| birth_place = Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India | }} Nadesan Ramani, Padmashri Dr. N. Ramani (also known as Flute Ramani, b. 1934) is a renowned Carnatic flautist from Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, India. A disciple of the legendary T. R. Mahalingam (commonly known as "Mali," who first popularised the Carnatic flute to the world of Indian music, Ramani was born in what Carnatic followers consider the sacred sanctuary of Carnatic music, the city of Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu (the birthplace of the "trinity" of Carnatic composers, who laid the foundation for the tradition: Saint Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Shastri). In a city known for its musical traditions, the young Ramani was exposed to many aspects of Carnatic music. Ramani's grandfather, Sri Aazhiyur Narayanaswami Iyer, was his first guru and was a well known flute artist and singer himself. Aware of young Ramani's keen interest in the Carnatic flute,