SO ALSO SANJANA AND SEETHARAMAN

INTRODUCTION: The strong inseparable companionship or bonhomie between MUSIC and MRIDANGAM is like the bonding between JEEVATHMA and PARAMATHMA (SOUL and SUPERIOR SOUL) which justifies the corollary that one of them cannot survive alone without the active support of the other at any point of time. In other words, they are like the two peas in a pod. In a broader sense, the genre of MUSIC and DANCE owes a great deal to ACCOMPANIMENTS and they go hand in hand always! Both the artistes need great expertise and tireless practice to attain perfection. Still the practice has to be continued for ever on a daily basis to perpetuate the mastery achieved.

As regards classical singer SANJANA and percussionist SEETHARAMAN, Almighty God has united them in wedlock with a noble purpose of making their passionate divine arts more soulful universal and eternal through their persistent efforts. Among the various types of music, classical music whether it is Carnatic or Hindustani, it occupies a predominant place and needs specialization.

In any of these branches of music, it demands inborn passion, diligence and sharp intelligence! So, music is a combination of harmony and melody and music with the support of accompaniments is an integral part of all social cultural and religious activities.

While SANJANA has specialized in Carnatic classical Music, Seetharaman has specialized in Percussion or MRIDANGAM, a perfect combination or divine union, designed by GOD! A made-for-each other couple with absolute harmony in their specializations! A PEEP INTO THEIR MUSICAL LIFE: Let us now delve into their musical life individually and try to find out their inborn talents, passion, perseverance, achievements, accolades, awards and recognitions bagged in their incessant pursuit.

SANJANA SEETHARAMAN AND HER ACADEMIC BRILLIANCE: SANJANA, the versatile singer with a melodious voice apt for classical music with a brilliant academic record, moved forward with strong determination and relentless perseverance. She was initiated into music by her grandfather who identified her aptitude in music and she grew as a child prodigy right from the age of 5 and was nourished with suitable tutelage from time to time and observed with close attention under Vid. Guru Smt. Vasantha Sivaramakrishnan of Mulund Fine Arts Society. Later, she continued her tutelage under Sangeetha Kala Pracharya Vid. Guru late Smt. T R balamani for the next 7 years persistently. In continuation, she took the next tutelage of Vid. Guru Smt. Shyamala Gopalakrishnan for another term of 5 years and there after moved to Chennai for a few years to receive advanced intensive proficiency training under the august tutelage of veteran KALAIMAMANI Vid. Guru Shri K N Shashikiran and still continues to be his disciple. In this tenacious pursuit, with the efflux of time, Sanjana had shot to fame as a top ranking post graduate student in the realm of M A (Carnatic Music) at the renowned Madras University.

MEDIA REPORTS: A SYNOPSYS ABOUT SANJANA RAMAN’S ACHIEVEMENTS AS A CHILD PRODIGY: Its opportune to mention a few of SANJANA RAMAN’S (daughter of Late Shri. Raman and Smt . Lalitha Raman) achievements here to show how she has been steadily taking care of her passion for music vis a vis her studies. She exhibited her mesmerizing voice power when she was hardly five years, but could grasp the basics very fast with her inborn grasping power. She could win first prize at all India level in Carnatic Music and many more prizes followed in the following years. Similarly, at Mulund school she was selected for the junior level scholarship in Music instituted by the Center for Cultural resources and training human resource development ministry New Delhi.

As a 12year old school girl, she could win the scholarship for Carnatic singing for a few years with a precondition to check the progress at regular intervals. In 2002, she bagged the first prize in the national Singing Competition in Hyderabad, great achievement in a tough competition indeed.

At the age of 13, she showed her determination and focus on a bright future and was paving the way for achieve it one day or the other. Her achievements from childhood are too many to mention here and hence only a few specimens are chronicled here to get a glimpse of her extraordinary talents and potentials

SANJANA’S PUBLIC PERFORMANCES AND AWADS:

SANJANA made her debut as a child artiste with the public appearance at V D S Arts Academy Chennai at the tender age of 11. In 2002 she bagged the Pandit V D PALUSKAR award from Sharada Sangeet Vidyalaya Mumbai and also captured the best young singer Award from NAVYA NATAKA SAMITI at Hyderabad. In her successful musical journey achieving many milestones, she received the prestigious Govt of India Cultural Scholarship from the year 2004 to 2012, a financial cushion to pursue her further studies. More gracious, she received the prestigious BHARAT RATNA M S SUBBALAKSHMI AWARD from the popular SHANMUKHANANDA Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha for a period of 3 years! Besides receiving a cluster of awards and accolades, Sanjana has also presented a series of concerts in many outstanding Sabhas, to name, Raga Sudha Hall (Chennai, Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha (Chennai); Arkay Convention center (Chennai); Gayatri Fine Arts Global; Sri SHANMUKHANANDA Fine Arts and Sangeeta Sabha (Mumbai); Fine Arts Society, Chembur (Mumbai); Sri Paravur Dakshina MOOKAMBIKA Temple (Kerala) and many more such important art and cultural centers. Of all such stellar performances, the live performance in front of the divine Mahaperiyava Adhishtanam at Kancheepuram Sankara Matham stands in the memory lanes, as one which makes her feel contented and abundantly blessed. Adding a few more feathers to her cap of achievements, she has also given concert recordings at various T V Channels like D D Podhigai; Ragamalika T V; Jaya T V; and as well as at A.I.R. as part of Akashvani Broadcast Program. As a blessed musician, her inborn melodious voice has always been a great boon and strength to her to climb the ladder of successful historical achievements at all times.

ACCADEMICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS: At all times, whatever be the domain, for anybody, however talented, education plays a vivid and vital role to make a complete personality. One can outshine with the amalgam of all these noble qualities. Sanjana also has a brilliant academic background which has always made her a cynosure or center of attraction. So, one’s persona is composed of different parameters and without education everything looks incomplete which in turn affects his/her public persona or image! Fortunately, in Sanjana’s case, she carries a vaseful of academic qualifications as well as a cluster of talents and qualities. First of all, in the academic front, she has done her graduation in Accounting and Finance; Diploma in Carnatic Music and enjoys the distinction of holding Masters’ Degree in three different fields of Commerce, Finance and Music, securing Gold Medals in two of them. An insatiable thirst for education is the only galvanizing factor that propels everyone forward. With this end in her mind, she is currently pursuing her 4th Master’s degree in the field of clinical psychology.

FUSION OF TWO ARTISTES’ FAMILIES: SANJANA was born into the family of Late Shri Raman Narayanan (Nenmara) and Smt. Lalitha Raman (Pazhayannur) Kerala, but migrated to Mumbai for livelihood. So, Sanjana’s place of birth is Mumbai. She is the only darling daughter of her beloved parents and therefore plays the dual role of a daughter and a son to them. She stepped into S. Venugopal - Seethalakshmi family as their daughterly daughter-in-law very recently when she chose their son Dr. Seetharaman Iyer, a multi-faceted Mridangam Artist, as her soulmate, who is pursuing his M D in Psychiatry and is currently working as a resident doctor in the Dept. of Psychiatry at the prestigious Nair Hospital in Mumbai. So, the union of two artistes denoted the fusion of two divine soul mates. Hand in hand, these young artistes are determined to march ahead and make their rich contributions to the world of music. More about Dr. Seetharaman, we shall read in a separate article on him shortly.

CONCLUSION: As a young, enthusiastic and ambitious artiste with tremendous potentialities and expectations, Sanjana can certainly aspire for a bright future in her chosen field of classical music with spectacular achievements. If one is consistently putting efforts and persevering with indomitable spirits and full confidence, success is bound to come. Everything requires determination, dedication, relentless pursuit and sacrifices and success is a confluence of all these diverse factors. Let us all wish SANJANA SEETHARAMAN, a bright future in her musical pursuits and to go a long way walking jubilantly along the lanes of ample opportunities and to achieve many prizes and praises, laurels and accolades, awards and recognitions. Let her achievements be milestones in her musical journey and always be a paradigm for the upcoming younger generation. The old saying is “Success goes to those who dare and act, it seldom goes to the timid.” Similarly, “Perfection walks slowly, it requires the hand of time”! “Rome was not built in a day” and so on. Afterwards only, the desired fruit of hard work comes in the platter of time!

SANJANA AND SEETHARAMAN are wedded to each other as soulmates and they are in turn wedded to the celestial genre of Carnatic classical music so passionately, with Sanjana Carnatic Music and Seetharaman Percussion or Mridangam. May God Almighty bless them to stay united healthy to scoop up more achievements and go a long way with their divine bonhomie with music, ever-pure and eternal!

You tube link of Sanjana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExUaabF3mTY&authuser=0