Shashank Subramanyam facts for kids

Shashank Subramanyam (born October 14, 1978) is a famous musician from India who plays the bamboo flute, also known as the Venu. He is known for his amazing talent in Carnatic music, a type of Indian classical music.

He was born in a small town called Rudrapatna in India. Today, he lives in Chennai, India, with his wife Shirisha and their two children.

A Musical Childhood

Shashank Subramanyam was born into a family that loved music. His father was a professor who also played the flute as a hobby. From a very young age, Shashank showed an incredible understanding of music.

By the time he was just three years old, he could recognize all 72 main musical scales, called melakarta ragas, in Carnatic music. This was a sign of his special talent.

Learning the Flute

At first, Shashank was trained to play the violin. But when he was six years old, he watched his father play the bamboo flute and decided he wanted to learn it instead. He started teaching himself in 1984. He figured out his own way to play the complex notes and slides of Carnatic music on the flute.

When he was eleven, he went on his first international tour to Australia in 1990. This was the start of his journey as a global music star. The next year, at age twelve, he performed at the famous Music Academy in Chennai. He was the youngest flute player ever to be given such an important concert slot.

Learning from the Greats

To become even better, Shashank learned from famous vocalists. He studied with Palghat K. V. Narayanaswami to master the pure, traditional style of Carnatic music.

Later, he also trained in Hindustani classical music, another major style from India. He learned from the legendary singer Pandit Jasraj for almost 15 years. This training helped him grow as an artist and develop his own unique style.

A Career on Stage

Shashank began performing for audiences when he was only six years old. His talent was clear from the very beginning. By the time he was a teenager, he was already a well-known musician.

In 1992, he performed for the President of India at the presidential palace, Rashtrapati Bhavan. This was a great honor for such a young artist.

Performing Around the World

Throughout his career, Shashank has played in some of the most famous concert halls in the world. He has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.

He has also been a star performer at major music festivals across India. His concerts are known for being exciting and full of skill.

In 2008, he worked with the famous guitarist John McLaughlin on an album called Floating Point. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2009. This showed how he could blend Indian classical music with other styles like jazz.

Shashank has also played with many other great musicians from India and around the world, including Zakir Hussain, Paco de Lucia, and Ustad Sultan Khan.

Style and Special Techniques

Shashank is known for his special way of playing the flute. He developed a method called the multi-flute transposed fingering technique. This means he can switch between different flutes—from a deep-sounding bass flute to a high-pitched piccolo flute—all in the same performance. This gives his music a rich and varied sound.

He is also a master of the Ragam Tanam Pallavi (RTP), a challenging part of a Carnatic concert. He often performs several of these in a row, each with a different rhythm, showing his incredible control and creativity.

Shashank also helped design a special type of flute, now called the "Shashank-style flute." This flute has eight holes instead of the traditional seven, which helps him play difficult notes more clearly and accurately.

Awards and Honors

Shashank has received many awards for his music. Here are some of the most important ones:

• Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knighthood) from the French government in 2022.
• Grammy nomination in 2009 for the album Floating Point.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the Government of India in 2017.
• Kalaimamani from the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2001.
• An "A Top" ranking from All India Radio and TV, the highest level for an artist.