AIMA honours art patrons,music and dance educators

Industrialist Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti and Jayasankar Viswanathan, COO, UNEECO (Universal Electro Engineering), Bahrain, received the ‘Chembai Sangeet Samrakshak’ award at the Suvarna Mahotsav organised by Dr. TVG’s Academy of Indian Music and Arts (AIMA) in Chennai on Saturday. The ‘Acharya Ratna’ award was presented to 51 music and dance educators of South India. J. Radhakrishnan, chairman and managing director of Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation, said veteran musician and mridangam exponent T.V. Gopalakrishnan had transformed thousands of lives through music, discipline and grace. “We should all learn from his humilityhe stands as a huge inspiration,” History will remember him for carefully choosing 51 senior educators and honouring them,” he said. Apoorva Haree, executive director, Rajalakshmi Group, said that at 94, Mr. Gopalakrishnan continued to be a living force of inspiration, reminding everyone that devotion to art is truly a lifelong commitment. Mr Gopalakrishnan said that only an inquiring mind would see growth in life.