India, April 29 -- Violinist-composer Dr L Subramaniam dedicates his Padma Vibhushan - India's second-highest civilian award - to the violin, the instrument that has earned him global recognition. "It belongs to my father and all the violinists, as this is the first time this honour has been given to a violinist," he tells us after the ceremony in Delhi.

Sharing how the feat feels, the musician adds, "I am very happy and privileged to get the Padma Vibhushan. It's all because of the violin's presence on the global stage, which was my father, Prof V Lakshminarayana's (late musician) vision. He wanted the Indian violin to be on a par with the western violin. He wanted violinists to become solo artistes and not just accompanists. My father ...