Tell us about your early influences in Carnatic music
The first memory is of my mother. She was a south Indian
young bride transplanted into the huge city of Bombay.
She found a connection with herself by singing every
day. Every morning, as a child, I used to hear her sing.
Sometimes, I dozed off on her lap while she was singing.
The early memories go on for a while. By the time I was
four or five, a lot of musicians started coming to Bombay
to perform at the newly formed sabhas. Those associations
used to host artists but the only accommodations used to be
matunga concerns which wasn’t really a great place to be in
after your concerts. Somehow, the artists used to find their
way to our house. Ours was a very small flat but even in that
small place, the whole house used to reverberate with laughter,
music and musical talk the moment these artists came in.
Every Sunday morning, I used to look forward to who would
be coming on that day. It used to be MS Amma, or it would be
MLV Amma or someone like that. As a kid, I got inspired not
only by their music but by their personalities. Musicians are
essentially, simple and childlike. They love good food and be
in the company of people who like them and their music.
How important do you think is language and diction
when Carnatic compositions are rendered?
Let’s look at the music first to understand what it is
about. It is art music! It is highly virtuosic music but
at the same time the lyrical content is Bhakti oriented.
This is a rare combination and not all kinds of music
have this level of both these elements combined in it. It
is primarily important to have good pronunciation.
Tell us your most favourite raaga of all time
whether it is to perform or to listen to
Brindavana Saranga is a very favourite raaga of mine and so
is Thodi. I love to explore both these raagas as much as I can.
What do you think is the best way to get the younger generation
involved in Carnatic music and encourage them towards it?
It is interesting because with the advent of so much
other kinds of music and with the explosion of internet,
it is just that the other music is ready and at hand and
that is probably the reason why they are not taking
the extra effort to come towards Carnatic music.
For example, two generations ago, all kids were interested
in Carnatic music because that was the only thing available
then. So, children don’t really say ‘I won’t this, or I don’t
want that’. They adhere to what is available and appealing.
We have to do everything we can to make it available.
Talking about digital era, how have you leveraged the digital wave
and made sure your music has reached younger audiences?
I didn’t have to do much in my earlier years. It’s only now
that I’m understanding the impact of digital era. Few years
ago, I was more like concerned about my live performances,
practising and preparing and thinking of the live audiences.
It is still the case but that effect you create through a live
performance can also be extended through digital media.
YouTube, in my opinion, has been a huge impetus in getting
my music reached to people far and wide. I wouldn’t say I have
explored them enough yet, but to whatever extent I could.
Did you face challenges as a young and emerging artist when you
started out? What was your most challenging project till date?
When I was developing as a musician, there was
a lot of confusion. I didn’t know how to go about
doing things. Quite a few times, I almost gave up.
But somehow I held on and I’m glad I did.
My most challenging experience would be when I worked with
the dancer Chandralekha and she choreographed and
I composed music for that.
In her productions, there is no lyric oriented content. I had to
construct music in an abstract way. That was very challenging!
How important do you think is collaboration when it comes
to music and how have you used that in your career?
Collaboration and interactions with other musicians
enriches your music and soul. More than anything else,
you are listening to the other person’s creativity and you
sit in that aura of the other musician and are imbibing
so much. Every time I collaborate, I feel I am growing in
leaps and bounds in my awareness levels in music.
I have collaborated with a lot of musicians. I have collaborated
with artists who sings Gregorian chants, flamenco artists etc.
In India with U.Srinivas, Shankar Mahadevan, dancer
Malavika Sarukkai, Ranjit Barot and also young age musicians
like Ambi Subramaniam, Hari Charan and so on. I feel, as
much as you collaborate, you must stick to your roots.
You give a lot of importance to presentation during
your concerts. What is your approach and how do you
go about deciding the flow of your performance?
I go through several plans for a concert. I try to sing it out
and check out the flow of the music. By the time, I reach the
performance day, I would have had four to five plans. Finally,
when I face the audience, the plan still changes. The whole
journey from my first thought to the time I make changes
on the spot, is a story of what I want to communicate. I am
creative and spontaneous but always have a game plan.
What is your approach in presenting a rare raaga?
I usually go to a composition in that raaga to get an idea
of how it should be handled. For example, if you want to
explore the raaga Vagadheeswari. It’s got dissonant notes
in it and is a different sounding raaga. But Thyagaraja has
composed this beautiful composition Paramathmudu Velige.
I try to break it up to different phrases and look at each by
itself and build my own structures around those phases.
Name your favourite Carnatic composers and what
do you like the most about their compositions
Thyaragaja is an all-time great because he covers a huge
range of emotions. He can be very funny, deep, solid,
madhyama kalam and much more. Muthuswami Dikshitar
is all about ethereal pursuit of spiritual knowledge. Shyama
Shastri is always in conversation with Kamakshi.
My very special composer is Oothukadu Venkata Subbaiyer
because he predates these three people and has a very
theatrical approach to composition. His music express the
Bhagavatham mela tradition which represents musical theatre.
Tell us about your voice training
Voice training was another trajectory by itself in my life.
I always had questions about how one can sharpen the voice.
I had been going to a Hindustani musician Pandit Wamanrao
Sadolikar who gave me few tips and from few others. When
I went to Germany to teach in a conservatory for three
months, I met a voice master who trains leading Opera
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