Article Swathi Thirunal Prof.Neyyattinkara M.K.Mohanachandran (b 1939)

---

He was born on 11^th October 1939 at Neyyattinkara, Trivandrum, Kerala and had  his initial training under my mother Smt. Anandavalli Amma, and later from Sri Shanmugham Bhagavathar, Sri. Gopalakrishna Memon, Sri. N.K. Sukumar and Sri. Kancheepuram Govinda Pillai. He took his  B.A. from  Annamalai University and Master of Music from  University of Mysore. He was  privileged to learn under great stalwarts Sri. M.M. Dandapani Desikar, Sri.T.K. Rangachari, Thiruvananthapuram Sri. Sivasubramania Pillai, Sri. M. Visweswaran and Dr. Gouri Kuppuswamy. He has teaching experience in various Colleges under University of Kerala, as Lecturer and Professor and also  Head of the Department, Music Department. He has also served as Dean, Faculty of  Fine Arts & Chairman, Board of Studies in Music, University of Kerala, and is currently, Member, Board of studies in Music, Kerala University and Sree Sankaracharya University.

Prof. Mohanachandran has performed in concerts during the last 38 years throughout India in almost all the prestigious sabhas, accompanied by eminent artistes like Sri. T.K. Murthy, Sri M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Sri M. Chandrasekharan, Palghat Sri. Raghu, Sri T.V.Gopalakrishnan, Umayalpuram Sri Sivaraman, Mavelikkara Sri Krishnan            Kutty Nair, Sri Kamalakar Rao, Mavelikkara Sri Velukutty Nair, Mavelikkara Sri Raju and many others Senior Vidwan of All India Radio and Doordarshan (Indian T.V) for many years.

He has delivered Lecture demonstations on topics such as A Comparative Study on the Compositions of Trinity, Sahitya in the Compositions of Tyagaraja, Peculiarities in the Compositions of Swathi Tirunal and Mudras in the Compositions of Deekshitar. He is recipient of awards such as         M.D. Ramanathan Award, Music Academy,             Sethu Parvathi Bai gold Medal, Annamalai University, Award of Sangeeta Nataka Academy, Thiruvananthapuram etc. He was specially invited to participate and perform at Sri Venkateswara Temple, Pittsburgh, U.S.A., as Featured Musician at the Swathi Tirunal Day Celebrations in 1997. He conducted Summer Music Classes at Sri Venkateswara Temple, Pittsburgh in            1998 and 1999. He has sung twice at Navarathri Mandapom and he is an exponent in singing rare compositions of Swathi Thirunal such as the Krithi in Bhavapriya. Among his major students are Shri Thiruvananthapuram Krishna Kumar, carnatic vocalist and Sri M. Jayachandran, cine-music director and carnatic vocalist. He resides at  “Sreenikethan”, Vazhuthoor, Neyyattinkara. P.O., 695 121, Kerala and his telephone (Res.) is : 0471-2222349