Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi   

A rising star in the world of Carnatic music rules AIR waves

— Photo: R. Ashok

ACCLAIM: Aishwarya Vidhya Raghunath.

TIRUCHI: If listening to music can set the soul afire, rendering it can do much more. For Aishwarya Vidhya Raghunath, it brought acclaim.

The 19-year-old has earned ‘B’ grade (read ‘first prize’) in the all-India Carnatic music competition hosted by All-India Radio. She rendered songs in ‘prathimadhyamam’ and ‘shuddhamadhyamam,’ wrapping the event with a ‘javali’ and ‘thillana.’

Success seems to rest lightly on her shoulders, as she says she owes it all to her gurus. “But for them, I wouldn’t have learnt to take in the beauty of Carnatic music. Above the competition and prizes, the enjoyment in learning the art is what keeps me going,” says the Bangalore-based engineering student.

The repertoire of awards can fills pages in her profile. Some of them are ‘Best Vocalist Prize’ by Bangalore Gayana Samaj, ‘Rising young talent’ award by the Rotary Clubs of Bangalore and Sri Yagnaraman Endowment Prize by Krishna Gana Sabha.

Her list of performances at prestigious sabhas across the State and in Bangalore outnumbers the prizes. Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha and Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in Chennai, Shamukhananda Sabha in Mumbai and Rajalakshmi Fine Arts in Coimbatore are soome of them.

Music has been staple diet for her from the age of three. At four, she took to stage along with her guru to render a few kritis. She takes lessons from Seethalakshmi Venkatesan, a disciple of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, in Bangalore, and P.S. Narayanaswamy and Vegavahini Vijayaraghavan in Chennai.

Despite Chennai being a stronghold of Carnatic music, Bangalore is picking up fast, she says. Innovations in evergreen kritis is a strict no-no for her. “The kritis have been composed in the best possible way and we can’t make it better. There is room for creativity while rendering alapanas. Compositions are best left to themselves,” is her point.

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