Torchbearers of a rich tradition, these young musicians are going places with the melody and rhythm they have at their fingertips. Come Navarathri, these city-based music makers are busy travelling from one place to another to enchant audiences with their brand of music. They play classical music but they remain contemporary!
Violinists Trivandrum N. Sampath and Vrinda Varma, ganjira artiste Udupi S. Srikanth, vocalists N. J. Nandini and Sreedev Rajagopal and ghatam artiste Trivandrum R. Rajesh are stars in their own right.
Their profile boasts performances across India and abroad and numerous awards and titles.
All of them come from families where Carnatic music has been a constant presence. For Sampath, the inspiration has been his mother, K. Chandrika Devi, also a violinist; Nandini credits her love for music to her discerning parents who are huge fans of Carnatic music; Rajesh took to music by listening to his uncles V. Surendran and V. Ravindran, both mridangam players; Srikanth had his father, ghatam maestro Udupi S. Sreedhar, to guide him; Sreedev found a mentor in her father, a music teacher; for Vrinda, her guru and mentor has been her father, violin vidwan S. Easwara Varma.
But that is not the only reason why they decided to become devotees of the seven notes. They feel that the city with its rich legacy of music has contributed a lot to enrich their musicality and grooming. “This is the best place to be for a Carnatic musician because there is a discerning audience who appreciate talent. The Navarathri mandapam concerts, Neelakanta Sivan Music Festival, Thulasivanam Music Festival, Swati Sangeethotsavam and many small concerts give you the opportunity to perform with stalwarts and also listen to them,” says Srikanth, a bank employee.
For Sreedev, a native of Kottayam, coming to the city to learn music was the turning point. “I came here to join Sri Swati Thirunal College of Music. Now the city is my home because this place has a lot for the growth of a musician: proficient music teachers, ardent music lovers, kutcheris where you can listen to umpteen musicians and interact with them. And for those who want to teach music, there is no dearth of students,” says Sreedev.
Sampath avers that artistes from Chennai and outside Kerala look forward to performing in the capital city.
“We are no where compared to the music scene in Chennai. But on the flip side, there are many sabhas there that take money from artistes and give them a stage. This is a cause of worry for many artistes who love performing here,” he says.
As for Nandini, every aspect about the city is something to celebrate.
“I am blessed to be born here and get so much affection and encouragement for my music. This is where you have the Navarathri Mandapam, which, for me, is nothing less than a Saraswathi temple,” she says.
This Navarathri she is giving a jugalbandi with flautist Kudamaloor Janardanan in Kollam, “which is a first-of-its-kind performance” for her.
A heart-warming aspect about this young lot is that they all bond well with each other. “There are kutcheris where we perform together. We also keep each other updated about our performances. The camaraderie is wonderful,” according to Vrinda.
“We are a close-knit group, not just when we share the stage. When big concerts happen and we are not playing, we would be there in the front row, as listeners enjoying the music,” adds Rajesh.
And they don’t just stop with playing music. Some of them are doing research on different aspects of music. Sampath is doing his PhD; Sreedev, a guest lecturer, is working on Siva tatwa in the kritis of Dikshitar; Vrinda has submitted her thesis.
As in the previous years, they all have a jam-packed schedule this Navarathri season also. Over the years, they have been performing in Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad districts.
But they have had to face the music for living in the city. There is a dearth of funds for Carnatic concerts and sponsors don’t make a beeline for a kutcheri, which often put the sabhas in the city in a fix, say Srikanth and Sampath.
“It is sad that the government is not willing to spend as much on Carnatic concerts as a ganamela or a mega show when Onam celebrations are held,” says Rajesh. Vrinda and Nandini had to say about how only established artistes continue to get more stages even as many promising singers get side-lined.
Meanwhile, the music goes on…
Going international
These musicians have got rousing reception in Gulf countries, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States of America, United Kingdom, Singapore, Norway, Indonesia, and Africa, among other venues. “Here, the audience sometimes ask us to simplify certain kritis, but the foreign audience prefer to keep it traditional,” says Sreedev.
