This below is a melodious daughter’s words about her music teacher, mother and personal superstar. Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy, a famous singer, talks about her mother- Visalakshi Narayanaswamy. (You can listen to her soulful music on SoundCloud here!)
Claps In Unison
Claps are heard keeping with the beat of the music; many hands simultaneously move. The claps are sounding from the many seated around. They are going well with the song. The claps revive some strength back in the body and soul. This action is led by a pair of hands in the center of the gathering. By this moving figure—clapping—with a smile on the face, a song sung full-throated, and with all the breath that can be mustered from the lungs. The legs gently swaying and walking from side to side, encouraging each and every one in the gathering to join the clapping.
Singing For Cancer Patients
This is a once-a-week occurrence in the Madras Cancer Institute. Visalakshi Narayanaswamy, 75, visits the patients in the evening for an hour or more once a week, and just sings for them. You can hear them say how eagerly they await to have that one hour of relief, to just lose oneself into some other realm, some other space and time. She has been doing this for the last 6 years, either all alone on some days or along with her students who join her with the songs that they have learned from her.
Visalakshi Narayanaswamy – The Carnatic Musician
Visalakshi is a retired central government employee. She was in the Accounts Department of the Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai from 1960 July to 2002 March.
She is a trained Carnatic musician, who is a graded artiste of the ALL INDIA RADIO. Also, she has performed in various sabhas and temples, as and when time permitted from her otherwise hectic life of office and bringing up 4 children. Her music education began at home from her mother- the late Kalaimamani, Smt Seetha Doraiswamy, a Jalatharangam exponent. After finishing her schooling in 1956, Visalakshi went to the Madras Music College, graduated as a Vidwan in Carnatic Music in 1958.
A spirited and hardworking lady, she cycled to office till the day of her retirement and was always known for her ever helpful, kind, and positive nature.
Help Ever Hurt Never
…is the mantra she has followed her entire life.
Composing Music
Post Retirement, she started unleashing her composition skills. She loves traveling and visiting holy places. No matter what temple she goes to, by the time she is out of that temple, there is a song ready, in praise of that deity. The specialty of her compositions is its simplicity. Many of her students now sing her songs. She has about 150 compositions to her credit now. Ananta Priya is her own Bhajan group, which currently has more than a dozen students.
75-Year Young Musical Woman
She studied homeopathy from the age of 61 to 63, had two grandchildren, and had one of her knees replaced. Then she went on to study “Natural Living”- a one-year course offered by IGNOU in the year 2010.
Always active, Visalakshi, at the age of 75, is still busy giving music classes, traveling all over the world, and being there for her 4 grandchildren.