Mudikondan Venkatarama Iyer (Tamil: முடிகொண்டான் வெங்கடராம ஐயர் 15 October 1897 – 13 September 1975) was a South Indian Carnatic music singer and musicologist. He was also known as Mudikondan (sometimes spelt Mudicondan) - the name of his native village. Background Venkatarama Iyer was born in Mudikondan, a small village in the Nannilam taluk of Tiruvarur district in Tamil Nadu, India to parents Chakrapani Iyer and Kamakshi. His father was a singer of Hindu religious hymns while his maternal grandfather Srivanchiyam Swaminatha Iyer rendered padams and javalis with lilt that earned him the pet name 'talukku' Swaminatha Iyer. His uncle Bommalattam Mani Iyer was also a famous musician. Education Mudikondan's father wanted him to learn English, so he went to college in Chennai (then called Madras) after school. However, his father died, which forced him to leave college and return to his village. He then decided to receive formal training in Carnatic music. He furthered his education with help from Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer. He learned tala and laya from a 'Tavil Vidwan' known as Ammachatram Kandaswami Pillai. Simizhi Sundaram Iyer taught him the bhava aspect. Swaminatha Iyer came from Saint Tyagaraja's lineage while Sundaram Iyer was from Muthuswami Dikshitar's lineage. This ensured that Mudikondan acquired a very rich repertoire of Krithis. He also spoke many languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, and English, had a working knowledge of Astrology and Ayurveda, and frequently prepared herbal medicines at home. Music career Mudikondan's inaugural concert took place at Cuddalore when he was 17 years old. In 1919, he performed his first concert in Chennai under the auspices of the Mylapore Sangeetha Sabha. Mudikondan was an expert in rendering Ragam Thanam Pallavi. He had information at his finger tips. When anyone wanted to clear a doubt, he could explain without referring to any book. He would answer the dispute without ambiguity. He lived in his native village and taught students there. The Hindu newspaper reported that Mudikondan was "a great debater on the nuances of music and he used to explain in a remarkable way even obscure points." From 1935 onward he regularly attended the Madras Music Academy's annual conference. He was an expert on both Lakshana and Lakshya aspects of Carnatic music. He explained the correct way of rendering niraval, ragam, tanam, and pallavi. Dr. V. Raghavan, President of the Music Academy successfully convinced him to move to Chennai. Mudicondan moved to Chennai in