Tribute to my dear aunt, Karaikudi Meenakshi Ammal

My last maternal aunt, Karaikudi Meenakshi Ammal, the 8th-generation veena player in the Karaikudi veena family and the last daughter of Karaikudi Veenai Subbarama Iyer (the elder brother of Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer), is no more today. She lived for 102 years! She breathed her last this morning at 6:45 am in Chennai at my niece Mallika Karthick’s residence in Alwarpet. A lady who lived a life of contentment, with such love for Carnatic music and musicians without bias. Her devotion to veena music was pure, unostentatious, and self-effacing. Her admiration and bewilderment at the sheer religiosity of the austere sound of the veena were childlike and spontaneous. There was no pretension. Fuelled by her determination to break free from traditional norms favouring male heirs, she altruistically dedicated herself to teaching music. Her musically charged mind and heart had made her love to give whatever she could to anyone who wanted to learn veena. A few months ago, when I last visited her, I asked whether she had any grievances. Pat came the reply, with such clarity in thinking and articulation: “I am not able to teach!” There were tears in her eyes! She was bedridden because of a fall, and my niece and her husband lovingly and generously took care of her. Here is my musical tribute - “Amba Nilayatakshi of Mudduswami Dikshitar in Nilambari” - which was one of her favourites and mine. She is today immersed deep in eternal sleep.

Amba Nilayatakshi - Karaikudi Subramanian

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