The twin attraction
CHITRA SWAMINATHAN
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Duet is not actually a new phenomenon but of late, more and more siblings seem to be bonding over swaras.
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Photo: K.V.Srinivasan
TWO IS COMPANY: (From left) Shanmukhapriya, Haripriya, Ranjani, Gayatri, Ravikumar, Sriramprasad, Kumaresh and Ganesh.
You thought one plus one is two! Ask musicians who perform as a duo (brothers and sisters). In all probability their answer will be `one.'
C. Saroja, of the famous Bombay Sisters, who has been singing with her sister Lalitha for more than 44 years, succinctly explains the unique mathematical (read musical) formula as, "Two voices, one effect."
Siblings bonding over swaras is not something unheard of. But of late, more and more sisters and brothers seem to be giving up rivalry for ragas. So we have Priya Sisters, Ranjani-Gayatri, Mambalam Sisters, Saralaya Sisters, Mandolin Sisters, Ganesh-Kumaresh, Malladi Brothers, Rudrapatnam Brothers... And what's more? Sisters are outnumbering brothers. "Not surprising because sharing and caring come naturally to women. And sisters are known to hit it off well together. They are more like buddies, who play, shop, chat, cook, study and watch a movie together. And sometimes also sing together," smiles Gayatri.
"I see no other specific reason behind this phenomenon. In fact, I took to playing the violin watching my elder sister Ranjani play it." "Quite true," says Saroja. "If my sister Lalitha was sick and unable to attend the music class, I would skip it too. So much so that when I got a scholarship to pursue music in Madras, I refused to leave Bombay without her."
"Your sister or brother's presentation keeps you constantly charged on stage and inspires you to perform better," says Haripriya (of Priya Sisters).
According to veteran musicologist S.R.Janakiraman, the Alathur Brothers (Srinivasa Iyer and Sivasubramania Iyer) are unquestionably the ideal musical pair. Though not related by birth, they decided to share the stage on the behest of their guru Alathur Venkateswara Iyer (also Sivasubramania's father).
"A formidable twosome, their kutcheris showcased the best of both voices. When they sang in unison the complex pallavis rolled out with an added punch, while their individual styles offered them a wide repertoire of ragas to delineate. For instance, Sivasubramania Iyer would go in for ghana ragas such as Thodi and Kalyani while Srinivasa Iyer preferred softer ones such as Sahana, Saveri or Suratti. Then came the Bombay Sisters, Sikkil Sisters and Hyderabad Brothers."
On the proliferation of duo singers, he says, "Perhaps it's easier when two people share the responsibility and most often it has a gripping effect on rasikas."
Team effort
"Even our names are never mentioned separately," laughs Kumaresh. "It is relaxing when you know there's someone to add to, chip in and encourage. It's a team effort. Like any other siblings we do have our share of fights and misunderstandings but once on stage, there's no place for ego. You have to be in tune with your partner's mood. You cannot go on your own trip," he says.
Malladi Brothers Sriram Prasad and Ravi Kumar never dreamt of performing together.
"When opportunities came our way, the joint training, lineage (they hail from a family of musicians) and good manodharma taught us to share time, space and ragas." For Saroja and Lalitha, it was their father's desire that they perform together. "I wonder why he chose the two of us among his five daughters. Our training under experts such as Musiri Subramania Iyer and T. K. Govinda Rao and hard work have kept our partnership going through marriage, motherhood and now, grandmotherhood," says Saroja. "Care should be taken to ensure that the blending of styles and sangatis is not done by force," stresses Haripriya.
Singing as a duo does not mean we need to be clones of each other, says Gayatri. "Two people doing the same thing the same way cannot be exciting. We even avoid wearing the same type of saris." There has to be a fine balance of individuality, affection and imagination, after all these jugalbandis are a family affair!
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