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Photo: S. Gopakumar

In synch Members of Sangeeta Sarita get ready for a class

It is chords of music that bind a disparate group of women. Although none of them are professional singers, they have taken up singing for the sheer joy of it.

It all started with the seed of an idea being sown in musician Radhika Sundaresan’s mind. She reminisces: “I aimed at teaching at least the rudiments of music to homemakers interested in music. But I could not figure out how to transform thoughts into action. But, as luck would have it, my idea took concrete shape when I was performing for a function at the Senior Citizens’ Association, of which I am a member.

“A few ladies approached me with the desire to learn music. I told them that at their age a great deal of patience would be needed to learn music. But their unflinching interest convinced me and consequently our efforts have paid off rich dividends.”

Radhika started the Mahakavi K.C. Kesava Pillai Memorial Music Academy’s ‘Sangeeta Sarita’ in 1978 in memory of her late grandfather.

She adds: “Some of our members have learnt music, some are singing after a long period of hibernation and some are learning music for the first time.”

This group of singers congregates every Wednesday at Radhika’s house in PTP Nagar. Asha, a homemaker and a member of Sangeeta Sarita, says: “We usually sing at temples and other venues. Pamphlets introducing our music group are send to various temple committees and then it is they who invite us to sing on their premises. But for temples like Guruvayoor, we had to send an application requesting permission to perform there. In fact, we, recently, made a trip to Mumbai on the invitation of the Malayali Samajam there. We also sing at Attukal Temple on the first of every Malayalam month.”

A far cry from the days when some of them used to cringe at the prospect of going on stage in front of a live audience.

Chandrika, another versatile member of Sangeeta Sarita, recalls: “After retiring from the health services, I had joined the Lions Club. The numerous get-togethers gave me many opportunities to sing on stage. But trepidation and a lack of confidence inhibited me.

“It was at such a gathering that I heard of Sangeeta Sarita. I joined the academy and, lo and behold, within a few months, I had found the self-confidence that I was yearning for. Apart from that, singing has proved to be the ultimate soul cleanser and the best tool to combat the loneliness that lurks within.”

The group’s repertoire includes devotionals and cinematic devotional songs in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.

‘Sangeeta Sarita refuses payment for their performances. Only the orchestra is paid.

Says Radhika: “We sing for pleasure and it is cathartic to sing at religious places. I try to inculcate in my students the ability to sing a bhajan or a devotional song in the right tenor and tone.”

Tuning in every week is Padma Ramachandran, former Chief Secretary of Kerala, a member of the group. “I have always been a vocal advocate of the therapeutic effects of music. Singing is almost second nature to me. These weekly meetings have earned me a close circle of friends and there is a feeling of joyous camaraderie amongst us,” she sings.

It also comes as a balm for many women who nurse empty nests. Chenkal Sukumari, a Malayalam writer with a few novels and short stories to her credit, joined the group a few months back.

She says, a trifle wistfully: “At this age, the absence of our children at home and the ensuing feeling of loneliness do tend to make us a bit melancholic at times. Singing has a soothing effect. Moreover, these classes are an avenue for us to share our thoughts, birthdays and festivals. Music has been an excellent bonding factor and we are all like one big family here.”

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