How did you come to play the piano? How has your journey mean?
I started playing the piano at the age of 3. It is a memory that almost all my family members have of me walking across to a piano in my high school and playing, but of course, I don ' t!
I think in life, these destinies choose you- instead of the other way around. I grew up in an atmosphere fed by Carnatic and Western Classical music. In fact, it was more of the latter. Due to financial constraints faced by the family, I had to take a ten year hiatus from music during which time I trained in marketing consulting and analytics and worked in those domains. In 2007, I came back to India backed by the support I got from folks like Mandolin U Shrinivas, and it has been a wonderful journey so far. Pioneering the piano within the classical South Indian context, playing my own style within the popular context- with the help and support of so many legends and wonderful musicians and peers- all of it has been a miracle that I continue to be happy about.
How did Rhapsody start? How have you applied your professional background and skills in taking your music and your role as an educator?
Rhapsody started in 2012 as a response to the fact that inside the curriculum of schools we tend to treat music as merely a singing session. Through this, the children who already sing are able to do so, but the rest remain disengaged. If we want the next generation of youngsters eager to look at music as a space for them, that they own, and find room for creative exploration, we will need to do a lot more.
Further, music is not only about performance. Music makes for more holistic intelligence in the child. Accordingly, nearly 500 lesson plans were made from LKG to Class 8, and we work with over 75000 children in South India today!!
How difficult is it to survive and flourish as a pianist in India? Is there some scope for it as a profession?
It is extremely difficult. We don ' t have a scene that specifically focuses on the piano as an instrument enough to sustain a rewarding career. Western classical music is on the rise, largely due to the efforts of individuals, but nowhere close to the effort required to make this a mainstream ideal.
In this context, to play Indian classical-influenced music on the piano, or to even make an aesthetic that is contemporary and new has been an uphill challenge.
Having said that, the choice of projects, collaborations and networks that one can develop along the journey of doing something new / innovative- can help us branch out. I have kept myself open to a number of collaborative projects- from hiphop to film, and that has helped.
Acceptance is still low, but I think a small band of us is working very hard at creating more mainstream acceptance for this.
Tell us about Touch and what are you trying to achieve with this concept?
The idea behind TOUCH is to create a piano tradition that is truly homegrown. I believe the time has come for the piano to take its place among the other instrumental traditions in the country, and we needn ' t be apologetic about it. For an instrument that is so prevalent in so many walks of life, across multiple media, we needn ' t think of it just as mute accompaniment to the more exciting drama happening elsewhere.
As a musician, I have worked across contexts, as I ' ve mentioned- from playing " Kuthu " music for film-based projects to hardcore Indian and Western classical and accordingly, have incorporated every single presentation style into this album. The piano is versatile, and is here to stay- and the album projects it.
Indian music itself has evolved so much over the last decade- internet and new media being huge contributors to this. We have collaborations and music projects that are literally globespanning in their approach, thanks to access.
Its high time the piano, as a global instrument, produced a truly Indian sound that could take its place in this milieu.
Is it daunting to ferry a grand piano across platforms? How do I meet that challenge?
Yes, it is! Which is why I partner with CASIO to have digital pianos in venues that cannot support a piano physically or financially. Whatever it takes to get the message across!!
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