At 60, she brims with confidence
NEERAJA MURTHY
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Vocalist Seetha Rajan is determined to create a generation of torchbearers of Carnatic music.
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I want to create an awareness among the youth about the treasure we have. The foundation of Indian classical music is strong. I will not allow it to dilute it
Photo: N. Sridharan
Training the young Seetha Rajan wants to carry this musical movement forward.
Singer Seetha Rajan’s eariest memory of Hyderabad dates back to the days when she discovered the world of khayal as a teenager.
“We were living in Marredpally and I was already into Carnatic music. But as an youngster, I wanted to explore other forms of music too and that’s how I learnt Hindustani music under guru Pandit Bhimshankar Rao for two years,” remembers the 60-year-old singer.
Her days altered between Yaman and Kalyani ragas and in the evenings, the teenager would transform into a Carnatic guru to a bunch of kids. But when her parents moved to Madras, her Hindustani classes took a break and she came under the tutelage of maestro Semmangudi Srinivas Iyer.
Musical quest
A government of India scholarship and years of rigorous training followed by an M.A kept her rooted to Carnatic music. Her musical quest continued even after marriage.
“Since my husband was from army, we moved all over India and got exposed to different kinds of music including the pahadi music,” she says. Performing regularly for the All India Radio, Doordarshan and for Private T.V channels, her name became synonymous with the rasikas of Carnatic music.
When her husband took voluntary retirement from army, she knew it was time to create torchbearers of Carnatic music and her institution Balabrundam Sangita Gurukulam at Besant Nagar in Chennai came into existence in ‘92. “We wanted the young to appreciate Carnatic music and understand its true quality.
The Gurukulam was a way to draw them into it,” she says. Besides classical music, the new-age Gurukulam with its unique bodhana system also trains youngsters in yoga, Sanskrit amongst others.
Sense of pride
Her tone fills with a sense of pride when she talks about her students. “All of them are doing well and have become UGC lecturers and PhD holders. However, what is important is their dedication towards music,” she says. The veteran singer divides her time between Gurukulam, concerts and also at Kalakshetra, where she works as a guest faculty.
At an age when most of her contemporaries have reconciled to a quiet life, Seetha Rajan says her life has just begun. “It is very easy to just sit back and criticise. I want to create an awareness among the youth about the treasure we have and create a generation of torchbearers who will carry this musical movement forward. The foundation of Indian classical music is strong. I will not allow it to dilute,” she asserts.
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