Justice G. Chandrasekharan, Chairperson, Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal, Chennai, confers the title ‘Naadha Swaralayagaana Manigal’ to artistes Annavasal Manishankar, Jayanthi Manishankar, Amirthavarshini Manishankar for their contribution to Carnatic music at Naadhabrahmam’s 24th Sangeetha Raga Mahothsavam.
| Photo Credit: RAGHUNATHAN SR
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A family of musicians from Tiruvarur, comprising nadaswaram artiste Annavasal Manishankar, violinist Jayanthi Manishankar, and their daughter, thavil artiste Amirthavarshini Manishankar, were honoured at an event held here on Friday.
Justice G. Chandrasekharan, Chairperson, Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal, Chennai, conferred the title ‘Naadha Swaralayagaana Manigal’ on the artistes at the inauguration of Naadhabrahmam’s 24th Sangeetha Raga Mahothsavam.
Justice Chandrasekharan spoke about Mr. Manishankar rendering Alaipayuthey Kanna on the nadaswaram, accompanied by Ms. Jayanthi on the violin and Ms. Amirthavarshini on the thavil. He noted the immense effort required to play the nadaswaram — the lung capacity, breath control and voice modulation it demands. The violin, he added, required exceptional hand coordination and a high degree of nuance.
On the thavil, Justice Chandrasekharan said it was a particularly demanding instrument, both because of its weight and the physical strength it required. He added that it was still not commonly played by women artistes.
Accepting the title, Ms. Jayanthi and Ms. Amirthavarshini said they were happy and honoured.
Naadhabrahmam founder N. Subramanian, honorary secretary D. Badrinarayanan, and member K. Srinivasan were present. They said it was the first time that a family of three musicians were being honoured by Naadhabrahmam.
Mr. Subramanian said it was heartening to see members of the next generation, such as Ms. Amirthavarshini, take up music, and praised her parents for their support.
Published – December 20, 2025 05:30 am IST
