I have been associated with Sulochana mami since 1990, that was when she was preparing for a recording of marriage songs [second] with AVM studios.I am fortunate to be one among the singers in some of her cassette projects, including the marriage songs recorded for the AVM and sangeetha studios.Since 1992 I am residing in Muscat and whenever I visit Chennai I was taken in to the main stream of senior students and was given opportunities to perform with them if there were stage programmes. I was fortunate to have sung for one of the episodes of her Dakshina gana surabhi, broadcast by All India Radio.

Her music is perfect,sensitive, refined and grammatically sound. She would not allow even an anusvaram which would impair the picture or grammer of the raga.She would point out some phrases of some ragas and advise us to avoid them since they are grammatically wrong eventhough they are popular ones. We used to request mami that it would be useful if she writes a book of ragalakahanas with sancharas which should be avoided.

My concert in Brahmagana sabha, December 2007 was reviewed by mami for the first time and I did not think that that was going to be the last review of my concert by her.She was not only a teacher to us but also like a mother ,ready to help even in personal matters.Having been associated for 17 years I can hardly reconcile myself to the loss.

Geetha Sundaresan, Muscat.
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I came to know Mami thro' my late father K.S.Mahadevan, music critic who had tremendous regard for Mami's erudition, vidwath and above all humility. I have been privileged accompanying my father to her house to witness her rigorous teaching -- rigorous in the fundamentals but benignly soft in her pedagogy much to the delight of her students. The 'Pinjugalin Pancharathnam' was a masterpiece of group teaching and group singing. Above all, despite her name and fame and her service to Carnatic music, amidst the rigors of a dutiful housewife and raising artistic children, she was incredibly humble, her reviews (my father was one of her admirers) were always noteworthy and constructive. She had high standards for herself and her students and maintained it without weilding the cudgel!

The Music Teaching world has lost a great Acharya and a great music connoisseur. My family's condolences to Mr.Pattabhiraman and his family on their inconsolable loss.

May Mami's soul rest in peace!!

M.K.Ramasubramanian( Ramesh), New York.
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