D. K. Jayaraman Biography 
D. K. Jayaraman was a renowned Carnatic musician from Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. His full name is Damal Krishnaswamy Jayaraman and is also referred to as DKJ. He is the youngest brother of legendary Carnatic singer, D. K. Pattammal who fostered Jayaraman’s talent since young. Jayaraman used to accompany his sister for concerts as well. He belonged to an orthodox Brahmin family of Kanchipuram. He was conferred the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi title shortly before his death. He passed away on 25 January 1991 aged 62.
He was born on 22 July 1928 in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu into a family which inherited music. Both his parents, Damal Krishnaswamy Dikshitar and Rajammal were inclined towards music, and Rajammal was a good Carnatic singer also. His father was prolific in Tamil literature which helped young Jayaraman to improve diction. He was initiated to the world of music by none other than his elder sister, D.K. Pattammal. He used to accompany his sister for music concerts since young. Later he took advanced learning from Muthiah Bhagavathar and Papanasam Sivan, and he excelled in Kriti renditions similar to his sister. He also learnt a lot by listening to great musicians too.
DKJ’s first solo performance was at the All India Radio in 1940. He earned 45 rupees for his first performance. Apart from a gifted vocalist, he was also a great teacher. He started teaching students at a young age. His first student was Sekhar, an auditor. He used to ride on a bicycle to give tuition classes to students from 9 villages. So he was nicknamed, Cycle Vidwan. T G Badrinarayanan, Sharada Mani, N. Vijay Siva, Balaji Shankar, Dr. S.Sunder, Asha Ramesh, R.K. Shriramkumar and Sukanya Jayaraman are among his noted students. Popular Tamil playback singer and Carnatic vocalist Nithyasree is his grandniece.
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Updated: July 09, 2016
