When we see a grand edifice, it is difficult to believe that the strong foundation was laid to ensure that the long and hard journey takes one to the top. And once at the top, the view is indeed gratifying. What she absorbed and imbibed in her early years has taken Aruna Sairam where she is today — among the most prominent Carnatic vocalists.
Her choice of taking to the concert platform is a familiar story, where early influences have been instrumental in bringing her to this point. Her concerts draw a cross section of people, who appreciate the music and how it sounds. She also makes an effort to involve youngsters and reach out to people around the world.
And how does she achieve this? By pursuing a music that is high on bhava, bhakti and classicism. Aruna began training in Carnatic music under her mother Rajalakshmi Sethuraman, who belonged to the Veena Dhanammal school that is known for its strict adherence to tradition and form. She also went on to learn from T. Brinda. Training apart, Aruna was mentored by M. Balamuralikrishna, K.V. Narayanaswamy and S. Ramachandran.
On a rainy morning, sitting in the lovely living room of her home in Alwarpet, Aruna reminisces the early days that laid the foundation of a fulfilling journey. “Our house always used to be filled with musicians. I cannot remember a time when there was no music, laughter and food in our house. My parents were music lovers and often they would go for concerts and also end up inviting artists to stay with us and enjoy ‘aathu saapadu’. The good thing about them is that they would never ever walk out of a concert half way. They would stay till the end, meet the artists, interact with them, try to get to know them and only then would they leave the venue.” Her father was the quintessential good samaritan as well. Often musicians would call for help for something or the other and he would be in the forefront in helping out. “I remember, one day he got a call at midnight when a musician was stranded in Sholapur. My father immediately called up someone he knew and ensured that things were taken care of.”
‘’I have memories of Madurai Mani Iyer who used to stay with us. While he would have his concerts on the weekends, during the week, the days used to be filled with discussions, talks and several impromptu sessions of singing. You can imagine how that would have been,” smiles Aruna.
Somewhere the visits and exposure to great art and artists had its influence on a tender nine year old, whose life revolved around the goings-on in the house. “Music resonated most of the time and the subconsciously I picked up the nuances.”
“There was an occasion when Balamma came to Bombay to perform at Patkar Hall on Peddar Road. When my parents went backstage to meet her she said, ‘I am so hungry. Can you please take me to your house? I feel like having pongal and gotsu.’ Ameer Khan was also there and expressed his desire to join Balamma. My mother rushed back home to prepare pongal. The late-night dinner was followed by Ameer Khan’s singing and Balamma doing her abhinaya and singing along. It was bliss.”
Memorable moments indeed! Aruna also remembers how at her wedding, the inimitable M.S. Subbulakshmi quietly stood by the oonjal and started singing. But what she cannot forget is her meeting MS Amma as an adolescent. “She asked me to sing ‘Eti Janmam’. I was struggling to reach the higher octave and started crying. I felt I had let myself down in front of such a venerable person. She came up to me and hugged me and said ‘don’t worry even I have struggled like this’. Till this day I think of of it.”
When it came to Brindamma, her guru, Aruna was ten when she first met her. “She was stately and restrained — the kind you could not take liberties with. Even her music was like that. She came to Bombay to teach senior musicians. One of them being Alamelu Mani (singer Hariharan’s mother). I used to stand in a corner when she would be teaching. Then at the end of three months, she heard me sing what she had been teaching. She came up to me and said, ‘What is that you sang? Sing again?’ I was petrified. But I sang nevertheless. Then she said, ‘hmm, tomorrow come to me, we are starting classes. The next day, she was up bright and early, waiting for me. ‘Let’s sing Meru Samana’, she said.”
Since she would be in Bombay only during the summer, Aruna after those initial lessons, had to wait for the guru to come back to continue classes. The next summer, Brindamma taught her two more kritis — one in Asaveri and another in Harikambodi. “What has stood me in good stead over the years is the way she taught. She would not go to the next line until you got the previous one perfectly. There would be no notes taken, no notations, no other teaching aids. And the next morning, you had to practise the lines taught from memory, write the notations by yourself and present it to her. This method gave me the ability to remember and absorb tunes easily. I was also able to notate easily. That is probably how I have built up a vast repertoire.”
The hallmark of her guru’s bani are the slow paced and expansive raga delineation. “Somewhat like that of a khyal,” says Aruna. “Those elements were evident in the way she sang and taught padams and javalis. She taught me breath control, get a sense of laya and develop a deep empathy for the emotions in the lyrics. They set the foundation for my abhang singing too.”
Having grown up in Bombay, Aruna was also familiar with the Hindustani style of singing, but she decided to pursue Carnatic.
“Brindamma was not just a teacher. We used to bond at many levels. She would comb and braid my hair. She would sing along and expect me to remember it all. Everyday it used to be a new raga. It’s hard to describe the feeling of learning from such a guru, who was as much a disciplinarian as she was friendly.
Another vidwan that Aruna remembers is AS Mani,who taught her the nuances of swarakalpana. “It is quite mathematical,” he would say. “It should be like the waves on the sea — constant yet different. You can create a great deal out of just two notes. These lessons have been invaluable and guide me through every concert.”
Aruna was in her mid-forties when she moved to Chennai, a move that has helped her grow as an artist. Today at 65, she is as vibrant and enthusiastic to learn anything that can help her craft. Music keeps her grounded and young at heart.
