A paean to Neela Mami

The recent passing away of Sangita Kala Acharya and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, Vidushi Neela Ramgopal in Bangalore, left a whole swathe of Carnatic musicians, students and friends bereft. Neela Mami, as she was fondly referred to, has been an indelible presence wherever Carnatic music was performed. She was a monomaniac on the subject, ever ready to chat about the intricacies of the art form and about those who perform on stage for our delectation. What she did not know about this arcane performing art was, arguably, not worth knowing. She studied under Vidwans N M Narayanan and T K Rangachary, and also came under the influence of the great M L Vasanthakumari. Neela Ramgopal settled down in Bangalore and brought to bear her considerable knowledge and experience to the noble pursuit of teaching.

Make no mistake, she could hold her own as a performer, and her periodic concerts were full of chaste classicism, redolent of the finest traditions of Carnatic music. She was also greatly in demand amongst the music fraternity to speak on a variety of subjects pertaining to Carnatic music. She was a bit of a polyglot, equally eloquent in her mother tongue Tamil, her adopted tongue Kannada and English. Her familiarity with the great doyens of yesteryear, their unique styles of vocal delivery, their infinite respect for the great composers, all these were grist to her insatiable mill. She would regale friends and audiences with her own brand of sharp humour, which is a characteristic of what can only be described as the ‘Thanjavur bani,’ which she most decidedly belonged to, and proud of the fact.

Another endearing quality of Neela mami was that she did not hark back to the past without keeping close tabs on how the art form was developing. She was quick to acknowledge, admire and even take a few tips from present-day musicians.

She embraced modern technology, teaching students overseas through Skype and Facetime. More often than not, you would spot her sitting in the front row, nodding her head approvingly, during most music festivals in Bangalore.

The December music season in Chennai would find her in the corridors and canteens of the leading sabhas, holding forth on her favourite subject with youngsters and seniors and encouraging them to attend kutcheries and listen to other musicians as much as possible.

Neela Ramgopal will always be treasured as a guru par excellence. Her huge army of students will forever be indebted to her for the way in which she has taken them through the paces and made them understand the finer aspects of Carnatic music in an easily digestible way.

Neela Ramgopal (1935-2023) leaves behind a rich legacy of imbibing and imparting the traditional art of Carnatic music. She will be sorely missed.