Mysore/Mysuru: Senior Violinist Vid. Vittal Ramamurthy was conferred with the prestigious ‘Dhanur Vainika Brahma’ award, given by the city’s Sri Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha  and Pitilu Chowdiah Samsmarana Vedike, at a programme held at the Sabha premises on JLB Road here recently. Sri Datta Vijayananda Theertha Swamiji, the Junior Pontiff of Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Ashram, conferred the award.

Speaking on the occasion, Vid. Vittal Ramamurthy said that music is not limited just to contests and concerts. It is a spiritual power and as such it takes an individual to the world of emotional feelings, he said. Continuing, he said that music is growing because of the co-operation of devoted spectators. Indian Music is highly regarded in other countries and many countries have been organising programmes and interactions on Indian Music. Such programmes should be held in more numbers in India, he said and stressed on the need for more patronisation of music.

Observing that Pitilu Chowdiah is a pride of Mysuru, Vid. Vittal Ramamurthy said that the great violinist is an inspiration to the future generation. Pointing out that Pitilu Chowdiah successfully reached the audience by playing the 19-stringed violin at a time when there were no audio systems, he said that such love for the music must inspire the younger generation of today. “The award which I received today will motivate me to move further with inspiration,” he added.

Stating that Pitilu Chowdiah was known as ‘Ajata Shatru’ in the world of music, he said that the scholarly violinist respected other musicians and as such, he was highly regarded. But is unfortunate that in the current days, animosity is rearing its ugly head in the world of music, he said while expressing concern that music may take a hit because of this. Music can grow if the ideals of great musicians like Chowdiah are taken forward, he added.

Sri Datta Vijayananda Theertha Swamiji, in his address, said that Mysuru is a ‘Punyabhumi’ for the field of arts and music. As such, many top musicians have served here and this tradition should continue, he added.

After the stage programme, Vid. Vittal Ramamurthy and Vidu. Padma Shankar, presented a violin  concert. They were accompanied by Vid. V.V. Ramana Murthy on mridanga and Vid. Tripunithura Radhakrishnan on ghata.

Sri Nadabrahma Sabha President Harish, Dr. M.A. Shekar, office-bearers of Sangeetha Ratna Mysuru T. Chowdiah Vedike and others were present.