Flautist Sikkil Kunjumani, the elder of the renowned ‘Sikkil Sisters' duo, passed away here on Saturday morning. She was 83 and is survived by her sister Neela, a daughter and a son.
Important Days
Sometime in 1985, Baby was baby-sitting a little boy while practicing something that came naturally to her — music! And the boy responded by singing the tunes that she played on the flute, before launching into a film song that was popular then. She was visibly elated and made an emphatic announcement that this boy shall learn to sing instead of playing the flute, the instrument that the family is popularly associated with. , are sisters who play the carnatic flute, called Venu flute. Together they are more famously known a? the Sikkil Sisters. Their father Azhiyur Natesa Iyer was a mridangist. Kunjumani started learning music from her father initially and then learnt flute from her maternal uncle Azhiyur Narayanaswami Iyer. Neela learnt flute from her sister Kunjamani. Kunjamani, began giving concerts from the age of nine and Neela from the age of seven.
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