Dr.V.DORESWAMY  IYENGAR

Doreswamy Iyengar was a shining star in
the galaxy of famous vainikas of Mysore.

Born on August 11, 1920 at Gaddavalli
village in Hassan district. Dr. Doreswamy
Iyengar came from a family steeped in
classical music. Music was in his blood
and his father Venkatesha Iyengar was
himself a vainika of eminence.
Doreswamy Iyengar's guru was his own
father who initiated him into the world of music. However it was Venkatagiriyappa
under whose tutelage Doreswamy Iyengar blossomed as a young and talented vainika
through a rigorous training in the typical gurukula system. Dr. Doreswamy Iyengar
used to recall that his father taught him the rudiments - sarali alankaram in three
kalams, gitas, and swarajatis. His guru Venkatagiriyappa taught him nearly 20 rare
and time-honoured varnams, some kirtans and one or two pancharatna kritis. The
``Siddhi'' which Doreswamy Iyengar attained was due to the strict discipline imposed
by Venkatagiriyappa who made his ``Sishya'' repeat any portion where he committed
mistake 15 or 20 times till he became perfect. Venkatagiriyappa taught Doreswamy
Iyengar the Chitta Tanam which had been specially composed by Veena Seshanna
for vainikas to understand the method of playing tanam. He was hardly 12 when he
was appointed Asthana vidwan by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV of Mysore, a
great patron of music.

One of his earliest performances as a boy was at the Rama Mandir at Mysore
(founded by Bidaram Krishnappa) in the presence of Chembai Vaidyanatha
Bhagavathar and violin maestro T. Chowdaiah.

He was a well known vainika by the age of 16 or 17 and was giving concerts.
However, he did not neglect his general education and graduated in Arts from the
Maharaja's College in Mysore. The University of Mysore conferred its honorary
doctorate on him in 1976.

The first of his major performances came in 1943 at the Bangalore Gayana Samaja.
He played the veena at the Rasika Ranjani Sabha of Chennai in 1944. The next year
he was to play at the Music Academy, Chennai, during the annual festival presided
over by the redoubtable Vainika Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer.

Unassuming and affable, Dr. Doreswamy Iyengar was associated with All India
Radio, Bangalore, where he had produced a memorable series on the post-Thyagaraja
composers of Karnataka. This had won wide acclaim. He had been accompanied in
his concerts by such well known instrumentalists as Palghat Mani Iyer (mridangam)
and T. Chowdaiah, Lalgudi Jayaraman, M. S. Gopalakrishnan and T. N. Krishnan.
Though he was not for playing jugalbandis, he had played the veena once or twice
with Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan on the sarod.

Dr. Doreswamy Iyengar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1983, the Sangeetha
Kalanidhi title of the Music Academy, Chennai in 1985, Sangeetakala Rathna of
the Gayana Samaja, Bangalore (1976), Central Sangeetha Natak Academy Award
in 1971 and the Karnataka Nritya Academy Award in 1971. He received the
Academy of Music, Bangalore's Chowdaiah Memorial National Award in 1985
from the then President, Zail Singh. In 1994, the Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai,
honoured him with its ``Sangeetha Kala Sikhamani'' title.

There was hardly any organisation connected with music and the arts which had not
invited him to present his concerts. He was a guest artiste at the millennium
celebrations of the Persian Empire in 1969, undertook concert tours of the U.S.,
Canada, France, Germany and Britain playing the dual role of exponent and
interpreter of Carnatic music. He played in the Festival of India held in Germany in
1990 and conducted a Pancha Veena concert at Leningrad in Russia. Dr.
Doreswamy Iyengar was a former President of the Karnataka Sangeetha Nritya
Academy, during his career spanning more than six decades.