Legacy: the coin has two sides
GOWRI RAMNARAYAN
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Those from families of performing musicians enjoy an advantage but shoulder greater responsibilities.
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Photo: K. V. Srinivasan.
INHERITORS: (From left) Subhiksha, Anusha, Gurucharan and Nisha. Photo: K. V. Srinivasan.
``To this day the kriti `Marakatavalli' reminds me of the mouth-watering flavour of fresh sambar. My grandmother Sikkil Kunjumani used to teach me as she cooked. The kitchen was often my class room," laughs Sikkil Gurucharan.
Gurucharan (25), Anusha Pradeep(25), Nisha Rajagopal(26) and Subhiksha Rangarajan (18), entered Carnatic music with an obvious advantage. They belong to families of performing musicians, each representing a distinct school. But are high standards at home and great audience expectations unmixed blessings?
``Entry was easy. But staying on depends on our own worth," says Gurucharan, grandson of flautists Kunjumani and Neela, nephew of Mala Chandrasekhar.
``Fewer allowances are made as people set up a certain benchmark from the start," explains Anusha, great grandniece of the legendary Musiri Subramania Iyer. With established concert artistes for mothers in Vasundhara Rajagopal and Lakshmi Rangarajan, Nisha and Subhiksha admit, ``We are aware of our responsibility." Her mother was Nisha's first guru. Now ``we bounce ideas off each other, give feedback." Nisha enjoys understanding support. For Subhiksha, practice with mother and grandmother has been intensive, but a natural daily happening. ``They know just what I do, how much I practice."
Having musicians in the family means being subjected to instant corrections. Ringing him up after his concert, Gurucharan's grandmother would say, ``That Sankarabharanam phrase smacked of Begada." Aunt Mala's mother-in-law Radha Viswanathan gave him lessons from the M.S. repertoire.
``I didn't know the importance of all this then. But it sank deep. I realised the value of tradition and the constant need for improvement."
Anusha was born much after great grand uncle Musiri's demise. But, ``he's always with me through his music. I listen, absorb, and remain true to his values." Gurus Suguna Purushothaman, Suguna Varadachari and D.K.Govinda Rao being steeped in the Musiri bhani kept her on track. Padam lessons from T.Mukta too stressed the same values of profound, nuanced and leisurely music making. ``I make sure that I sing at least one padam and javali in every concert. I believe this adds to any distinct style that I may achieve in time."
A musical background also means that to some extent, the performer's choices are already made. Nisha was schooled by mother Vasundhara's gurus — T.R.Subramaniam and P.S.Narayanaswami.
Other lanes
Her violinist grandmother being T.M.Thiagarajan's first disciple, made mother Lakshmi and Subhiksha seek his instruction. But the grand daughter explored other lanes too. ``When she saw how learning Hindustani and Western music made my voice gain in timbre, volume and breath control, my grandmother stopped objecting."
Anusha's goals are simple. ``I'm content if people see the Musiri style in me. There's nothing I enjoy more than vilambakala and bhava filled music."
Do the others too feel that they must conform to the family style? ``We're too young to say we have any style," begins Nisha. ``Learning from different teachers makes me take the best of everything. Hopefully, I'll evolve something of my own." Gurucharan was entrusted to Vaigal Gnanaskandan so that he may not sing in an instrumental style. But he learnt other features from the Sikkil School like concert presentation, attention to details, and methods of modulation.
Subhiksha feels a sense of limitation in confining herself to a single genre. ``Not that I should move to Mumbai without adequate groundwork, but I certainly don't want to sing only for Mylapore. I want to go far beyond. I want to create a style of my own with all the genres I'm learning."
``Going beyond Mylapore is going out of Carnatic music for me," says Gurucharan. Anusha reflects, ``I'm not a crowd puller. I want whoever comes to listen to me to feel that I'm getting deeper into my music." All four agree that self-criticism has been inducted into them very early as part of the family training.
Where do they expect to be ten years from now? ``Better than now, without smugness or stagnation," laughs Nisha. Subhiksha exclaims, ``I sing to make myself happy, but I want many people to know I make myself happy!"
Gurucharan wants to ``wake up with the same tension and excitement about my music as I do now."
Anusha sums up: ``I hope people will say I sing with authentic feeling and good taste."
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