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Strikes a right chord

Seventeen-year-old playback singer Haricharan is excited about his career

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK Singer Haricharan

He's the new kid on the block who has come a long way in a short time. He made a splash with his debut number "Unakkena iruppaen" in the runaway hit "Kaadhal". Meet Haricharan, a talented 17-year-old singer. His success story is no flash in the pan. Besides guidance from his father, systematic training has honed his voice and musical instinct. So when the big break came, he was ready for it. "My first concert was at age 10 when I performed before M. S. Subbulakshmi and my guru, K. V. Narayanaswami, but I was too young to be nervous ... probably a good thing," says Haricharan, who has performed at several sabhas.

He values his stage shows with Abaswaram Ramji's "Isai Mazhalai" troupe as a great learning experience. "The turning point was when I won the first place in an all-India ghazal competition. I was thrilled to be judged by well-known singers such as Udit Narayan, who complimented me on my Urdu diction. He was stunned when I said I didn't even know Hindi," he says with a shy smile. Haricharan then went on to win prizes in a slew of TV talent shows. "I owe my playback singing career to A.V. Ramanan. On his suggestion, I auditioned before music director Joshua Sridhar. He, along with Balaji Shakthivel, director of "Kaadhal", and lyricist Muthukumar prepared me so well that I was able to get the "feel" of the song. Shankar, the producer, listened to the track and retained my voice." A steady stream of assignments, including "Amritham", "Pattiyal" and currently "Parijatham" and "Uyir", has kept Haricharan busy.

Juggling studies (pursuing a degree in computer engineering), recordings and concerts can be demanding. "I try to strike a balance so that there's enough time to hang out with friends." Does voice care mean some foods are off-limits? "Not really. I do indulge in chocolates and ice-creams, but not too often," he says, with a boyish smile.

LALITHAA KRISHNAN

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