A prodigy's journey

Vishaal R Sapuram began as a music prodigy. He was a vocalist by the age of six, his arangetram was complete by the age of nine, and he took the role of a teacher by the age of 10. Now proficient in playing chitravina, Vishaal’s performances in India and abroad have brought him many awards. The most recent one is the Music Academy award for ‘Best Instrumentalist’.

The 24-year-old Carnatic vocalist seems difficult to approach, perhaps because he is reserved and serious. Then I realise he is also quiet and soft-spoken as he shares his story, beginning with his family. “My home until recently was in the US. My family still lives in Austin (Texas).”

By family he means his parents Raghunath Sapuram and Usha Rani Sapuram. They spotted his talent quiet early on, and they lacked any musical background. “My mother, especially, encouraged me. My first guru was Karpagam Narayanan, a teacher in Houston, where we lived when I was three years old. I learned the basics under her and was with her until we moved to India for a few years. Here I learnt music from a few other gurus. Among them was   Ravikiran sir.”

Ravikiran introduced Vishaal to Chennai and the musical instrument. He made Vishaal perform in front of senior musicians Semmangudy Srinivasa Iyer and D K Pattammal. This was in the year 2000; he was nine years old. “It was a solo vocal performance. But that was a life-changing experience. I felt blessed. It also gave me confidence,” Vishaal remembers of the incident.

Then he began learning the chitravina. The arrangement then was he had to meet his teacher when he visited India once a year and whenever his teacher visited USA. “He sent tapes and cassettes. I practised by listening to them,” he says.

Priorities
On asking if as a child prodigy he had difficulty balancing academics and music, he smiles, and explains, “No. I am a graduate in Economics, but music has been more meaningful to me, always. I remember completing homework at school before going home.” Vishaal also has a degree in Sanskrit. Why? “Because that helps me understand the lyrics better.”

Although he has performed for the audiences in various American states, he thinks Chennai suits him better. “I feel more at home here. It is a bit weird for the others there (US). This is because Indian music has a different kind of appreciation there. We had a small musical community. They made me listen to all kinds of music. Loud music disturbed me.” Because Vishaal was interested in Carnatic music alone.

In Chennai, though, he has been a regular at the music season since 2007. And, his life in the city is this...

His day begins with practice. As he lives alone, he has to take care of his house. Then he visits his grandparents. The best advantage is the exposure to music he gets because Chennai has some or the other concert going on. It’s not to say he performs only in Chennai; he has performed in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Hyderabad, Udupi and Srirangam. He says his learning experience grew when he performed abroad. “I watched a very passionate group of students at a workshop in Malaysia. In France, my performance at the Sacred Music Festival was short but created an interesting musical space because there were musicians from all over the world. Then there was the Japanese flute...”

Expertise
Nearer home, Vishaal, who believes that chitravina is a straightforward instrument, says that one has to be intuitive while playing it. I am eager to know about his invention of a raga, to which he says, “I don’t know what really to say about the raga! I was just playing around with a combination of notes when I was young, and then showed it to Ravikiran sir. He said it has not been done before and named it Vishweshwarapriya. He was also kind enough to compose a song using it.”

Vishaal also enjoys jugalbandis. Recently there was one with Shreya Devnath (violin) and Shanthala (flute). He will be on a European tour this month. When he is not performing, he is teaching at Ravikiran’s International Foundation for Carnatic Music. He is credited with the development of a system of electronic notation.

About his teaching experience, he explains, “I think when someone learns music at a very young age, he doesn’t know how he learnt what he has learnt, and teaching reveals how this has happened. Also, I feel happy when I see students who enjoy music and explore music with passion. It means my teaching has benefitted them.”

There is silence for a few minutes. I wonder what Vishaal has to say about his future. “I’ll never stop singing, and chitravina is my career.” Well, he certainly lives in a beautiful world of music.