Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
KRIS SRIKKANTH CHATS WITH SUDHA RAGHUNATHAN
`Energy comes from melody'
|
Listen to Nilambari and Kapi — Sudha Raghunathan
|
Professionally they may be on a different pitch but face-to-face it was a perfect jugalbandi between cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Carnatic vocalist Sudha Raghunathan. The charming musician, attired in her usual style... shimmering silk, bright accessories and jasmine flowers... stumped the former flamboyant batsman with a beautiful bouquet as he walked into Southern Spice at Taj Coromandel for Take Two. "So thoughtful of you, but I've only good wishes to give you in return," said Srikkanth. " It's only good wishes that have sustained me through my career," she smiled. Chitra Swaminathan recorded their takes on music, cricket and more...
Srikkanth: I always listen to music while driving. Be it Enrique Iglesias or M.S. Subbulakshmi, music puts me on a high (he tries singing "Narayana, Narayana... "). I envy the bliss musicians enjoy. It's sublime.
Sudha: Now you know how artistes can remain detached even in a crowd. Music helps you create your own space.
Srikkanth: Wish I were a musician (still humming tunelessly).
Sudha: Going by the way you sang "Narayana..." fortunately you are not one (she laughs).
Srikkanth: (Conscious of his off-key singing) Maintaining the laya-tala-melody balance right through a concert must be a tall task. It's not like cricket where if you miss hitting a ball you can try the next one!
Sudha: That bit, of course, is modesty. Music is a stress buster as long as you're a listener or you're singing to yourself. But, for artistes, it's the other way round. A demanding schedule can be quite stressful. You go on stage with mixed feelings — the excitement of singing and the fear of glitches. Of course, every concert cannot be without blemish, but a well-groomed performer learns to conceal the flaws skilfully.
Srikkanth: "Sudha's singing is no match to MLV's rendering of Kalyani or M.S's `Kurai ondrum illai'... " How do you cope with such comparisons?
Sudha: If they're made by discerning listeners, I stop and think about how I can better my performances. Usually, I don't take offence. At least I'm considered worthy enough to be compared to the legends! Don't you think it's easy for people to criticise your game sitting in a stadium or in front of a TV set? For that matter, what about some of your own forthright comments that have at times triggered controversy?
Srikkanth: Like it or not, I speak my mind and play my kind of game. Of course, I've realised it is easier being behind a microphone rather than in front of the stumps, facing a huge crowd.
Sudha: What did it feel like to be selected to play for the first time for India?
Srikkanth: I knew it was coming. Yet, there's no denying it was a thrilling moment. I was so tense during my debut Test against England in 1981 that I got out for zero and began walking to the pavilion but... in the wrong direction! However, I was never ambitious. It's sheer luck that I graduated from gully cricket to become opener for India. My casual approach to the game paid off. Sudha: Did your education suffer at the expense of cricket?
Srikkanth: My dad, like any other middle class Tamilian, made it clear, "Dai, (his conversation is generously garnished with `dai' and `da') studies first, cricket later." But, today's Gen Y kids are bolder as far as career choices are concerned.
Srikkanth: Are your kids musically inclined?
Sudha: My daughter is into the classical arts, but I can't say if she is ready for the sacrifices required to prove herself. Surprisingly, my son seems to have a flair for poetry.
Srikkanth: Our successes affect our children (his sons are wannabe cricketers). If they are good, people will hail them. If they are not, they will be ruthlessly written off. You know, when my first son was born, I was away playing in Zimbabwe. There was no ISD connection and I got the news only four days later. You must be travelling a lot too.
Sudha: The little time I get off stage and out of recording studios is spent travelling. It's been tough for my children not having their mother around most of the time. (On a nostalgic note... ) Can you believe it? I performed to a packed Music Academy when I was pregnant, full-term! It was an emotional moment; my guru had just passed away. Even today, I wonder how I managed a full-fledged concert with a big tummy!
Srikkanth: After all the trials, isn't it exciting to savour success?
Sudha: Oh, it does make you feel on top of the world. Even when you are far away from Chennai, you still feel at home. There's so much warmth and affection wherever you go. I guess it's the bond created by the vocal chords. When I perform in Europe, it is amazing to see a predominantly foreign audience sit through a concert, eyes closed, heads swaying to the swarams. When I ask how they are able to enjoy an alien art, they promptly reply, "The energy comes from the melody and not the lyrics." I've realised that music has the reach and the power to transform people's lives. Hence, I plan to combine music and medicine to help the sick, especially the differently-abled.
Srikkanth: How can I get over insomnia?
Sudha: Listen to Nilambari and Kapi ragas. Exercise also helps.
Srikkanth: Exercise? What's that? Despite being coaxed and cajoled by my wife, I keep away from the treadmill. Even during my cricketing days I never followed a fitness regimen. I am a ghee-seppankizhangu roast-paruppu sadam freak. But, when it comes to diet, I've not been able to dodge my wife!
Sudha: I walk, do yoga and meditation. Exercise is a must for musicians, as we are sitting most of the time, either practising or performing. If we don't, our music might lose weight (laughs)!
Srikkanth: Cricketers are a pampered lot in India. But I've managed to keep my feet on the ground by clutching on to the catchwords — plain, pragmatic and unpretentious.
So I've hardly suffered from retirement blues. The game has taught me to handle fame and blame with equal ease. And come to think of it, but for cricket, I wouldn't be doing a Take Two with you (laughs aloud at the parting shot)!
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
