Prince Rama Varma

Carnatic Saraswati Veena Vocal

Prince Rama Varma

3 minute read

Prince Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma (born 13 August 1968) is a Carnatic vocalist and Saraswati veena exponent from the Royal Family of Travancore, descended from composer Maharaja Swathi Thirunal and artist Raja Ravi Varma. Raised amid the rich musical traditions of Navarathri Mandapam, he began formal vocal training in 1982 under Prof. Vechoor Hariharasubramania Iyer, later learning veena from Trivandrum R. Venkataraman and Sangeetha Kalanidhi Prof. K. S. Narayanaswamy. He then became one of the foremost disciples of Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, sharing the stage and a rare devotional rapport with his guru.

Prince Rama Varma debuted publicly in 1990 and released his first CD at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. He’s performed at prestigious venues across India, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. An engaging orator, he enriches concerts with background explanations and renditions in multiple languages, making classical music accessible to diverse audiences. He also curates the Navarathri Mandapam and Swathi Sangeethotsavam festivals in Thiruvananthapuram, reviving tradition and promoting inclusivity—famously inviting women performers after centuries-long prohibition.

As a teacher and musicologist, Prince Rama Varma conducts workshops worldwide and holds sessions at institutions like the Rotterdam Conservatory. His YouTube lectures, exceeding over 5 million views, are celebrated for their clarity in explaining raagas, lyrics, and history . Among his students is Amrutha Venkatesh, known for purity of rendition. While he hasn’t performed at Darbar Festival himself, his multifaceted influence—as performer, educator, festival curator, and social reformer—continues shaping holistic, inclusive Carnatic practice on global stages.

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Ranjani & Gayatri | Raga Shubhapantuvarali

Recorded at Darbar Festival 2015, on 18th September at London's Southbank Centre. Musicians: - Ranjani & Gayatri (vocals) - HN Bhaskar (violin) - Sai Giridhar (mridangam) - Giridhar Udupa (ghatam) - Mithila Sarma & Kiruthika Nadarajah (tanpuras) Renowned for the lyrical luminosity and purity with which they continue to present Carnatic music to audiences around the world, Ranjani and Gayatri’s performance from this Darbar festival 2015 video is a firecracker that will be remembered for year The sisters perform six pieces beginning with a kriti composed by Saint Purandara Dasa (1484-1564), the devotional singer, composer, philosopher and devotee of Lord Krishna. ‘Jaya Jaya Janaki Kantha’ is set to Raag Nattai and the hymn praises Lord Vishnu’s human avatar Rama. Pegging short tonal sentences (swarakalpanas) around the composition, the duo gives a lively start to their performance. The second composition set to Raga Arabhi, was written and composed by Saint Thyagaraja (1767-1847). Ranjani takes the lead to introduce the alapana in crisp and steady rapid notes accentuated by oscillations. Each note is welded to the other in smooth switch-overs as they flow and ebb in a series of synchronised, rhythmless melodic tides. ‘Nada Sudha Rasam Bhilanu’ gives a stunning metaphor of Rama as a personification of the supreme, divine medium of music. The third piece set to Kharaharapriya is set to Misra Chapu talam. ‘Navasiddhi Petralum’ compares an accomplished man without faith to the husk surrounding a grain - an absolutely useless residue that is thrown away. Composed by Neelakanta Sivan (1839-1900), Ranjani and Gayatri structure this kriti around a magnificent scheme of tunes and rhythm. Thereafter, they pivot to the ragam tanam pallavi in Shubhapanthuvarali. A detailed alapana followed by tanam preludes the pallavi. The sisters explore the raga extensively and perform the pallavi set to Chatusra Jati Triputa talam in 16 beats. An engaging ragamalika ensues followed by a percussion duet that lends exponential beauty to this performance. The next piece, a Tamil ‘viruttham’ (sanskrit hymn with no rhythmic accompaniment) set to Raga Sindhu Bhairavi flows seamlessly into a composition in praise of the duality of Lord Shiva by Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer (1844-1893). The sisters end their recital with a resounding abhang set to Raga Chandrakauns in an extraordinary trade of energies between themselves and their accompanists on stage. Subscribe to the Darbar Player to access the full, uncut performance.