K. V. Narayanaswamy

Palghat Kollengode Viswanathan Ramanarayanaswamy also acknowledged as K. V. Narayanaswamy was an Indian musician. He was born on November 15, 1923, in Palghat, Kerala, Narayanaswamy born into an Iyer family which has musician and artists in the family. Narayanaswamy great-grandfather was ViswamBhagavatar well-known for his evocative Ashtapadisand concentrated service for Maharaja AyilyamThirunal.

In return, Viswam Bhagavatar was given with administration aid and inherited royal civil liberties. ViswamBhagavatar's son, Narayana Bhagavatar was violin maestro, K.V.Narayanaswamy learned music lessons under hisgrandfather and father. KVN studied in Palghat till the fifth standard then he moved to Coimbatore(Tamil Nadu). In Coimbatore, he temporarilyexperimented in theatre.

KVN even be able toget the role in movie KannappaNayanar where he plays the role of the young Kanappan. KVN began general training under Mridangam maestro, Palghat Mani Iyer, Padma Bhushan, C.s Krishna Iyer, Sangeetha Kalanidhi. KVNconsidered being amid the bestCarnatic song vocalists of the 20th century. KVN married Annapoorni ( cousin of Palghat Mani Iyer) in 1948.

KVN and Annapoorni have three daughters(Viswanathan, Lalitha, Muktha ) and one son (rama). After the death of Annapoorni in 1962 Narayanaswamy married the Padma in 1965. Their daughter name is Anuradha. In KVN life revolution came in 1964 when he joined in the East-West Encounter concerts in New Delhi which was followed by a widely much-admired concert at the Edinburgh Festival in 1965, Scotland.

Between 1965–67 KVN went on an island concert tour of US, and he was one of four artists including Ali Akbar Khan, Bismillah Khan and Ravi Shankar they participated in the immensely popular Hollywood Bowl Music festival in 1967, Los Angeles KVN traveled to Europe and Australia for various concert tours. In Madras 1962, KVN joined as lecturer in Music College and retired as the professor in 1982.

Naraynaswamy was the first Indian musician to be awarded Fulbright Scholarship. Under that scholarship, KVN went to San Diego State University ( California) as an artist in residence. He taught at university and gave the presentation in North America during the period of nine months.In1986, KVN Awarded with the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi award.

KVN was labeled as the ‘’Gentle Perfect of Carnatic music an expression from the Geoffrey Chaucer, by V.K Narayana Menon. KVN awarded Padma Shri, Central Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1976). Fulbright Scholar, Madras Music Academy’s Sangita Kalanidhi Award, In 1989, The Fine Arts Society’s Sangeetha KalasikhamaniAward. NarayanaswamyDied At The Age Of 78 on April 1, 2002, At Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.