V. Raghvan

About

Dr. V. Raghavan (Venkataraman Raghavan), born on August 22, 1908, in Tiruvarur, Tanjore District, Tamil Nadu, India, was a legendary Sanskrit scholar, musicologist, and Indologist who made profound contributions to Indian classical dance, music, and literature until his passing in 1979. He received his early education under Pandit Sengalipuram Appaswamy Shastrigal and later graduated from Presidency College, Madras, in 1930, earning multiple university medals. He pursued an M.A. in Sanskrit Language and Literature and was awarded a Doctorate in 1934-1935 for his thesis on Bhoja's Sringara Prakasa, specializing in Alamkara and Natya Sastras and Sanskrit Aesthetics. Raghavan served as a Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Madras and was the esteemed Secretary of the Madras Music Academy from 1944 until his death. He was a founding member of both the Sahitya Akademi and the Sangeet Natak Akademi. In 1958, he established Samskrita Ranga, an organization dedicated to Sanskrit theatre, bringing ancient Sanskrit dramatic traditions like Kootiyattam from temple precincts to urban platforms. He was a prolific writer, authoring over 120 books and 1200 articles on Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam, and aesthetics, often writing reviews under pseudonyms like “Bhavuka” or “Bhava Raga Tala”. His pioneering paper on Bharatanatyam, presented at the first dance seminar at the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1958, significantly contributed to the art form's historiography. He also edited critical works on dance and drama, including Nritta Ratnavali of Jayasenapati and Srngara Manjari of Saint Akbar Shah. Raghavan composed several songs, notably "Candrashekharam Ashraye" and "Maithreem Bhajata," which were famously rendered by M. S. Subbulakshmi. His extensive work in arts, music, and manuscript preservation revitalized Indian traditions, leaving an indelible mark on Indian aesthetics. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1964), Padma Bhushan (1962), Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit (1966), Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi, Kane Gold Medal by the Asiatic Society, Bombay, Kavi-Kokila, Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow (1968), Honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature, Vidyā Vācaspati, from the Sanskrit University, Varanasi, Honorary Member of the École française d'Extrême-Orient, Paris, Honorary Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna.

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