Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma

Prince Rama Varma
Prince Rama Varma playing the Veena
Prince Rama Varma playing the Veena
Background information
Born
Sree Padmanabhadasa Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma

(1968-08-13) August 13, 1968 (age 58)
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
GenreCarnatic classical music
OccupationsSinger, veena player, writer.
Years active1990 – present
Websiteramavarma

Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma , also known as Prince Rama Varma, is an Indian classical musician and a member of the erstwhile Royal Family of Travancore. He is a Carnatic vocalist as well as an exponent of the Saraswati Veena. He is also a teacher, musicologist, writer and orator.

Early life

Rama Varma was born on 13 August 1968 and is a member of the Royal Family of Travancore. He is a direct descendant of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal.

He started formal vocal music lessons in 1982 under Prof. Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer, a senior disciple of Dr. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, who continued to be his Guru until his demise in 1994. He also trained in the Veena under Trivandrum Sri R. Venkataraman and Prof. K.S. Narayanaswamy. Later, Varma went on to become a senior disciple of Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna.

Career

Prince Rama Varma gave his first public performance in 1990 and released his first CD at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Later, he taught Indian music at the Rotterdam Conservatory, Codarts . Since returning to India, Varma has given several concerts and conducted music workshops in India and abroad. His concerts feature not only the best-known Carnatic compositions but also works from works from lesser-known composers such as Prayaga Rangadasa, Mallekonda Ramadasa, M.D. Ramanathan and Kaiwara Amara Nareyana. Videos on the YouTube channel Musiquebox, which features Varma's music, have received over 25 million views.

Rama Varma performing at Swathi Sangeethotsavam

References

  1. ↑ "The forgotten composers". The Hindu. 14 June 2012. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Ramakrishnan, Deepa H. (26 February 2005). "Royalty's humble face". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 May 2005. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Jamming at a jugalbandi". The Hindu. 2 May 2002. Archived from the original on 4 July 2003. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Menon, Lakshmy (14 April 2017). "Spreading the message of music". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "A new experience". The Hindu. 8 August 2005. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  6. ↑ archive, From our online (16 May 2012). "A musical treat for Kochiites". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  7. ↑ musiquebox (24 November 2008). Prince Rama Varma interviewed by Stephen Cole on BBC World Service!. Retrieved 13 August 2026 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ Menon, Lakshmy (14 April 2017). "Spreading the message of music". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Ananth, Ambika (1 December 2024). "The journey of a musical luminary". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 13 August 2026.