Ganesh and Kumaresh

Ganesh and Kumaresh
Ganesh and Kumaresh at IIM Bangalore
Background information
Also known as	Violin Brothers / Fiddling Monks
Genres	Carnatic music
Years active	1972 - Present
Website	www.ganeshkumaresh.org

Ganesh and Kumaresh are noted Indian duo of violin players who are a part of the Carnatic music (South India) fraternity. The brothers are best known as modern contemporary artists who have done lot of service to "Sastriya Sangitam". They are a dynamic duo of violinists, who have carved a niche for themselves in this era of great violinists. The brothers have gone deeper into the realm of the music and brought out a refreshingly original content and style for the instrument.

Ganesh and Kumaresh both were born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh in 1964 and 1967 respectively, where their father Sri T.S. Rajagopalan was employed in Life Insurance Corporation of India. Their musical training started at home at the unbelievable early age of 3 & 2. Rare of the rarest incidents that could happen to a child at this early an age is easy access to musical instruments with a wow atmosphere where many children of different age groups shared these instruments with them, as many children in that North Indian city came to their house to learn from their parents. They started learning from their father. [if you would allow I shall upload the photo of their sharing the musical instruments with other children]It was virtually a divine gift to them. In the normal circumstances, if some one tries to teach a child at that youth the child would protest and may even run away. On the other hand, the same child would get easily motivated, if it finds the group of children are a joyful lot happily engaged in learning the art. That mirth and fascination kindle its curiosity! This is exactly what did happen. There was spontaneous surge of aspiration. One day Ganesh expressed his desire and became part of the group. Moreover, an element of competition pushed and provoked the child to fare better! After a year or two, the little one Kumaresh sprang a surprise. As he observed his elders were struggling to play notes on the upper octave, he snatched the violin from his father and produced the notes without much ado! The miracle was that he was not taught either how to hold the violin or the difficult aspect of bowing. You have to see it to believe how he performed at that early age. See in the photograph here how the tiny tot was performing. These children could also watch stalwarts of Carnatic and Hindustani systems of music practicing in their house as local Hindustani musicians and Carnatic musicians from the faculty of Benares and Delhi Universities’ music department frequented Rajagopalan’s house. Musicians from South too came occasionally because Rajagopalan invited these musicians to perform in his Kanpur Sangita Sabha. With the active support of the faculty of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, it was possible for him to arrange these concerts. Ganesh and Kumaresh started performing on the stage at a very early age taking the audience by surprise for their finesse as the photographs and press reviews reproduced here reveal. Soon the family had to move to Delhi and thence to Mumbai as Rajagopalan's job took them, where they continued their musical journey with more vigour and alacrity alongside their schooling. Finally, in the year 1975 family landed in Chennai.