Prof. V. Lakshminarayana was a great composer, musicologist, and, most importantly, a teacher. Prof. Lakshminarayana was a visionary in the field of Indian music. He was responsible for many of the innovations now in everyday practice. When the Indian violin was an accompanying instrument, he aspired to elevate it to the position of a solo instrument by developing several new techniques that he taught his children and students. As a result, the Indian violin was recognised, respected and accepted as an important solo instrument at the global level. He also formed the first ‘Violin Trio’ with his three sons – L. Vaidyanathan, Dr L. Subramanaiam and L. Shankar.

Prof. Lakshminarayana learnt under the tutelage of Gopala Bhagawathar a disciple of Parameshwara Bharawathar a musician in the court of the great composer Maharaja Swati Tirunal. Prof. Lakshminarayana’s musical lineage can be traced to all three members of the Carnatic Music Trinity – Tyagaraja Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry.

Although his music was steeped in tradition he always had an open mind. He would organize concerts where the first half comprised Western Classical music and the second half comprised Carnatic music.

The masterful innovative violin techniques that he created intrigued some of the greatest violinists like Lord Yehudi Menuhin Stephane Grappelli and many others when they heard Dr. L. Subramaniam’s play. This led to many iconic artists collaborating with Dr. Subramaniam on various musical projects.

In light of his outstanding contribution, the government of India released a commemorative stamp in his honour in 2004. The State Governments of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh also released First Day Covers in his honour. In his hometown of Allepey, there is a road named after him: ‘Violin Lakshminarayana Road.’

In addition to teaching his sons he also taught his three daughters – Brahanayaki Subbulakshmi and Ganasaraswathy who also Performed concerts. He taught many other musicians including music director Ilaiyaraja and Carnatic singer Sanjay Subhramanyam.