My first visit to Mukthamma was suspense-stuff. Thatha (Dr. S.Ramanathan) gave us an address and father and I reached the spot and waited for long. It turned out to be the place where Mukthamma taught music. My father was in a state of ecstasy. I joined the class at once… After revelling in the vishranti that her school advocates, you just cannot relish anything else. The gamakas and brigas and ravai sangathis had to be on the dot. The space, the pause… it had to be so. While rendering vocal support to her she would offer me a special sangati and if I did well I would be asked to repeat it. That was a tribute and a gesture of affection.

I like rakti ragas and scale-guided singing is not my cup of tea. (demonstrates). Now I sang Amrithavarshini in a plain manner with the scale in mind and then switched over to Sahana. The first can go on for a while but with Sahana it will not have an aesthetic effect.

My guru used to say that sangatis are governed by the context. For instance, ‘Theliyaleru Rama’ (Dhenuka, Tyagaraja) is all pleading. The saint suddenly expresses a kind of helplessness and the resulting frustration. It is the singer’s duty to communicate this. Again ‘Laliyugave’ has sangatis that resemble the gentle sway of the hammock. The way guru put sangatis in perspective was simply astounding.

I take music seriously. Participants do come prepared if it is a corporate or literary quiz. I thought the young aspirants should know a little more about our music, beyond the sahitya — what is an upapakka vVadhyam, identify our past masters, thalams and the like - is that tough? I even guided the participants asking them to refer to photographs of masters of veterans. At least I wanted the show to kindle some interest. Well, it was not a memory test but an exercise in gaining knowledge, which as you know is power.

More than a decade ago… it was the YACM anniversary…the front row was occupied by Pattammal, KVN sir, Kalpagam Swaminathan, Mukthamma, PSN sir and my Guru. I was very nervous. Nobody stirred till the end. The feedback was extremely heart warming. Even now Pattammal mami recalls the Nayaki that I sang. It was a moment of pride and pleasure which I will cherish forever.

(Smiles) Can speak, read and write Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Sanskrit I had learnt while in school and of course the inevitable English. Tamil learning came later as all family members of my guru used to frequent Tamil programmes and I had to educate myself to understand things better.

(Laughs) I cultivated it. I used to shake my head a great deal and thatha asked me to curtail it. And for the beats my hand used to travel upwards. ‘When they see you sing they should view it as a lovely act and it should give them aanandham,’ he said. ‘But as they get nearer, you should be seen as a fire of knowledge.’ The result is what you just described.

I might have achieved something but I have a long way to go. I will never falter from the traditional path and the moral terrain that has moulded me. These days when I get on stage it is union with God. All other things seem trivial. It is with this bent of mind that I present concerts, which I feel bestow them with dignity.

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