When she was about five years old, her grandmother and parents recognised her passion for Carnatic music and nurtured it by imparting the initial singing lessons. The child, at the age of eight, came under the tutelage of renowned musician R. Vedavalli. Soon, she started imbibing the rich tradition and style from the guru and gave her first concert at the age of eleven. The concerts won her prizes. Since then, there has been no looking back for Sumithra Vasudev, performing for more than 15 years now. Over the years, the vocalist has received numerous awards and titles for her performances, including the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
“My parents, brother, and later my husband and parents-in-law, all have supported me at every step. Without them, I would not be pursuing my passion as I am able to do till today,” says Sumithra, who was in New Delhi recently for a concert.
Receiving training in the gurukul Gurukula system of transmitting the art, Sumithra has had the opportunity to interact very closely with Guru R. Vedavalli. As a prime disciple, she accompanies her on the stage as supporting vocalist. Sumithra considers it a blessing to take the stage with her guru.
“It is an experience beyond words, and I think it means a lot more to me than just a skill improvement exercise. It is challenging too, as we don’t know what Amma (as Vedavalli is fondly addressed by her disciples) is going to sing next,” she relates.
Little wonder then that Sumithra’s music stands out for its classicism and depth.
Apart from being a performing artiste, she is an active researcher pursuing her doctoral studies in music. She has a deep interest in language and literature, particularly in Sanskrit and Tamil. She has set to music many slokas and verses from classical and modern Sanskrit literature and has popularised them through presentations and demonstrations in various musical and Sanskrit gatherings. She has presented exclusive Divya Prabandha concerts and has accompanied her guru in CD renderings of these verses of the Vaishnava saints known as Alvars.
“I enjoy singing shlokas as virttams [musical elaboration of verses without the restrictions of a set tala pattern, bringing out the intuitive link between words and musicality], which I think helps one to explore the lyrics also in a new perspective each time,” avers Sumithra.
Sumithra, a post graduate in Sanskrit, is an active participant in Samskrita Ranga, an organisation devoted to popularising Sanskrit theatre, for which she sings regularly.
On how the experience of singing Sanskrit compositions, particularly Dikshitar’s, is distinct from other renderings, she admits, “It helps me in understanding the lyrics of Sanskrit compositions. But when I sing, though there are moments when the lyrics inspire, it is mostly the melody that rules the experience.”
On her experience in performing at the Capital, Sumithra says she found the Delhi audience open to listening to what she had to present.
Sumithra recalls a gratifying episode regarding audience response during a concert in Guwahati. She was informed that a Carnatic vocal concert was being hosted in that north-eastern city after many years.
The audience mainly consisted of students who were not exposed to South Indian classical music. Yet they were able to appreciate a slow tempo song in a traditional raga Yadukula Kambhoji preceded by the alapana of the raga, says Sumithra. “I still wonder at the melodic appeal of our music when I think of this incident.”
