For Padma Vibhushan Dr L Subramaniam, music has never been just about performance, it has been a lifelong spiritual journey shaped by discipline, legacy and faith.
Subramaniam, one of the most celebrated and well-known violinists and composers in the world, has spent decades reinventing the role of the Indian violin on international stages while staying firmly grounded in the principles that his father and guru taught him.
In an exclusive conversation, the maestro reflects on the origins of the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival, a cultural platform that began as a tribute to his father and guru, and has since grown into one of the world’s most respected global music festivals.
He also speaks candidly about legacy, riyaz in an era of fast consumption, spirituality in music, and the personal experiences that continue to ground him despite decades of global recognition.
Q: Can you tell us about the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival?
We started the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival on January 11, 1992, which was my father’s birthday. He passed away in December 1990, so we left a year of mourning. After that, Viji and I decided to celebrate his legacy.
When my father passed away, I almost stopped playing the violin because he was my guru, my teacher, everything for me. I became a violinist because of him. At that time, Viji reminded me that his dream was to take the Indian violin to the global stage. Earlier, the Indian violin was largely seen as an accompanying instrument. He completely transformed that perception.
She told me, “Now you are playing at places like Lincoln Center and Royal Albert Hall. So, now if you stop playing, what’s his dream? It’s going back.” That is how the festival began, initially in one city. Over time, it grew tremendously, and international artists started participating. Eventually, it became a truly global music festival.
We expanded to multiple cities, brought full symphony orchestras decades ago, and even introduced ballet. Today, this has become one of the most important global music festivals. This is our 35th year, and we have taken the festival across five continents, 25 countries and 75 cities.
We also released a 10-DVD collection earlier and published books documenting the journey of the festival, written with my son Dr. Narayana. We are now bringing out the third edition of the book.
This year is particularly special because it is a five-city tour. In Delhi and Chandigarh, the festival is in collaboration with ICCR’s 11th International Dance and Music Festival. For the first time, we presented a full symphony orchestra, choir and ballet together.
The premiere of the Navagraha Symphony, based on ancient Sanskrit Navagraha shlokas, featured Kavita, Bindu, Ambi, Mahati and myself. It was orchestrated for a full symphony orchestra. We also presented the ballet Shantipriya, which I composed many years ago, for the first time in India in this format.
Another highlight was the orchestral and choral presentation of Vande Mataram to mark 150 years of the song, performed by my family and Kavita. These moments truly define the spirit of the festival.
Q: When you think about legacy, what does it mean to you?
In my case, when I talk about legacy, it is my father’s legacy. Because violin was basically an accompanying instrument. Playing with somebody, it didn’t have that importance. Like the Western violinists, they played as solo instruments. So, he changed the whole accompaniment technique.
It’s a different technique, just playing songs with somebody else, following them. It’s not like you are playing alone. Because when you play alone, they expect you to have a virtuosic technique, beautiful sound and to make people sit. All those things he developed. He had a lot of disadvantage at that time. I’m talking about 1930s, 40s.
So, he dreamt about changing the whole scenario, landscape of Indian violin, bringing it to a global stage. So that legacy, now we know, people like Yehudi Menuhin, they wanted to rejoin and play in the United Nations to celebrate the 40th anniversary of India in New York in 1987.
I was the first violinist to play with the major orchestras from Asia and also to compose and conduct. So, a lot of the things happened because of his vision. There’s also the collaboration with some of the greatest jazz artists like Stephen Grappelli.
I did an album called Conversation. It became a very big success. So, for generations people have done that composition. Don’t Leave Me, recently we did the same composition, another version with A. R. Rahman and my family and his family. The same, Don’t Leave Me, as a tribute to my father. So, all the great people from everywhere paying tribute to my father, that is the legacy for me. Ilaiyaraaja also learned from my father. So, for me legacy is not what I’m doing, it’s what my father dreamt, which we are carrying on.
And my children are also full-time musicians, except my eldest son, Narayana Subramanya, is a head and neck cancer surgeon, and he’s doing very well, I’m happy. He also sings beautifully. But he’s so busy with surgery. But now my daughter Bindu is a songwriter, singer, and my son Ambi is a full-time violinist, he’s playing everywhere. My granddaughter is singing, she has got several awards already. So, they are all part of the Lakshmi Narayana Global Music Festival.
So, I know it will continue with my father’s legacy. At least I can see next 30, 40 years, I don’t have to have a problem after my time.
Q: You have taken Indian classical music to global stages for decades. In today’s fast consumption music culture, how discipline and long-term riyaz remain relevant?
You know, for anybody to master any art form, any form, whether it is arts or sports or anything, the practice is very important thing. And you cannot… it’s like…particularly music is a practical art form. You cannot read a lot of books and become a musician. You have to listen a lot, play a lot. The practice is the core factor to achieve what you want to achieve.
Then sustainability, like continuously not getting frustrated, or not expecting big results immediately. If you are dedicated, you work till you get to the goal and continue. There is no end to anything. Because once you think that you have reached everything, then your downfall starts. You start going down.
You cannot say, Last year I played a beautiful concert, so this time, even if I don’t play, people will be happy. No, every concert is being judged by the people who come to that concert. If it is good, they say, oh it is great, they come back next time. Twice we don’t do good, you lose them. They will listen to you on a CD. Why should they have to come back? So, the riyaz for anybody is very, very important.
And maintaining your standard, not going down, but at least pushing every time, going up. That is what is going to make you continue and become a legend. By not thinking that I have reached there. Once you get there, it is more difficult to maintain that.
Q: With so much recognition, how do you stay grounded?
You know, basically, every time I pick up my violin, I think of my father, his sufferings. He didn’t see all this glory, he was an unsung hero for me. So, God has been kind, some blessings, some saintly people and father’s blessing. I believe in some external power and spirituality. So that, as long as you realise, it is all given to you, and if you think, I deserve it, this is what it is, and all those things, you will do so.
So, I think continuously realising this is something, somebody has blessed you with this thing, you keep working it without losing the reality that somebody above is there with all the powers you are playing.
Q: How are music and life are spirituality related for you?
For me, whenever you pick up and start playing the first note, that sound itself takes over. There is an inner voice which guides you.
So spiritually, all our Indian music combinations are based on some gods and goddesses, in praise of Ganapati or Devi, Durga, Krishna, Lakshmi, Saraswati. There are ragas in the name of Saraswati and things like that.
So, in a classical context, you cannot segregate spirituality from music.
Q: How important are awards to you?
You know, awards are important, because once you get the award, people think you have done something. So, the whole thing, I mean, getting Padma Vibhushan from the Government of India, I was very, very happy because I was told I was the first violinist to get. My father’s dream was to make the violin internationally known, and the Indian Government recognising with Padma Vibhushan, recognising my father and my violin, and all the violinists.
It’s very important, because a lot of people will think, oh, he’s a Padma Vibhushan, he must be good, he must be great. So many people who have not heard you, or who don’t know you, or know about you, they go with these things. They then start listening to you, then start slowly understanding what you are trying to do.
So that way, awards are important, it means a lot.
Q: What do you feel every time you pick up the violin?
Once it starts, the sound takes over, there’s an inner voice which guides me. So, you forget that time what you are doing. Many times, you don’t even realise which city you are playing in, which auditorium you are playing in.
You just start playing, the sound takes over, and one note leads to another.
It’s almost like a story, it’s a spiritual journey. You forget yourself, your mind is some other plane. Even after you finish a concert, after two hours, at least for one and a half hours, two hours, your mind is not grounded, somewhere else.
So that kind of peace, even for the audience, if they really like you, you should come and sit. At that time, they don’t think, I didn’t pay my telephone bill, I didn’t pay my rent, I didn’t go to the bank, all those things you don’t think. At that time, you completely forget. The mind is cleared with all the tension, pressures, and it is another emotional status, which is almost like enjoying the feeling, because it’s all vibrations.
So that’s what happens with music for me, and for others too.
Q: Has your relationship with the violin changed since childhood?
When I started learning the violin at that time, basically my father wanted me to sing, actually. My elder brother, Vaidyanathan, was playing the violin. I started, I wanted to play the violin. Then I had diphtheria when I was young, so the doctor said I may not have a good voice. So, I wanted him to teach me violin. He told me, learn mridangam, learn harmonium, I said, no, I want to be playing the violin, what you are playing.
So finally, I started playing. At that time, it was all trying to see how I can catch up and try to imitate and do what he is doing, so that he is happy and continue to teach me. Then after a while, when we started playing all over the place, then it became a spiritual journey for me, basically. It is a journey.
Q: If someone who doesn’t know anything about this, you and music basically everything, what do you want them to know?
Basically, about music, first of all, they have to have an open mind. Many people think, oh, music is not for me … we don’t know, our parents don’t know, we cannot appreciate it. Music, anybody and everybody can appreciate if they have an open mind, because basically it is a vibration. And especially instrumental music is much easier to appreciate because there is no language.
If somebody sings in Italian, you won’t know about it. But somebody plays a piano, you will enjoy it more. Instrumental music is easily accessible outside India, and also for newcomers. Start listening to the music, and sometimes even some beautiful bhajans or something special, sung by some very excellent singers, Bhimsenji and many more, they might like that spirituality and enjoy the thing.
So, you should have an open mind, not come thinking that, Oh, I don’t know, my parents don’t know, I am not grand, so I won’t understand. It is almost a journey, so you feel the sound, but you don’t have to know what that sound is to enjoy.
Q: Let’s say if you are having a bad day, and you have a concert on that day, how do you do it? How do you manage to take your emotions out, personal feelings, and then go on stage and perform the piece?
Many times, I have had bad days, health-wise or whatever it is. One, because I very strongly believe in higher-up spirituality and some supreme powers.
Many years back, this one incident, I tell you, like that I have had other incidents. I was playing in Chicago, it was heavy snow, and we played with Dhoti and Chappal, so after the concert I was just rushing to the car, because next day I had to fly to New York. So, I rushed, but I slipped in the snow, so I didn’t want the violin to fall in the snow.
I was holding it up, so very awkwardly I bent down. So, I couldn’t get up, people helped me, and I went to the place where I was staying. I took painkillers, I am a medical doctor, I thought I will take painkillers, it will be okay. I took painkillers, put hot water and things, nothing changed.
Then the next day I had to go to New York to play. I wanted to cancel, because I know I cannot move, walk. So, I called my friend that I am not in a position. He said, please come, because we have sold out the place. At least come and say you cannot play.
If you don’t come, I will be in trouble. I said okay, went there. So, I called Viji, my first wife who died in 1995, because of a brain tumour. I called her, and casually I started everything. She said, how is everything?, everything is okay. And she said, Baba came in my dream.
I said, what was your dream? She said, ‘He said, you are not well, you are hurt’. So, I got a shock. I said, Yes, I didn’t want to tell you, because you sitting in Los Angeles worrying about me in Chicago, trying to go to New York, it’s not going to work. Then she said, ‘He said, you are hurt. But he also said, you think of Devi before playing. Slowly you will get better’. So, this was a shock. She has dreamt, he has dreamt. He told her, I am sick.
Nobody told her, I didn’t tell her. Then I somehow managed to get there. Once I sat and took the bow, absolutely I didn’t have any pain till I finished playing. The minute I put down the bow, again people have to help me to get up, things like that. So, that happened. Since then, many times, there is also, I strongly believe in Ganesh also.
There is a particular temple I go to. Any problem, any time, before playing, I think of my Ganesh father. I have been very fortunate. Many, many saintly people have asked me to play for them and blessed me. People have materialised, like Baba materialised.
So, all those blessings keep me going. (I got goosebumps when I was listening to your story) It really happened. I don’t talk much about it, because I’m not trying to provocate anything, but I’m telling what I went through, my personal experience. It’s up to the people to believe it or not believe it. This is what I went through. That strength keeps me going.
I was all sick coming from, we were in Kazakhstan. Both of us were sick. We were rehearsing till very late at night. There were a lot of problems. But then, yesterday, with all the pressure, before getting on the stage, I prayed and played.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
No, I think because what I have done is what my father dreamt about, creating our Indian violin, one of the most important musical instruments in the world of music. So, everybody should know how great it is. And the music itself is one of the oldest and most beautiful systems, with probably all the possibilities that are there, melodically and rhythmically. So even the symphonic work I did, it’s all based on Indian music. The Raga Harmony concept, which I did my PhD in Raga Harmony, and deal it in millions of scales we have in India, in South Indian music.
At that time, everything was written on a piece of paper. So, you hear it in your mind and you write it. But then when you hear the actual vibration from the orchestra, that is some feeling which you cannot describe.
Same thing with the ballet, what I did, all written.
Yesterday when they played the dance beautifully for that Shanti Priya, it’s all visualised, but when you physically see that, it is a whole different feeling. So that keeps you going.
Spiritually, you have to keep going. (It’s like a warm hug from your father also.) Yes, that’s what it is.