Viji Subramaniam (August 15, 1952 – February 10, 1995) was an Indian musician. She specializes in world music, Indian classical music and film scoring genres. She is famous for being the first wife of veteran Indian musician and violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam.
Wiki/Biography
Viji Subramaniam was born Vijayashree Shankar on Friday, August 15, 1952, in Madras, India (died aged 46 years). Her zodiac sign is Cancer. Shortly after graduation, she entered California Institute of the Arts to pursue a master’s degree in music. Her mother and uncle were well versed in Indian classical music and they began her musical training at a very young age. She grew up in Mumbai.
Viji Subramaniam and her mother (singing)
appearance
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Her father’s name is Rajendra Shankar, the elder brother of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. Her mother’s name is Lakshmi Shankar and she is a Hindustani singer.
Vijay Shankar’s parents
husband and children
In 1976, Viji Shankar married Indian musician Dr. L Subramaniam.
Viji Subramaniam and her husband L Subramanium
According to some media reports, in 1974, Viji Subramaniam and Dr. L Subramaniam attended the Indian Music Festival in London. At this event, they met for the first time. Two years later, they tied the knot in Mumbai. The couple has four children. Their sons Dr. Narayana Subramaniam and Ambi Subramaniam are both musicians.
Narayana Subramaniam
Ambi Subramaniam
Her daughters Gingger Shankar and Bindu Subramaniam are popular Indian musicians.
Bindu Subramaniam
caste
She belongs to the Brahmin community.
Profession
musical
At a very young age, Viji Subramaniam started attending almost all musical events with his mother. During these musical performances, her mother often sang and Virgie played the tambura. Besides being an accomplished tambura player, Viji is also a skilled singer. In the 1970s, she began participating in international live music performances. She frequently accompanied sitar players Shankar and Ustad Alla Rakha in their public performances and played the tambura with them.
Old photos of Viji Subramaniam while performing with Ustad Allah Rakha
In 1974, Viji Subramaniam, along with her aunt Kamala Chakravarty and mother Lakshmi Shankar, attended the Shankar Music Festival from India, which was organized in collaboration with British musician and singer-songwriter George Harrison.
Viji Subramaniam plays tambura and her mother sings
In 1976, she began singing for Indian music festivals, singing songs for Harrison-produced studio albums. The album was recorded at the Friar Park mansion in England at the end of 1974.
Viji Subramaniam sings in Los Angeles
Movie
In 1988, Viji Subramaniam lent his voice to several songs in the film Salaam Bombay. In the same year, the film won the Audience Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1991, she lent her voice to several popular songs in the film “Mississippi Masala” starring Indian actors Sarita Chaudhry and Denzel Washington.
Co-founder of Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF)
Viji Subramaniam founded the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) in 1992 with her husband L Subramaniam to commemorate her later father-in-law’s immense contribution to Indian classical music. The main motive for organizing this festival is to unite renowned Indian and international artists on the same platform. The festival includes the organization of many music events in different cities around the world, including India, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the United States, China, Japan, Cuba, Senegal, Iran and Balochistan. A number of global artists and instrumentalists are associated with the festival, hosting regular musical performances around the world. These artists include Yehudi Menuhin, Bismillah Khan, Allah Rakha, Kishan Maharaj, Arve Tellefsen, Malavika Sarukkai and Christian Eggen.
Poster for Ravi Shankar Music Festival in India. Viji Subramaniam and her mother (4th and 5th from left)
prize
In 1972, Viji Subramaniam was awarded the All India Radio ‘President of India’ Medal for his outstanding singing performances on Indian radio and television.
Viji Subramaniam sings on All India Radio
die
She died of cancer in Los Angeles, USA on February 10, 1995.
Facts/Trivia
- Her name is also Viji.
- In 1997, the famous Indian musician Ravi Shankar wrote in his autobiography that Viji Subramaniam’s voice was sweet and lovely.
- Viji Subramaniam’s favorite hobby is reportedly cooking South Indian food for his family. She used to make it all the time for her husband, who loves parmesan cheese. Many media outlets reported that she was well versed in Mexican, Chinese and Italian cuisine. The report pointed out that
Sometimes she dabbles in other cuisines—Mexican, Chinese and Italian, for example. Eggplant Parmesan is one of her husband’s favorite dishes. She also makes enchiladas filled with cheese, olives and mushrooms. “
- Soon after marrying L Subramaniam, she joined him in spreading the concept of global music around the world. They believe this will reduce the dominance of Western music and allow all other forms of music to flourish globally, including those from Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, China, Africa, Japan and Iran.
- In the early 1990s, she moved from India to Los Angeles, giving up her music career for her husband and four children. She died of cancer in February 1995.
- In 2006, her vocal performance was featured in Violin from the Heart, a documentary based on the life of L Subramaniam. This short film was shot by French director Jean-Henri Meunier.
- Her daughter, Gingger Shankar, is considered one of the most influential Los Angeles-based violinists and composers in the world. According to Gingger Shankar, she was fortunate to receive various musical training from her mother. Once, Ginger Shankar recalled her childhood in an interview with the media and said that when she was a child, Ginger accompanied her mother to various classical concerts and often listened to rock music together at home. Ginger Shankar said,
We would attend classical concerts and listen to rock music on the way home. She is a very open-minded person, so I was able to absorb a lot. “
Gingger Shankar’s childhood photos with her mother
- Her other two children Bindu Subramaniam and Ambi Subramaniam were spotted performing live music performances at the 22nd LGMF between December 2013 and January 2014. The event is part of a six-city tour in India.
- L Subramaniam’s second wife Kavita Krishnamurthy once revealed in a media talk that she attended a wedding of Viji Subramaniam and L Subramaniam. Kavita said,
I was at St. Xavier’s College and she was a year above me at Elphinston College. We shared our passion for music. We met because of a mutual friend. My friend was invited to Virji’s wedding and I also attended the haldi ceremony and the reception afterwards. All I knew was that Vij was getting married to a South Indian musician. Later I heard that she was going to live in the United States. “
Viji Subramaniam on her wedding day
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education