital of Europe and political capital of Austria-Vienna. Vienna has one of the richest cultural heritages of the world-Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Strauss-all lived and worked in Vienna. All of you know that the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is the most respected Symphony company in the world. Now for the story.

Beethoven, was once treated badly by Prince Lichnowsky, the Emperor's son. Said Beethoven to him, "Prince ,what you are ,you are by accident. What I am , I am by myself, by my talent. There are and there will be thousands of Princes like you, but there will be ONLY ONE BEETHOVEN".

I declare with pride that there are hundreds of violinists , but for us there is only one violinist and that is VIOLIN MAMI SMT SEETHA RAMAKRISHNAN.

Let me take you from Europe's cultural capital to India's cultural capital-Thiruvaiyaru. In and around this hallowed place was born the Musical Trinity-Tyagaraja, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar.It might amaze some of you to learn that they were not only contemporaries but lived in adjoining streets. Imagine what a cultural and spiritual explosion it must have been !.

From the Musical Trinity of yesteryears to the Violin Trinity of today, I happily traverse. M.S.Gopalakrishnan, Lalgudi Jayaraman and T.N. Krishnan. When we honour a Violin teacher we must invoke this violin trinity and seek their blessings. It is important to note that one of these Violin Maestros-T.N.Krishnan's father was Violin Mami's guru. How fortunate our children to learn violin under her.

Let us offer our thanks to Smt Seetha Ramakrishnan. May she teach our children for another thirty years .I do convey to her the regards of all the parents of all her students.

Pallasena Parameswaran Ramachandran, though born in Kerala, is a thoroughbred Mumbaikar. A voracious reader and book reviewer, PPR, is a member of the Book Selection Committee of the prestigious Asiatic Society and is the Adviser to the Parle Tilak Mandir Library. He writes for periodicals and has correspondence with eminent persons like Rajaji, Dr.Radhakrishnan, Pope John Paul II, Paul Gallico, H.R.F.Keating and several writers. He has taken part in BBC's Mastermind Quiz Programme and has also been wearing the hat of a Resource person for Kaun Banega Crorepati. PPR has had formal education in Economics & Politics, Sanskrit and in Comparative Mythology and retired as a Senior Executive after 40 years of service with Reserve Bank of India.