Click on the image above to see the entire Guru Parampara of Vidvān R K Shriramkumar. Click on each name in the pdf to unlock more information about each doyen in the tree!

Introduction

This edition of Kural Magazine’s “Know Your Masters” section carries a special resonance within the world of Carnatic music. As the Carnatic world celebrates Vidvān R.K. Shriramkumar, the Saṅgīta Kalānidhi designate of 2025, it is both a moment of collective pride and deep reflection — a chance to trace the musical lineage that has shaped one of the most respected vidvān-s of our times. His music, steeped in bhava, classicism, and scholarship, reflects not only his own brilliance but also the wisdom of a towering lineage of Gurus before him. 

Belonging to the illustrious Rudrapatnam family, a name synonymous with musical excellence for generations, Vidvān R.K. Shriramkumar represents the culmination of tradition and artistic depth. His music stands apart for its serenity and sincerity — qualities born not just of rigorous training but of his remarkable humility — a warmth that touches everyone who encounters his music or his presence. 

As a violinist, he has accompanied some of the greatest stalwarts of the last and current century and continues to mesmerize audiences worldwide through his soulful solo performances. 

As a scholar and speaker, his lecture-demonstrations on varied topics about music and spirituality reflect an erudition that bridges art, language, and philosophy with effortless grace. And as a teacher, Shriram Aṇṇā, as he is fondly referred to, has become a guiding light for many students across the world, carrying forward the wisdom of his gurus with the same quiet dignity that defines his art. His generosity in sharing knowledge and his boundless patience as a teacher reflect the depth of his sincerity and humility – qualities because of which one cannot help but feel he is among the greatest Guru-s our world has known.

Through my Guru, I am fortunate to be part of a śiṣya parampara that traces back to some of the most towering figures in Carnatic music — from his grandfather Śrī R.K. Venkatarama Shastry and the Rudrapatnam lineage, to Viduṣi D.K. Pattammal and Vidvān D.K. Jayaraman, Vidvān V. V. Subrahmanyam, and further beyond to each of the illustrious trinity of the Carnatic music tradition. The chart above summarises this remarkable relationship—of one great master to the next—and how, through them, the essence of Carnatic music continues to live, breathe, and evolve.