"Kalaimani" R. Ramachandran, 83, founder-secretary of the music sabha Hamsadhwani, who was ailing for some time, died in Chennai on Thursday. Popularly known as 'RRC', he was honoured with many awards. These include the prestigious Kalaimamani award given by the Tamil Nadu Government for his contribution to popularising Carnatic music, the Kala Sevak title of the Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer Trust, the Sangita Seva Niratha title given by the Delhi Music Trust and many more. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
The last rites will take place on Saturday. He was an ardent cricket player, journalist and civic activist, active in the freedom movement since his school days and closely associated with Congress and khadi promotion. He was also renowned for his attention to detail, accuracy and command over English. RRC founded Hamsadhwani, a music sabha, in south Chennai in 1990 because of his love for music.
Hamsadhwani Sabha now has a membership of 2,000 music lovers, and is an outstanding institution propagating Carnatic music in Chennai. He is also famous for starting Hamsadhwani's extremely popular NRI music festival to enable musicians from abroad to perform in Chennai. The Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Mandram is conducting its annual music concerts since many years at Hamsadhwani.
