One such village is Gudalur, about 19 km away from Mayiladuthurai (old Mayavaram). Ancestors of G. N. Balasubramaniam hailed from this village. His father G. V. Narayanaswamy lyer was a great lover of music, as also his mother, Visalakshi Ammal. Both of them had fine voices. G. V. Narayanaswamy lyer spent his early days in Kumbakonam, Thiruvidaimarudur and other religious centers in that district. During this period, he had many opportunities of moving closely with the stalwarts of the day like Thirukodikaval Krishna Iyer, the great violin maestro, Saraba Sastrigal, the flute prodigy, Thirumarugal Natesa Pillai, a star performer on the Nadaswaram, whose nephew was the all-time great T.N.Rajarathnam Pillai and also Thiruppayanam Panchapakesa Sastrigal, doyen of Harikatha. Listening to their performances, he imbibed the characteristics of classical Karnatak music and soon became proficient in the' lakshana ' and the' lakshya ' aspects.

Later on, Narayanaswami Iyer moved to Madras and worked as a teacher in the Hindu High School, Triplicane. Here too, his love of music and his earlier contacts with the great vidwans of the time brought him in close touch with the Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, a premier institution devoted to the promotion of fine arts. He later became the Head Master of the school and also the Secretary of Parthasarathy Swami Sabha and commanded the respect of his students and the musicians of his time.

II - MUSICAL ENVIRONMENT

Narayanaswami Iyer was married to Smt. Visalakshi Ammal and they had their first child on 6th January, 1910. They named him Balasubramaniam and affectionately called him' Mani '. Mani spent his early years in an atmosphere charged with the choice music of the era. Giants like Konerirajapuram Vaidhyanatha Iyer, Palladam Sanjeeva Rao, Tiruchi Govindaswamy Pillai and ' Poochi ' Srinivasa Iyengar were regular visitors to the house. In an article entitled" My first Kutcheri " written in 1957, Mani gives a graphic account of his early exposure to vintage music:

" Violinist Karur Chinnaswamy Iyer lived next door to us in the same street in Triplicane. Right from my birth, I lived more or less in an atmosphere drenched in music and this helped me to nurture, develop and sustain my ardor for music. Plenty of opportunities were available to me during this period. I learnt to sing ragas like Sahana, Chenchuruti, Begada and Saveri faultlessly, with ease and without inhibitions. I also learnt a good many kirthanams by just listening to them as sung by senior vidwans. Without formal basic training, I had acquired' swara gnana ' which, I humbly feel, was due to the blessings of elders and savants. Whenever I listened to good music, I had the inner feeling that I could visualise it in the image of swaras. What my ears would be hearing would be picturised in my mind in swara forms. "

Budding talent

Mani used to listen intently to the rich music fare offered at the neighboring house of Chinnaswami Iyer of Karur. He had the uncanny ability to convert into swaras all the twists, and turns, and even the fast glittering ' birkhas' of any raga. It was his practice to convert whatever he heard into swara matrices in his mind. This capacity enabled him in: later years to indulge in breath-taking sweeps both in raga alapana and neraval, keeping the musicality and precision absolutely intact. His famous flashes were not just a product of dexterity of voice, but exuded rich rasa bhava and tonal clarity. Even the old musicians who used to listen to him as a boy could not help admiring these special characteristics of his birkas. Kumbakonam Rajamanickam Pillai in later years paid rich tributes to the' swara suddham ' in G.N.B.'s " birkas " and said that such clarity could hardly be sustained at such fast speeds except by a very gifted musician like ' GNB '.

G. V. Narayanaswamy Iyer who was happy about his son's musical gifts, was very keen on giving him a good education. Mani was studying at the Hindu High School itself and during his school days, he used to participate in dramas and other activities. As a boy, he was invited to many a function where he was asked to sing. Aware of his son's interest in music, which had by then become an obsession with him, Narayanaswamy Iyer himself began to teach him the basic principles of the art. Almost daily, Mani used to listen to the musical sessions held in the house of Karur Chinnaswamy Iyer, in which veterans Thiruvayyaru SabesaIyer, Budalur Krishnamurthy Sastrigal, Palladam Sanjeeva Rao and others participated. There was singing as well as discussion at those sessions. Mani used to involve himself, as he himself has said in an essay, " with utmost dedication and concentration ".

Flowering Instincts

During the period, violinist Madurai Subramania lyer, himself a disciple of Karur Chinnaswamy lyer', was a co-tenant in the house in which Mani and his parents were living. Mani used to take lessons from him as often as possible. He was then singing at a high pitch and his speed was often uncontroIIable. The great vidwans and musicologists visiting his house sometimes asked him to sing. On one such occasion, Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar dropped in. Narayanaswamy lyer' cautioned Mani to reduce the speed. Seeing this, Ariyakkudi said, " Narayanaswami Iyerval, please do not curb the style and the tempo of his singing. At this young age, this speed is natural. As years go by, the voice will settle down and get meIIowed. If you restrain him now, his voice will start sagging at a later stage. I see a bright future for the boy. Let him sing according to his manodharma and at his own natural speed. "

Narayanaswamy Iyer who was rather concerned about his son taking to music as his career, became greatly reassured that his son's musical ability would develop on the right lines. It was during this time that Mani listened to Ramanuja Iyengar's concert in the Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Triplicane. The style, depth and virtuosity of the master engaged the careful attention of the musicaIIy alert Mani and he decided there and then on what lines his own style of singing should be fashioned. It was his good fortune too that he could obtain the necessary guidance and encouragement from Ramanuja Iyengar.