Trichur Ramachandran’s striking features, crisply ironed clothes, bright eyes and dignified bearing evoke memories of a bygone era of regal presences. He seems to barely pause to think when he speaks, yet he speaks as if he were reading off a script, with his ideas well-formed, his voice clear, and his delivery near-perfect. Speaking of his guru G.N. Balasubramanian, he says, “He was in the music field, but he had the bearing of an officer. Like a minister or something,” cheekily adding, “a minister of those days.” You could say the same about Ramachandran.