Sikkil Gurucharan today literally has the crowds swaying to his tune. He started his career at age six and now, in his early thirties, he is much sought after. From child artiste to full-blown professional and crowd-puller: what a transition! But he feels differently, ‘for me there has been no real transition in those terms, though of course the musical sense has deepened! I like to feel I am in competition with younger musicians, it keeps me on my toes. Yet, technically, a transition happened about 2–3 years back: large audience, papers write about you and secretaries put you on their list. These things push you to the next level’.
He enjoys the pressure, the press interviews, attention and publicity, ‘it’s all enjoyable. Readers sometimes keep track of what you say so there’s a need to say the right things. This pressure even transforms into positive energy on stage’.
Gurucharan has experimented with new concepts. The Anil Srinivasan–Gurucharan duo has hit the records many times, but he does not feel there is a need to innovate, as ‘people come to the concert to hear traditional Carnatic music for what it is’. His collaborations with Anil Srinivasan have brought in a whole set of new listeners, from North India and outside India, who were more into Ravi Shankar or Pop and Rock.
Gurucharan is usually noticeably sensitive to his audience’s mood. How does he manage this, with sabhas asking for predetermined lists of songs to be sung? How does he manage to be spontaneous in this? He says, ‘The list is useful because it saves the audience from accidental repetitions by subsequent performers, but it is not so rigid and can be slightly modified to suit the mood of the singer and the listeners’.
He draws inspiration from the stories his grandmother, Sikkil Kunjumani, used to tell him. For example, about how Semmangudi ‘mama’ used to engage the audience. ‘When the audience looked slack or vague, he would change the tempo with a brisk krithi carrying his trademark kalpana swarams. It is necessary, and even very important, to be in tune and respond when the audience looks vague or looks away’.
13 January 2011
Subhiksha Rangarajan - Article in Deccan Chronicle for Music Festival 2010
Subhiksha Rangarajan is a multifaceted artist: performing artist, painter and writer all rolled into one. Having started early, she is deep into different genre of music, even at age 22! In her concert for Karthik Fine Arts, she was using her abilities to the fullest and spun out exquisite strains of Abhogi, Bhairavi and Pantuvarali. Accompanying her on violin was another young talent, Akkarai Swarnalatha. Subhiksha’s strength is being able to build up the mood of the raagam, while Swarnalatha has the ability to first set up an environment and then place one note in its centre. Guru Raghavendra on the mirudhangam smartly added to this harmony.
Apart from her performance in sabhas, Subhiksha also sings for a contemporary Indian music band: Yodhakaa. What is Yodhakaa? Subhiksha says, ‘We compose music for lyrics that are drawn from Sanskrit slokas. Most of these are old songs, but a few lyrics have been written by our friend, Pranav. He also helped us with our other slokas. Our music is influenced by many styles from around the world: Latin, African, Jazz, and so on, but it’s not, ‘in the face’! We take care that the styles are blended into the sloka and other melodies’.
Carnatic music takes pride in being complete, so how are these compositions different? ‘We do not compose for the meaning or mood of the songs, rather we try to highlight the effect of the syllables! In the song, ‘Gnaanam’, for example, rather than stick to one raagam, we stress on the syllable ‘Paap’, and the instruments all try to imitate this sound’.How does she separate the purist carnatic style from such fusion compositions? ‘ It’s not different, really. If you ask any senior musician, they will say that the raagam is more important than the notes it is made of. I always sing thinking of the song as a whole. I always stick to that picture and not always the notes’.
Subhiksha’s approach is new and to be lauded. Art in its growth must also touch a common chord in all people; it is to be hoped that musicians of her generation will be endowed with that liberating gift.
Apart from her performance in sabhas, Subhiksha also sings for a contemporary Indian music band: Yodhakaa. What is Yodhakaa? Subhiksha says, ‘We compose music for lyrics that are drawn from Sanskrit slokas. Most of these are old songs, but a few lyrics have been written by our friend, Pranav. He also helped us with our other slokas. Our music is influenced by many styles from around the world: Latin, African, Jazz, and so on, but it’s not, ‘in the face’! We take care that the styles are blended into the sloka and other melodies’.
Carnatic music takes pride in being complete, so how are these compositions different? ‘We do not compose for the meaning or mood of the songs, rather we try to highlight the effect of the syllables! In the song, ‘Gnaanam’, for example, rather than stick to one raagam, we stress on the syllable ‘Paap’, and the instruments all try to imitate this sound’.How does she separate the purist carnatic style from such fusion compositions? ‘ It’s not different, really. If you ask any senior musician, they will say that the raagam is more important than the notes it is made of. I always sing thinking of the song as a whole. I always stick to that picture and not always the notes’.
Subhiksha’s approach is new and to be lauded. Art in its growth must also touch a common chord in all people; it is to be hoped that musicians of her generation will be endowed with that liberating gift.
Priya Murle- Article in Deccan Chronicle for Music Festival 2010
Rigour helps gain dance versatility
January 8th, 2011
Shubashree Desikan
Priya Murle recalls the roundedness of her training at ShriBharatalaya, under Guru Sudharani Raghupati. Apart from dance, they were taught music, Sanskrit and theory of dance. ‘Our Sanskrit master also told us many stories; after all, dance is visual story-telling! For five years, I only did adavus, much later came solo performances and thematic presentations. Sudha aunty would do the research but always discuss how we should present; she would ask basic questions, “what are you going to highlight here? what swarams and jathis here?” In fact, we never realized we were being trained. I was trained in giving demos, explaining to newcomers through speeches, etc. Even our pronounciation and diction was checked by her. Many people are now surprised that I can handle all aspects: sing, play nattuvangam, do folk-style dance with Anita Rathnam, etc. All my co-students can do all this.’
Priya upholds two performances as special: Amba Shikandhi and the folk-depiction of Indra in Mammudha. ‘In the former, it was a great challenge to depict woman, woman disguised as man and woman becoming a man; especially, doing it sensitively, without being offensive. It would not have been possible without the depth of our training’.
Priya says, ‘I can unconsciously mimick people. Consciously I work at letting go of my ego, for when I portray a character, I have to lose the Priya ego. An important thing is to warm up to the stage quickly and perform instinctively. The body memory should be the guiding instinct, when the dance appears effortless’. Even then, ‘every performance is a test. Losing oneself is rare, and then, but for a moment’.
Conflict between self and the character exists at times, ‘in many cases this lends force to your portrayal’, as for example in One Million Seetas, by Anita Ratnam.
Natyarangam of Naradha Gana Sabha, ‘identify talents and rope them into group activities. They hold camps in Tennangur every year, where daily, we have yoga and lectures, and dance in the temple’. Occasions when one feels down? ‘It is natural to feel a twinge of jealousy sometimes, but I snap out of it very quickly. My family is so supportive, it would be very difficult without that. You must really just reinforce belief in yourself’.
January 8th, 2011
Shubashree Desikan
Priya Murle recalls the roundedness of her training at ShriBharatalaya, under Guru Sudharani Raghupati. Apart from dance, they were taught music, Sanskrit and theory of dance. ‘Our Sanskrit master also told us many stories; after all, dance is visual story-telling! For five years, I only did adavus, much later came solo performances and thematic presentations. Sudha aunty would do the research but always discuss how we should present; she would ask basic questions, “what are you going to highlight here? what swarams and jathis here?” In fact, we never realized we were being trained. I was trained in giving demos, explaining to newcomers through speeches, etc. Even our pronounciation and diction was checked by her. Many people are now surprised that I can handle all aspects: sing, play nattuvangam, do folk-style dance with Anita Rathnam, etc. All my co-students can do all this.’
Priya upholds two performances as special: Amba Shikandhi and the folk-depiction of Indra in Mammudha. ‘In the former, it was a great challenge to depict woman, woman disguised as man and woman becoming a man; especially, doing it sensitively, without being offensive. It would not have been possible without the depth of our training’.
Priya says, ‘I can unconsciously mimick people. Consciously I work at letting go of my ego, for when I portray a character, I have to lose the Priya ego. An important thing is to warm up to the stage quickly and perform instinctively. The body memory should be the guiding instinct, when the dance appears effortless’. Even then, ‘every performance is a test. Losing oneself is rare, and then, but for a moment’.
Conflict between self and the character exists at times, ‘in many cases this lends force to your portrayal’, as for example in One Million Seetas, by Anita Ratnam.
Natyarangam of Naradha Gana Sabha, ‘identify talents and rope them into group activities. They hold camps in Tennangur every year, where daily, we have yoga and lectures, and dance in the temple’. Occasions when one feels down? ‘It is natural to feel a twinge of jealousy sometimes, but I snap out of it very quickly. My family is so supportive, it would be very difficult without that. You must really just reinforce belief in yourself’.
K.J.Yesudas - Article in Deccan Chronicle for Music Festival 2010
Yesudas, remains a lion on stage
By Shubashree Desikan
Jan 09 2011
Dr K.J.Yesudas’ concert at Bharat Kalachar was an amazing feat, so much so that the grand lady, Mrs Y.G.Parthasarathy compared him to a lion emerging from a cave. The versatile singer has been given the Alvas Virasat award at Mangalore. A few years earlier, he had requested the Kerala Government to leave him out of the contention for the best playback singer award. He says, ‘yes, there are many youngsters who deserve to be considered. It is not to be interpreted that I just refuse awards or any such thing’.
Despite his seniority and experience (he has recorded 40,000 songs so far) he still listens to the masters to fine tune his sensibilities. He advocates this, ‘It is important to listen attentively, and notice their exact notations. What is the length of the note that he sang? I can write it down. That is not to say one must copy; the true test is when you sing it with your original capacity’
How is he the king of the cutchery and the light music stage? ‘People come there with an expectation which I must fulfill. It is important to conserve your voice. I do not talk on concert days. I have sacrificed, because I believe my voice is a gift and I must nurture it’.
S.Balachandar, his first music director, still brings a shine at mention. ‘With so few people in his team, unlike the practice in tamil film industry, he was full of grace, like the Sun, tall and dressed in white! I emulate him in the way I dress. Of course there is another advantage in wearing white; no one would know how many pairs you possess,’ he laughs. ‘S.Balachandar’s Andha Naal is a masterpiece, so fresh even today! It is so unlike the present films which are only the stuff of dreams. That was reality, which is why it has lasted. Fantasies and dreams break when you get out of the hall.’
‘Classical singers sometimes are not easy for the audience to appreciate, for example M.D.Ramanathan, was criticized for being slow, even in varnams. He had few listeners sometimes, yet never compromised. Many times changes are made. The varnam Gnanamu Sakaradha, which people sing in Purvikalyani now, is said to have been composed by Thagaraja in Shadvidhamargini. Changes happen, along the way, perhaps to capture audience; perhaps Purvikalyani has the spring that was not in the other’.
‘Sangeetha Gnanamu: so many old Telugu books have the opening phrases in a different notation. It sounds more correct to me, because every phrase starts with panjamam. In the present monotonous way, when tha and gna are sung on the same note, there is a danger that sangeetha-gnanam sounds like sangeeth-agnanam, just the opposite!’
By Shubashree Desikan
Jan 09 2011
Dr K.J.Yesudas’ concert at Bharat Kalachar was an amazing feat, so much so that the grand lady, Mrs Y.G.Parthasarathy compared him to a lion emerging from a cave. The versatile singer has been given the Alvas Virasat award at Mangalore. A few years earlier, he had requested the Kerala Government to leave him out of the contention for the best playback singer award. He says, ‘yes, there are many youngsters who deserve to be considered. It is not to be interpreted that I just refuse awards or any such thing’.
Despite his seniority and experience (he has recorded 40,000 songs so far) he still listens to the masters to fine tune his sensibilities. He advocates this, ‘It is important to listen attentively, and notice their exact notations. What is the length of the note that he sang? I can write it down. That is not to say one must copy; the true test is when you sing it with your original capacity’
How is he the king of the cutchery and the light music stage? ‘People come there with an expectation which I must fulfill. It is important to conserve your voice. I do not talk on concert days. I have sacrificed, because I believe my voice is a gift and I must nurture it’.
S.Balachandar, his first music director, still brings a shine at mention. ‘With so few people in his team, unlike the practice in tamil film industry, he was full of grace, like the Sun, tall and dressed in white! I emulate him in the way I dress. Of course there is another advantage in wearing white; no one would know how many pairs you possess,’ he laughs. ‘S.Balachandar’s Andha Naal is a masterpiece, so fresh even today! It is so unlike the present films which are only the stuff of dreams. That was reality, which is why it has lasted. Fantasies and dreams break when you get out of the hall.’
‘Classical singers sometimes are not easy for the audience to appreciate, for example M.D.Ramanathan, was criticized for being slow, even in varnams. He had few listeners sometimes, yet never compromised. Many times changes are made. The varnam Gnanamu Sakaradha, which people sing in Purvikalyani now, is said to have been composed by Thagaraja in Shadvidhamargini. Changes happen, along the way, perhaps to capture audience; perhaps Purvikalyani has the spring that was not in the other’.
‘Sangeetha Gnanamu: so many old Telugu books have the opening phrases in a different notation. It sounds more correct to me, because every phrase starts with panjamam. In the present monotonous way, when tha and gna are sung on the same note, there is a danger that sangeetha-gnanam sounds like sangeeth-agnanam, just the opposite!’
Balamurali Krishna - Article in Deccan Chronicle for Music Festival 2010
‘Faith in destiny paved my way’
January 3rd, 2011
Shubashree Desikan
Innovation was known to be Dr M. Balamuralikrishna’s style even in the 1970s. ‘I love the new,’ he says, in reply to the question, ‘how do you tackle modernity?’ He continues, ‘Change is inevitable and unstoppable, and I always embrace it. Technology has so many new uses, like recording systems, mikes, computers and so on; we do not hesitate to make use of these things, so why shy away from change? Rather we should find people who made this possible and worship them!’
Balamurali, as he is popularly known, has been living true to this statement. It is well known that even at age sixteen, he had discovered new raagams. Yes, the new never held any fear for this gentleman. Even when his career was at a sensitive stage, he was never afraid of making his opinions felt, ‘I always had a strong faith that nothing could stop what was due to me from reaching me’.
He was the first musician to be presented three awards from the president for best musician, playback singer and composer. He corrects this, ‘I am not a musician, I come under the line of vaggeyakaara, like Syama Sastri, Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Thyagaraja and so on’. Of course he is famous for his classical compositions, but he has also composed music for a Malayalam film and even sung for a Bengali films. ‘I am famous in Bengal for my Ravindra Sangeeth I have two doctorates in this’, he interjects, ‘I love Tagore, he was a creator; he made his own music’.
He stopped singing in the music season fifteen years ago, when the season boomed into the mega event it is. ‘There are so many youngsters, all singing very well. They know the world better than us. No one can mislead them’, he speaks again with his brand of faith in the new. ‘Everything has its place, and what stands the test of time becomes classical. Once people criticized me, but today many people adopt my methods… call me guruji…’ Like the Music Academy, next to which he lives, he too is a living proof that having faith in oneself is an essential ingredient in an artist’s makeup.
January 3rd, 2011
Shubashree Desikan
Innovation was known to be Dr M. Balamuralikrishna’s style even in the 1970s. ‘I love the new,’ he says, in reply to the question, ‘how do you tackle modernity?’ He continues, ‘Change is inevitable and unstoppable, and I always embrace it. Technology has so many new uses, like recording systems, mikes, computers and so on; we do not hesitate to make use of these things, so why shy away from change? Rather we should find people who made this possible and worship them!’
Balamurali, as he is popularly known, has been living true to this statement. It is well known that even at age sixteen, he had discovered new raagams. Yes, the new never held any fear for this gentleman. Even when his career was at a sensitive stage, he was never afraid of making his opinions felt, ‘I always had a strong faith that nothing could stop what was due to me from reaching me’.
He was the first musician to be presented three awards from the president for best musician, playback singer and composer. He corrects this, ‘I am not a musician, I come under the line of vaggeyakaara, like Syama Sastri, Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Thyagaraja and so on’. Of course he is famous for his classical compositions, but he has also composed music for a Malayalam film and even sung for a Bengali films. ‘I am famous in Bengal for my Ravindra Sangeeth I have two doctorates in this’, he interjects, ‘I love Tagore, he was a creator; he made his own music’.
He stopped singing in the music season fifteen years ago, when the season boomed into the mega event it is. ‘There are so many youngsters, all singing very well. They know the world better than us. No one can mislead them’, he speaks again with his brand of faith in the new. ‘Everything has its place, and what stands the test of time becomes classical. Once people criticized me, but today many people adopt my methods… call me guruji…’ Like the Music Academy, next to which he lives, he too is a living proof that having faith in oneself is an essential ingredient in an artist’s makeup.
Aruna Sairam - Article in Deccan Chronicle for Music Festival 2010
Present perfect, agrees Aruna
December 26th, 2010
Shubashree Desikan
Aruna Sairam’s unique, powerful singing draws people by the thousands today. When and how did this growth happen? She says, ‘this was a very slow process. First I had very small audiences, used to perform in smaller concert halls. In fact, I collected my audience one by one. I always tried to go back and assess my performance. Did I feel good? Did the audience walk away with a sense of ecstacy and joy, forget themselves at least for a moment?
Sometimes this did not happen. Then, I would ask why and also think, next time this twenty should become thirty. Still, even I never dreamt of such a number. It grew from twenty to two thousand! If I had foreseen this, I would not have advanced even a step. Even now, when I feel something did not go right, or if it went wonderfully, I would not be able to sleep’.
She speaks about the balance that music restores in her: ‘when practicing, you work through technicalities, discipline, the grammar, repertoire, but somewhere, sometime, for a fleeting second you forget yourself and merge with something. That moment does not come often. This makes it worthwhile. We feel, if I have been gifted with a body and a form and a voice, it must be for this’.
My voice is by nature a bass voice, unusual in comparison with most women’s voices. It took me a lot of time to learn how to use it as a plus. I did work on it and practice yoga and breathing techniques, akaara saadhagam, special excercises. It’s all in breath control, the breath is the source of the voice’..
‘My teacher Brinda amma had a special voice, like a gopuram, widening at the bottom and tapering and rising, seemingly endlessly, at the top.It was not a thin high-pitched perfectly kuil-like voice, but it would do amazing things. This is what I modelled myself on. She had that rustic wisdom and would say, when you are on stage, imagine you are the queen; when you step down, be yourself. That confidence level is very important for a performance. On stage, if you sit and wonder what do I know, you will be lost!’
December 26th, 2010
Shubashree Desikan
Aruna Sairam’s unique, powerful singing draws people by the thousands today. When and how did this growth happen? She says, ‘this was a very slow process. First I had very small audiences, used to perform in smaller concert halls. In fact, I collected my audience one by one. I always tried to go back and assess my performance. Did I feel good? Did the audience walk away with a sense of ecstacy and joy, forget themselves at least for a moment?
Sometimes this did not happen. Then, I would ask why and also think, next time this twenty should become thirty. Still, even I never dreamt of such a number. It grew from twenty to two thousand! If I had foreseen this, I would not have advanced even a step. Even now, when I feel something did not go right, or if it went wonderfully, I would not be able to sleep’.
She speaks about the balance that music restores in her: ‘when practicing, you work through technicalities, discipline, the grammar, repertoire, but somewhere, sometime, for a fleeting second you forget yourself and merge with something. That moment does not come often. This makes it worthwhile. We feel, if I have been gifted with a body and a form and a voice, it must be for this’.
My voice is by nature a bass voice, unusual in comparison with most women’s voices. It took me a lot of time to learn how to use it as a plus. I did work on it and practice yoga and breathing techniques, akaara saadhagam, special excercises. It’s all in breath control, the breath is the source of the voice’..
‘My teacher Brinda amma had a special voice, like a gopuram, widening at the bottom and tapering and rising, seemingly endlessly, at the top.It was not a thin high-pitched perfectly kuil-like voice, but it would do amazing things. This is what I modelled myself on. She had that rustic wisdom and would say, when you are on stage, imagine you are the queen; when you step down, be yourself. That confidence level is very important for a performance. On stage, if you sit and wonder what do I know, you will be lost!’
Tiruvarur bhaktavatsalam - Article in Deccan Chronicle for Music Festival 2010
Respect all, especially the elderly
By Shubashree Desikan
Dec 22 2010
At Parthasarathi swamy sabha, that Monday, the violin brothers, Mysore Manjunath and Nagaraj were exploring the scope of the duet to the fullest. Framing the pace to their portrayal of Sankarabharanam, Saroja Dhala Netri, was Tiruvarur Bakthavatsalam on the mirudhangam. It was hard to separate the tune from the beat as the two vied with each other for the audience’s attention. What was it that inspired the musicians? ‘It was a lovely concert,’ says Mr Bakthavatsalam, ‘a combination of good players, mike and speaker systems, appreciative audience and grace that made me feel very good about that day’s concert’.
Fifty-five years old now, he has been playing since he was nine years old – fortunate in that his mother was herself a concert singer and his own uncle his guru. There was no formal transition from learning to performing, as he remembers, ‘ except that when I was younger, I used to practice for twelve-to-eighteen hours a day! Now, I am into music all the time, practice is when I teach my students and even my concerts are sessions of practice because later I study my recordings and think about how to perfect my techniques’.
How has he been able to cope with the physical strains of being a mirudhangam player? ‘You have to learn the right finger techniques and how to use them skilfully instead of blindly using force. This is the heart of what you observe and learn from the teacher. Posture is important and so is being disciplined about food and drink. Above all dedication is most important. You have to treat the instrument like divinity’. As he speaks, there is a phone call from Dr Ramani, for whom he is playing the next day. Over the telephone, he sets the note of his pitch pipe to match the caller’s pitch. This will be used to tune in his mirudhangam. After making some plans for the concert, they call off. He adds, ‘The day before every concert, I focus on the player I will be accompanying and everything else is set aside. I know their style and plan accordingly’. He concludes with a word to newcomers: ‘be respectful to everyone, especially elders, and never wound anyone’.
By Shubashree Desikan
Dec 22 2010
At Parthasarathi swamy sabha, that Monday, the violin brothers, Mysore Manjunath and Nagaraj were exploring the scope of the duet to the fullest. Framing the pace to their portrayal of Sankarabharanam, Saroja Dhala Netri, was Tiruvarur Bakthavatsalam on the mirudhangam. It was hard to separate the tune from the beat as the two vied with each other for the audience’s attention. What was it that inspired the musicians? ‘It was a lovely concert,’ says Mr Bakthavatsalam, ‘a combination of good players, mike and speaker systems, appreciative audience and grace that made me feel very good about that day’s concert’.
Fifty-five years old now, he has been playing since he was nine years old – fortunate in that his mother was herself a concert singer and his own uncle his guru. There was no formal transition from learning to performing, as he remembers, ‘ except that when I was younger, I used to practice for twelve-to-eighteen hours a day! Now, I am into music all the time, practice is when I teach my students and even my concerts are sessions of practice because later I study my recordings and think about how to perfect my techniques’.
How has he been able to cope with the physical strains of being a mirudhangam player? ‘You have to learn the right finger techniques and how to use them skilfully instead of blindly using force. This is the heart of what you observe and learn from the teacher. Posture is important and so is being disciplined about food and drink. Above all dedication is most important. You have to treat the instrument like divinity’. As he speaks, there is a phone call from Dr Ramani, for whom he is playing the next day. Over the telephone, he sets the note of his pitch pipe to match the caller’s pitch. This will be used to tune in his mirudhangam. After making some plans for the concert, they call off. He adds, ‘The day before every concert, I focus on the player I will be accompanying and everything else is set aside. I know their style and plan accordingly’. He concludes with a word to newcomers: ‘be respectful to everyone, especially elders, and never wound anyone’.
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