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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