Sri V. S. Janardhanan

Sri V. S. Janardhanan was born on 4 April 1956 at Thiruvambady Desam in Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala — the seventh son of Sri Varkala Subrahmanya Bhagavathar and Smt. Parvathy Ammal. His grandfather, Sri Sankaranarayana Bhagavathar, was a musician renowned for composing Padavarnams in Carnatic music, and he is a descendant of the celebrated Chenda artist Sri Kolanthaswamy and the renowned Maddalam artist Sri Venkichaswamy.

His gift for music was recognised by his father when he was barely two and a half years old. Schooling brought training under his elder sister Smt. Kamala Narayanan, a Radio artist, and his brother Sri Sankaranarayana Master. At eight he took up the violin under his father, who passed away when Janardhanan was only nine.

In his high-school years he studied Kathakali under the maestro Sri V. N. Nair, and in 1970 joined Natananikethan in Thrissur, pursuing Kathakali and Bharatanatyam under his revered guru Sri Balakrishna Kurup. Alongside the arts he studied Sanskrit up to the Shastri level under Mridananda Saraswathi Swamiji, and later earned a degree in Music from the Music College, Chennai — choosing Puranas as his principal Sanskrit subject.

He sang in concerts alongside his sisters, performed with the K. A. P. Orchestra and became a regular vocalist with the popular "Voice of Thrissur" troupe. At the State School Youth Festival he won first place in Classical Music three consecutive years, and first place in Light Music, Kathaprasangam and Veena — and, while in the tenth standard, first place for portraying Parasurama in Kathakali.

Since 1974 he has offered music at the Guruvayur Temple without interruption. From 1984 he performed for Doordarshan and All India Radio. His journey has carried Kerala's arts to Germany, London, Switzerland, Paris, the Netherlands, Poland, the United States, the UAE and the World Malayalee Conference of 1985, and to the great temples of Chidambaram, Tirupati and Kollur Mookambika.

He became a familiar presence in classical dance as a vocalist, providing vocal accompaniment for Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi and Kathakali, and has sung for and composed music for numerous renowned dancers of Kerala.

In 1974 he began his teaching career at Brahmajnanodayam School, Kalady, and in 1976 established his own institution, Subrahmanya Kalakshetra, in Thrissur — a centre for learning music, dance and traditional instrumental arts. Through the 1980s he also taught at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School.

More than 10,000 students have trained under him. Many became Kalathilakams at school, college and university levels; others are now accomplished teachers, performers and film personalities. He continues to train students in Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi and Kerala Natanam, holding daily practice as the essence of artistic discipline.

His compositions include more than 50 Mohiniyattam Varnams and about 20 Mohiniyattam Padams, more than 25 Kuchipudi Tarangams, Padams and Jatiswarams, around 30 Bharatanatyam Abhinaya Varnams, Tillanas and Jatiswarams, and more than 45 Kerala Natanam items portraying Kannaki, Soorpanakha, Sita, Mandodari, Urmila and Parvathi.

Notable works include the Kathakali Padam Panduvijayam and the Sanskrit composition Rama Bhajanam. He has written children's poems — Kakkakkuyil, Nirangal, Sooryan, Puzha, Mazhavillu — and composed devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna of Thiruvambady, including the album "Ambadikkannan". Many of his productions have been released as CDs by Sargam Music, Magna Music and Great Music.