Carnatic violin
Mayuram Govindaraja Pillai
Biography
Mayuram Govindaraja Pillai was born in 1911 at Vazhuvoor near Mayuram to Ramamurthy and Rajambal. He came from a musical family.
His first guru was Mayuram Bhootalinga Iyer. He also trained under Simizhi Sundaram Iyer, later learnt from his uncle Nagaswara Vidwan Vazhuvoor Veerasamy Pillai, and from 1925 trained under Sangita Kalanidhi Kumbakonam Rajamanickam Pillai.
His shishya parampara includes Sikkil Bhaskaran. He was Asthana Vidwan at Travancore, received Kalaimamani from the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1970, and received Isai Perarignar from the Tamil Isai Sangam in 1976.
He was a popular violinist who accompanied his guru and leading stalwart vocalists of his time. He was known for his immaculate style of living and dress, and served as Reader in Music at Annamalai University.
Highlights
- Trained under Kumbakonam Rajamanickam Pillai
- Received Kalaimamani and Isai Perarignar
- Reader in Music at Annamalai University