Neyveli Santhanagopalan: A Pearl From the Lignite Belt

“ Music is my guiding light,” says senior Carnatic vocalist Neyveli Santhanagopalan. Neyveli— the region famous for its lignite reserves—has become synonymous with Carnatic musician Santhanagopalan who grew up in the sylvan surroundings of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation township.

- S. Janaki

The spark was lit for him in early childhood by his parents who were connoisseurs of music. In his teens, it became an all-consuming passion to learn music, which he did from different teachers till he found the guru of his dreams in maestro T.N. Seshagopalan, quite the rage among Carnatic vocalists in the 1980s and 90s. Neyveli equipped himself and became a successful Carnatic vocalist with an enviable performing calendar; and he soon reached the top of the young concert musicians’ circuit. Very fond of poetry and Tamil literature, he had already tried his hand at composing songs. Deriving immense joy from music and driven by the desire to teach and share his knowledge with anyone willing to learn, he established a music school, whose roster of students swelled. One unfortunate fallout of this otherwise happy development was that singing with his flock of students in different srutis took its toll and his voice lost its volume, malleability and sheen. Undeterred by the setback, Neyveli continued to compose, teach and practise his music.