Introduction

*Kurai ondrum illai Marai Murti Kannā
Kurai ondrum illai, Kannā,
Kurai ondrum illai, Govindā!
Kannukkut teriyāmal nirkindrāi, Kannā
Kannukkut teriyāmal nindrālum enakku
Kurai ondrum Illai”

“Śrēyo bhūyāt sakala janānām”

Sri Ramajeyam

“These ‘Garlands’ shall neither fade away nor
lose their inherent, intrinsic fragrance.”

Knowledgeable authorities of acknowledged merit have hailed the ‘Garland’ series so. The author has spent over two decades visiting cradles of music, dance and other arts and places of musical environment, personally meeting artists, composers, musicologists and dancers, attending all libraries to garner facts and figures and authoring the under-mentioned non profit, dedicative works, which are pioneering publications of vast reach, vital relevance, everlasting utility and enduring value to artists, researchers, teachers and rasikas. . They have found their deserved places in libraries of most of the Universities and the Central Libraries of the Government. The author has distributed as compliments hundreds of these ‘Garlands’ to reputed institutions, libraries, authorities of standing and musicians since this is not a commercial venture. The prices for the hefty volumes divulge this fact loudly.

The most eminent Subbarama Dikshitar gave the first-ever brief account of many artists of repute in his matchless magnum opus, ”Sangita Sampradāya Pradarśini” Dr. U. Ve. Swaminatha Ayyar, the supreme fragrant flower of Tamil Scholarship and Research, fighting against clock and calendar, did unexcelled work and took notes too but could not find time to take up this work since the load of his works was too gigantic for a lifetime achievement of any great soul. His august statue stands there in all its wisdom-soaked grandeur in quiet repose, enjoying the salubrious breeze of the sea in a quid pro quo for his tireless labours, exuding the fragrance of nobility of character, conduct and intellectual splendour at the prime venue, the Presidency College campus on the Marina installed by men of chaste vision with virtuous human eyes and draw inspiration from anything that is gold.. Veteran Prof. P. Sambamurthy, with overwhelming influence and stature he enjoyed, came out with many publications, which are authorities on the subject.