For Melbourne-based veena virtuosos Ramnath and Gopinath Iyer, known to the community as the Iyer Brothers, receiving an OAM each is the ‘pinnacle’ of their illustrious careers.
“It feels so gratifying to receive a recognition in a country that we have adopted as our home. [This OAM] is a crowning glory. We are elated,” Gopinath Iyer says.
Beginning their musical journey over 50 years ago, the twin brothers’ passion for the veena was sparked when they heard their next-door neighbour in Chennai playing.
“We don’t come from a musical family; it was just providence, I guess, that we went to a place where there’s a veena teacher next door and that’s how it began,” says Ramnath Iyer.
Balancing studies, work and rigorous practice, the Iyer Brothers started training under Vidushi Shrimathi Rajagopalan in 1973, becoming proteges of Shri R. Pichumani Iyer in 1981 and later Shri R. Venkataraman in 1997.
“We never thought when we started learning that we’d be performing or achieving something. It was just pure passion. The sound of the instrument and the music was so attractive that we diligently practised because we wanted to learn more,” remembers Ramnath. “Those days, the teachers were very strict – unless you internalise what you learned the previous class, you won’t go further – that motivated us.”
“Our gurus are from a generation where you hardly get any praise from them – if you don’t get scolded in class, that means you’ve done okay,” remembers Gopinath. “[One time], our guru Sri Venkatraman took a break, said to us to keep playing, and then he went out and told our mother, it seems, ‘look how well they’re playing’. He never told us that!”
Achieving veena mastery, however, has been a diligent journey; despite performing on some of the most prestigious stages in the world, including the Madras Music Academy, and being awarded the “A” grade by All India Radio and Doordarshan, up until as recently as 5 years ago, they considered music their second profession alongside IT.
But one distinction, evident even in their early years, has been their synergy as twins – the rare ability to play intuitively as one voice. Inseparable from childhood with the same interests and schooling, they even migrated to Australia within two years of each other.
“In music [as well as everyday life], we think alike, and we practise compositions together all the time. We are always in sync,” says Ramnath.
“We do have our own moments and arguments [but we] finally agree on something. I’d say it’s a healthy competition,” Gopinath adds.
Moving to Australia in the 1980s after they both landed IT jobs, the brothers contended with the difficulties of establishing Carnatic music amongst the fledgling Indian community and the wider Australian arts scene.
“In the early years there were few opportunities, but each opportunity was a learning experience for us as to how to present the music without sacrificing or compromising the core values, but still making it relatable to the Australian audiences,” Gopinath says.
As some of the first veena exponents in Australia, the Iyer Brothers have witnessed the growth of Indian classical arts in Australia, going from informal performances at people’s homes to the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Recital Centre stages.
Equally, they have shaped the expansion of Indian classical arts as organisers of the Melbourne Veena Festival, peer specialists in Indian Music for the Australia Council and Advisory Council Members for the Federation of Indian Music and Dance Victoria.
“As the Indian community here grew, so did the music…the audience increased,” Gopinath says. “More organisations started organising concerts of not just the musicians residing in Australia but also inviting famous musicians from India…creating [greater] awareness within the community. That’s a big growth we have seen in the last 10/15 years.”
However, perhaps their greatest contribution to the scene came in 1991 with the establishment the Pichumani School of Carnatic Music.
Some of the Iyer Brothers’ students have gone on to become leading Carnatic voices in Australia themselves, including Bhairavi Raman and Nanthesh Sivarajah, Priyadharshini Raveendran, and their own daughters, Nisha and Mahita Iyer.
“The message we constantly got from our gurus is never change [our Patantharam (repertoire)] – you can innovate within that framework but still be true to the core of the raga and the lyrics and composition. That’s something we pass on to our students, and I think they have imbibed that to some extent,” says Gopinath.
Although not as rigorous as the early morning starts the Iyer Brothers trained with, Pichumani has fostered many generations of cultural ambassadors, and become one of the foremost Carnatic institutions in the country.
“If you’re learning Carnatic or Hindustani music, enjoy playing,” Ramnath says when asked to offer advice to aspiring musicians. “Reach your potential through practice – there’s no shortcut.”
They certainly practice what they preach, citing their love for the instrument as the secret to their longevity.
“Every time you pluck the strings, the sound that comes from the veena is so tuneful. You feel fresh every time you sit to play…it’s not a chore,” says Ramnath.
“People say [our music is] soulful – my opinion is [that it’s] because we don’t just play because we need some claps here or we need to do this climax here, but whatever the pieces ask. If you’re totally involved what you’re playing, I think that comes through.”
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