N. Ravikiran

Ravikiran (center) playing the navachitravina. Also shown are (left to right) Guruvayur Dorai, mridangam; Ravi Balasubramanian, ghatam; and Akkarai Subbalakshmi, violin.

Chitravina N. Ravikiran (born February 12, 1967) is an Indian Carnatic music musician and composer. He gives both vocal concerts and concerts in the instrument chitravina (gottuvadyam). He is the grandson of famous musician gottuvadyam Narayan Iyengar.^[1]

Ravikiran is the author of several books, Appreciating Carnatic Music and Perfecting Carnatic Music Level I and II. He is also the founder of the International Foundation for Carnatic Music.^[2]

Child Prodigy

Ravikiran was born in Mysore, Karnataka, India. At the age of two, he impressed scholars with his knowledge in Carnatic music. In 1969, he made his first appearance in the Malleshwaram Sangeeta Sabha, Bangalore. Soon after that he was presented in The Madras Music Academy, Krishna Ghana Sabha he was able to identify and render about 325 ragas (melodic scales) and 175 talas (rhythmic cycles). He was quizzed by famous musicians such as Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Pandit Ravi Shankar, M S Subbulakshmi and others. The Music Academy, Madras, awarded the two-year-old, a monthly scholarship for the next few years. Ravikiran trained in Carnatic music under the guidance of his father, Narasimhan. Ravikiran debuted as a vocalist in 1972, at Coimbatore at the age of five years.^[3] At the age of 10, he switched over to the 21-stringed chitravina.^[3] However, he resumed his vocal recitals in 1999 and now presents both vocal and instrumental concerts.

References

1. ^ GOTUVADYAM NARAYANA IYENGAR - THE WIZARD OF STRINGS
2. ^ "Biography of N Ravikiran". South Asian Student Association of University of Ohio. http://www.sasaosu.org/2009/11/n-ravikiran-concert/. Retrieved 15 March 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Abram, David. The Rough Guide to South India (3 ed.). pp. 671. 

External links

• Ravikiran's Official Website
• Shakti Extratainment Channel, initiated by Ravikiran

Persondata
Name	Ravikiran, Chitravina N.
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Date of birth	February 12, 1967
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