Violinist N Rajam doesn’t feel that her quartet of female violinists spanning three generations of the family is an inspirational story of feminist triumph in a male bastion. At 84, she now feels that times have changed.  

Known as Ammaji to all, her life makes for a fascinating story with prodigious Carnatic beginnings in Chennai, pioneering work in Benares in the 1950s, a career spanning nearly seven decades, and her current position at the center of the female quartet, but she plays it down. The quartet comprises herself, her daughter Sangeeta Shankar and daughters Nandini and Ragini and they began performing together a decade ago.

Daughter Sangeeta adds that they are all equally capable and so grounded in music that it is like having a conversation where the give and take are natural. According to her, the three generations have looked at the violin differently – Her mother influenced a change in its playing technique; she was concerned with how it is heard using technology, and her savvy daughters, both digital natives, are experimenting with how it is seen.

Rajam who famously played for M S Subhalakshmi at the age of fourteen was the first to impose Carnatic style on Hindustani. She had the support and mentorship of two men, both “strict disciplinarians” – her father, and a giant of the Hindustani vocal field, Omkarnath Thakur.

The female quartet is now so well-versed in the Rajam technique that their creative discussions are quite democratic. Nandini and Ragini are daring with their creative experiments, collaborating with other artists and styles, and freely experimenting with digital technology to create new musical expressions.