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Torrent of talent

Another musician, another genre. This time, it's sans the hype. Meet Vijay Venkat

This is going to be a difficult task. There is only one person, but there are about 15 instruments to talk of, about five genres, and six fields of interests. Anyone clutching his/her head about what to do for a living must just meet 32-year-old musician Vijay Venkat.

Venkat calls himself a "jazz fusion artiste", but quickly adds that he's not into "raga with drums". "The minute someone hears the word fusion they think it's going to be `Alaipayuthey' with drum beats," he says. "What, are there only two countries in the world? Can't there be a fusion of music from any two countries?" His cultural preference, therefore, is Western Classical with Jazz. All this is fine, but can I please listen to some music, I ask.

The next ten minutes is a lesson in jaw dropping.

A graduate from the Trinity College of Music, London, and a proficient Carnatic musician, Venkat plays almost all instruments that have a name. "But I have chosen to focus on the violin, flute and vichitra veena," he says, "The violin is considered to be the most difficult instrument, and there is an instant connection when I hold in my hand." This choice comes with a daunting list of sacrifices: The guitar was given up because it gave cross-grooves on his fingers; the mridangam was surrendered because it would've hardened his fingertips and hampered his fingering on the violin. He even quit a career in tennis because it didn't give him enough time to practise music, and might've caused calluses on his hands.

Foot-tapping numbers

Jazz-fusion is what Venkat has finally chosen as his genre. "It's actually self-composed Western Classical that is improvised in the jazz format," he says. "And I do mostly foot-tapping numbers, fast-paced, yet detailed." Calling Solo Western Classical `foot-tapping' seems like a big fat lie, but despite Venkat's swanky quotes, he speaks the absolute truth when he says they are entertaining. "I know this music is not widely popular because it's unfamiliar territory," he says. "But I refuse to put Thyagaraja and Dikshitar through the synthesiser. It's sacrilege." Oh, then it is ok for Bach to play around tabla beats? "No. These maestros deserve respect too. I only play my own compositions." Ah. Touché.

Venkat also gives regular Carnatic concerts on the vichitra veena (or gottu vaadhyam). His Carnatic violin techniques come from the rare, and extremely intricate Dwaram school of music. It is said that even Yehudi Menuhin was bowled over by Dwaram exponent Venkataswamy Naidu's violin technique. "In Chennai, I lose out to lobbying and power-play," confesses Venkat. "I had a long, confused, frustrated period. But now I've decided. Despite all this nonsense that goes on in this field, I'm going to stay on. I have so many musical ideas, and creative patterns in my head, and I need to give them form."

When his father and sister join us in conversation, it's obvious that beyond all that pride lays objective appreciation. When the father mentions all he hopes his son will achieve, there is hidden resentment about talent going unrecognised now. "People ask which instrument my son plays best. I say he plays all of them with equal skill and unique technique. It's a gift, that's what it is." Despite the fact that the claim comes from his father, if you've heard Venkat play, you won't doubt it for a second.

ROHINI MOHAN

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