Gopalnath learnt playing Carnatic Music on the Saxophone under Gopalakrishna Iyer of Kalanikethana, Mangalore, His dedication under tireless efforts enabled him to imbibe all the nuances of Carnatic Music and the Sax. Kadri’s prowess and skill in handling the Saxophone to convey the nuances of Carnatic Music was really encouraging to watch. Despite the fact that the saxophone is a brass instrument and lacks the mellifluous timbre of the traditional nagaswaram, Kadri was able to produce such a rich variety of Musical Cadences.

Haridwaramangalam Sri.A.K.Palanivel, was born on the 10th of April 1948 to S.Kumaravel Pillai and Sethukannu Ammal in a village, Haridwaramangalam,in Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu,India.Kumaravel Pillai himself was a noted tavil vidwan.A.K.Palanivel’s grand father and great grand father were both noted Nadaswara vidwans.A.K.Palanivel’s grand father was known to have performed the Tavil during his tour in Srilanka.One can thus see music running through the whole lineage.A.K.Palanivel’s ancestors have all been well known in the music field.They were all great performers! Sri.A.K.Palanivel did his schooling only upto yhe secondary level.He was known to be very interested in the tavil right from his younger days. Eventhough the maestro enjoyed the tavil as a child,his father discouraged him from learning it as a hobby. But later it was Palanivel’s father who became his tutor and guru and taught him the subtle nuances of the art!Sri.A.K.Palanivel visited almost all the temples in and around Haridwaramangalam and is known to have enjoyed the tavil performances in the temple. A.K.Palanivel got married to Banu when he was 23 and when he was at the pinnacle of his career.Banu encouraged her husband and gave him all the support that he needed.She herself was from a well-known musician family at Thirukalacheri,near Porayar in Thanjavur District. From 1959 onwards,Sri.A.K.Palanivel was given extensive training in the performance of Tavil.Along with his guru,T.G.Muthukumaraswami Pillai,he began to perform Tavil in many Nagaswara programs.A.K.Palanivel spent almost three full years in mastering the Tavil completely.He was a good student and caught on quickly and efficiently.After three years of intrisic training,A.K.Palanivel started to perform solos.Everyone appreciated this talent in such young a lad! He plays alongside not just the Nagaswaram,but also other classical instruments like the violin,flute,clarinet,mandolin and saxophone and in conjunction with vocal music tool