And he saw light
SUJATA BALACHANDER
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Maruthi Prasad's music is marked by an overpowering sense of spirituality. This visually challenged musician aspires to make a mark in the field of Carnatic music
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LIGHT OF HIS LIFEMaruthi Prasad believes that bhakti alone cannot take music to great heights, it should be backed by a thorough knowledge. Photo:K. Gopinathan
Ramanatha Rao and Nagaveni looked on disbelievingly as their son went up on stage to receive the award from President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Their minds repeatedly went 25 years back to the time when the doctor had pronounced that their fourth born child would never see light. The news caused so much distress that for days on end they had given up food. But faith did not fail them and Ramanatha Rao, who along with his brother, had been instrumental in converting the rocky hillock at Mahalakshmipuram into the holy shrine of Prasanna Veeranjaneya Swamy, accepted a visually disabled child stoically as "the prasada of Maruthi". The parents in fact, named him Maruthi Prasad.
The precocity of the child was apparent during infancy. Little Maruthi's favourite game was to drum on vessels and boxes with his little fingers. He was also picking up music from tapes with amazing ease. His formal initiation into music and training took place at the Ramana Maharishi School for the Blind. The school, with its tradition of giving regular lessons in music, provided the gifted boy with an enriched atmosphere. Later, as the boy's exceptional talent became apparent, he trained under eminent musicians.
Winning competitions and awards became a habit, and the young musical prodigy was conferred various titles both in the state and national fora. The passing of the Vidwat examination in music in 1998 with distinction marked a personal milestone in the life of the artiste and established him firmly in the professional circuit. In 2002, he was invited by the "Kannada Balaga" to tour the United Kingdom and Dubai.
In recognition of his achievements, in December 2003, he was chosen to receive the national award for disabled persons in the creative art category. The fourteenth of February 2005, marked another significant day for Maruthi Prasad when Gaanaarpana, his first CD and tape were released.
T.K. Srinivasan, very knowledgeable in the field of music, has this to say of the artiste. "Maruthi Prasad should not be referred to as a "blind" artiste as his blindness has no bearing on his performance. All the laurels he has won so far are purely on merit. This boy blessed with a golden voice and ample merit is extremely focused and industrious. All these attributes will undoubtedly take him to great heights in the future."
Excerpts from an interview with Maruthi Prasad:
Your father, a devotee of Anjaneya, sees your achievements as a miracle. Do you particularly feel blessed by God?
I have no idea how the gift of music came to me because no one else in the family has aptitude for it. So it must be divine grace. Apart from the blessings of Anjaneya, I attribute my success to the grace of the many spiritual gurus like Satya Sai Baba. I also owe my growth to my Guru, the renowned musicologist T.S. Satyavati under whom I have been training for the last nine years. Her knowledge of music is vast and she is an excellent taskmaster who has taken pains to groom me.
For years you have been rendering devarnamas every Sunday at the temple. Which is your first love — bhajans or concerts?
I see myself primarily as a classical music singer and have been training in it for years. If you have a mastery over that, you one can sing other kinds of songs too and without effort.
The one aspect of your singing that strikes everyone is the intense emotional rendering of songs. Is bhakti your strength?
I only have an abstract concept of God. So I do not know if I can reach God through my music. But I do try to feel and capture the same emotion that the composer must have felt when creating the song. I also try to capture the essence and "bhava", which a particular raga represents. But quality music cannot be built on bhakthi alone. One must have a strong knowledge base.
You have been working as a music teacher in government school since 2002. Given syllabus constraints, does the job provide you satisfaction?
I am proud of my job as music teacher. I enjoy teaching. Contrary to popular perception, children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds too have excellent aptitude for classical music. I have trained the children to sing patriotic songs to represent the State at Delhi.
You play the keyboard effortlessly even as you sing. How do you manage that?
My keyboard playing is self-taught. Perhaps that is the reason why I am able to do it effortlessly!
You have achieved so much at such a young age. Where do you see yourself in the future?
I want to carve a name for myself in the field of Carnatic music and be counted among the stalwarts in the field.
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