Welcome to "இசையில் இறையும் இயற்கையும் – isaiyil iRaiyum iyaRkaiyum" showcasing lyrics I've written over 30 years.

How did someone not trained in music end up writing songs? I suspect that I have been blessed by the divine and by my elders and driven by their guidance. These influences motivated me and generated my sustained interest in poetry.

I recall my early exposure to Carnatic music that spurred this journey. My elementary school teacher, Sathanur Muddhukrishna Ayyar,  taught me the meaning of several of Saint Thyagarja’s krithis.  My late maternal uncle, Sri Sankaranarayanan of Chinnathachur, taught me the meaning and context of everything he sang, including patriotic songs popularized by Smt. D.K. Pattammal and others. How incredibly lucky I was to immerse myself in the music of the stalwarts of the 1960s at the Kapaleeswarar Temple concerts.  The monthly house concerts on Arunagiri Mudali St, Mandaveli hosted by Pallavi Mahalinga Iyer  were meaningful to me.  My older sister used to live in a rental house on Vadagur Selva Vinayagar Koil Street that belonged to the family of the doyen of Carnatic music, Sri Koteeswara Iyer. His son, Sri K. Nagamani Iyer used to host Panchami concerts at his home. I enjoyed these special evenings. He was proud of the family treasure, Azhagar Kuravanji, composed by his great grandfather, Kavi Kunjara Bharati. Sri. Nagamani Iyer told me about the  immense effort involved in bringing out a recent version of the composition. 

My interest in Tamil literature was sparked by my family and teachers. Religious traditions and my mother’s storytelling enriched my language skills. School and college debates and poetry recitations honed my talent, leading to a deep engagement with Tamil literature, including Sangam texts. A health setback led to monthly visits to Mailam Murugan temple as a preteen, inspiring my initial focus on devotional songs. 

My enduring interest in Tamil stems from my illustrious teachers such as Sri. Jagannadhachari, Sri. B. Raman, Sri. Mu. Thangavelanar, and Sahitya Akademy awardee Sri. Ma. Ramalingam aka எழில் முதல்வன். My wife served as a catalyst in my journey to become a lyricist. My move to the Bay Area and exposure to music and dance also awakened this inherent desire to write. Specifically, the introduction to Smt. Jayashree Varadarajan of Sri Ramalalitha Kalamandir  music school exposed me to a vast repertoire of music. My daughters Priti and Kavita spent many years learning Carnatic Music from Smt. Jayashree Varadarajan and this period gave rise to my appreciation for the lyrical beauty of the Trinity (Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Syama Sastri), Carnatic Pitamaha Purandara dasa, Annamacharya, Vasudevachar, and the royal composers Swati Tirunal and Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar. I started writing during this period when I was also a host for Tamizh Thendral, a radio program that served a Bay Area audience. 

As my daughters Priti and Kavita grew older, they trained in Bharatanatyam. My lyrical interest in this area was subsequently kindled and enhanced by their teachers Smt. Mythili Kumar and Smt. Vidhya Subramanian. An ongoing interest in dance has led me to explore the writing of padams, javalis, and several Navarasa pieces. I wrote a few songs based on verses from Agananuru, Kalithogai, and others. During that period, I wrote songs on nature based on experiences that moved me.  

Next came Smt. Asha Ramesh’s arrival in the Bay Area. She meticulously set some of my scribbles to music and rendered them in concerts. I vividly recall the pleasant shock I had when she first sang one of my compositions on Ganesha at the Shiva Murugan temple in Concord, with a little co-conspiratorial assistance from my wife. This certification that my writing was worth sharing increased my appetite to write more. I delved deep into the life histories and Sahitya designs of various composers. I studied the life histories and substance of the teachings of Adi Sankara, Kanchi Mahaperiyava, Ramana Maharishi, Swami Vivekananda, Shirdi Sai and other saints. Sthalapuranams and Tamil literature became my bedside reading. 

Around the year 2000, I developed severe pain in multiple joints and was being treated medically. I was advised by my family to look at the planetary impact on life and initiate prayers.  This became an alternate therapy for me. Coupled with my childhood health issues, I wrote many songs on the deities of the Hindu Pantheon including my Ishtadevata, Muruga. Even though the songs are written in my mother tongue, Tamil, I have included transliterations of the songs and translations for others to learn them. I have also included an Author's Note to provide the context and mythology behind the songs so that young readers will understand the meaning of the lyrics. I hope that this will also motivate young learners to understand the full meaning of the Krithis of yore. 

Lastly, in working on this endeavor, it has become clear to me that it “takes a village” – several people have helped immensely, and I owe them a great deal. Please forgive any errors and accept this novice’s effort to bring this book to life, to share my songs with everyone interested in Tamil poetry and music. 

We look forward to sharing these compositions with a global audience. We just ask that if you use them in any form please credit Dr. R. Radhakrishnan accordingly and let us know. If you have any questions or need additional information feel free to contact us at

radhalyrics@gmail.com