By NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN
For music lovers, Sudha Ragunathan needs no introduction. A simple web search will yield a ream of awards she has won and the accolades that have been hers for years. Professionally and personally, the headlines of her life read as a charmed one. Brilliant in college, nurtured by love of family and encouragement of a famed guru,
For music lovers, Sudha Ragunathan needs no introduction. A simple web search will yield a ream of awards she has won and the accolades that have been hers for years. Professionally and personally, the headlines of her life read as a charmed one. Brilliant in college, nurtured by love of family and encouragement of a famed guru,
she honed all of this with dedication, hard work and of course the sheer talent that was hers. The master musician is a layered personality: traditional yet modern; smiling yet no doubt steely about her performances; traveling the world singly but a devoted wife; chatty but not gossipy. And almost always, she credits all things good to her guru, the great M.L.Vasanthakumari. MLV, as she was known, was the foremost disciple of the other great, G.N.Balasubramaniam. In the annals of Indian classical music and dance where the trend nowadays is only to promote your own child at the expense of other students, this school has thrived because its masters have shared freely their expertise and promoted their talented students.
What strikes you most on meeting Ragunathan, is how unpretentious she is. She is articulate and even after possibly encountering the same questions over the years from journalists, continues to treat each query as if hearing it for the first time, giving it full attention and thought. Laid back and ready for a laugh, you know she is the one you can go hang with over a cup of coffee and delight in the stories she shares.
Ragunathan was in SoCal recently for a charity concert and spoke with IJ. Excerpts:
Q: What was your relationship with M.S.Subbalaxmi especially in the context of her and your guru MLV being viewed as “rivals”?
A: They were not rivals but apparently friends who met very rarely. There was definitely healthy competition. They would each say they admired the other and that’s what I saw when they met. I was just a teenager then. MLV amma was very liberal and said don’t just copy my music, open your mind and heart and take in the good things from others. After my guru passed, MS amma would enquire on what I was singing and encourage me to listen to her kritis and sing it the same way. So I had the freedom to imbibe a few qualities from that and weave it into my parampara of music. I don’t deviate from the MLV style but people have also enjoyed recognizing MS amma when I sing ‘kurai ondrum illai’ or ‘maitreem bhajata.’
Q: Was it always going to be music for you?
A: (chuckling)I had dreams of becoming a diplomat and going off to Rome and Vienna representing my country! When I traveled with MLV amma we would visit the embassies and I enjoyed seeing their power. Now when I tell some people I had planned on being like them, they say I am a diplomat for the country in my own way!
Q: What pushed you in the direction then?
A: It was because of my mother. She herself could not become a performer given the Brahmin cultural background and the associated taboo with ascending the public stage. She had a very big dream in a quiet place in her heart for me. When at her urging I applied and got a music scholarship to study with MLV amma for three years, I thought after that I would get back to whatever else I wanted to do. But my guru had such power over me, she encompassed every little flutter I had in my mind on whether this is my course. So the temporary became permanent!
Q: Tell us a bit more about that.
A: She was so impressionable on me, not only musically but even with the way she behaved and carried herself. In her relationship with me there was so much love. I would do everything for her. Just a look from her was enough. Getting her bath ready, ironing her clothes, everything. That’s why I think I have been totally blessed by her. I cannot believe just music or just being me has brought me here. There is a superpower around me that propels me toward the right things. She assured me that I had all the wares for a musician. I needed to just work hard.
Q: Is the guru-shishya parampara important in the skyping era?
A: Extremely important. It is not just about hearing the voice of the guru but the whole body and how it reacts to a sangati, how the face contorts, the hand moves, eye contact with the audience…the totality of presentation. I am probably the last of what was a shadow of the gurukula vasam – I too didn’t stay with my guru but when I was with her I would do her notations, string her tambura, think of the remotest thing and I did it. I think it kept me very grounded. She taught me so much more than music. She was another avatar on stage, unapproachable and with her own aura. She would get off and immediately become like one of us, the complex ragam patterns left behind! When you are one with others, where is the need for attitude and ego she would ask? So, you are just somebody people admire when you are on stage, beyond that your time is just about being one with it. Technology is one of the biggest gifts but it does take away the charm of a live guru.
Q: What did you learn not to do from your guru?
A: Not to cave in at any time. Whatever the challenge and however large, she would say, just go to sleep and you will find the solution the next day. I think everyone in the field knows I don’t give up!
Q: And what were your challenges as a woman especially in the context of #Metoo?
A: I have faced a few embarrassments. There are a lot of organizers and other men around you, especially when you start out. I was lucky that I did not get into any tricky situation but I was very, very clear about it as I would call them out on it. Having priorities clear is important. The ability to walk away also gives strength. Youngsters come to me today and talk to me privately and I have helped them with organizers who tell them to come to meet them or meet with them often.
Q: Film music – does it dilute your music?
A: No. I don’t do it on a regular basis. 363 days I am in the classical mode and connected to my roots. Two days in a year I am doing film music. Of course the way you use your voice in films is different. They want the lows in your voice, huskier. You tailor it to that need. The fallout of film music is that with one song you suddenly reach a thousand people. Somewhere it has brought in a new audience and visibility to the genre itself.
Q: What has film music taught you?
A: A lot of things. How to use the microphone, present your lyrics, bring more emotion into your voice - what we call ‘bhava,’ they call ‘feel’! And then there is confidence. They give you the lyrics, hum a few lines and you have to do it! Within an hour you bring it out and it has to meet the requisites of the composer in terms of emotion, presentation and embellishment. The composer is a small creator there in front of you. It’s an amazing experience.
Q: Your most rewarding concert?
A: (long pause) In December 1990 at the Music Academy in Chennai, 13 days before I delivered my daughter. Earlier in October, a few days before she passed, I had visited my guru in the hospital. She looked at my stomach then up at my face and speaking in whispers, made me promise that I would not miss any concert. To keep that promise I performed. I was really worried about sitting that long and about breath control. The Music Academy was packed to capacity. I still remember every song, every moment, even the purple saree I wore! The standing ovation still resounds in my head.
Q: What music do you listen to?
A: All kinds. Sufi, Coke Studio – my son supplies me links and leads, Beyonce, Norah Jones. When it comes to Carnatic, a lot of MLV, MS and yesteryear musicians. I feel that their paatantaram, the regimentation of a kriti is very clear.
What strikes you most on meeting Ragunathan, is how unpretentious she is. She is articulate and even after possibly encountering the same questions over the years from journalists, continues to treat each query as if hearing it for the first time, giving it full attention and thought. Laid back and ready for a laugh, you know she is the one you can go hang with over a cup of coffee and delight in the stories she shares.
Ragunathan was in SoCal recently for a charity concert and spoke with IJ. Excerpts:
Q: What was your relationship with M.S.Subbalaxmi especially in the context of her and your guru MLV being viewed as “rivals”?
A: They were not rivals but apparently friends who met very rarely. There was definitely healthy competition. They would each say they admired the other and that’s what I saw when they met. I was just a teenager then. MLV amma was very liberal and said don’t just copy my music, open your mind and heart and take in the good things from others. After my guru passed, MS amma would enquire on what I was singing and encourage me to listen to her kritis and sing it the same way. So I had the freedom to imbibe a few qualities from that and weave it into my parampara of music. I don’t deviate from the MLV style but people have also enjoyed recognizing MS amma when I sing ‘kurai ondrum illai’ or ‘maitreem bhajata.’
Q: Was it always going to be music for you?
A: (chuckling)I had dreams of becoming a diplomat and going off to Rome and Vienna representing my country! When I traveled with MLV amma we would visit the embassies and I enjoyed seeing their power. Now when I tell some people I had planned on being like them, they say I am a diplomat for the country in my own way!
Q: What pushed you in the direction then?
A: It was because of my mother. She herself could not become a performer given the Brahmin cultural background and the associated taboo with ascending the public stage. She had a very big dream in a quiet place in her heart for me. When at her urging I applied and got a music scholarship to study with MLV amma for three years, I thought after that I would get back to whatever else I wanted to do. But my guru had such power over me, she encompassed every little flutter I had in my mind on whether this is my course. So the temporary became permanent!
Q: Tell us a bit more about that.
A: She was so impressionable on me, not only musically but even with the way she behaved and carried herself. In her relationship with me there was so much love. I would do everything for her. Just a look from her was enough. Getting her bath ready, ironing her clothes, everything. That’s why I think I have been totally blessed by her. I cannot believe just music or just being me has brought me here. There is a superpower around me that propels me toward the right things. She assured me that I had all the wares for a musician. I needed to just work hard.
Q: Is the guru-shishya parampara important in the skyping era?
A: Extremely important. It is not just about hearing the voice of the guru but the whole body and how it reacts to a sangati, how the face contorts, the hand moves, eye contact with the audience…the totality of presentation. I am probably the last of what was a shadow of the gurukula vasam – I too didn’t stay with my guru but when I was with her I would do her notations, string her tambura, think of the remotest thing and I did it. I think it kept me very grounded. She taught me so much more than music. She was another avatar on stage, unapproachable and with her own aura. She would get off and immediately become like one of us, the complex ragam patterns left behind! When you are one with others, where is the need for attitude and ego she would ask? So, you are just somebody people admire when you are on stage, beyond that your time is just about being one with it. Technology is one of the biggest gifts but it does take away the charm of a live guru.
Q: What did you learn not to do from your guru?
A: Not to cave in at any time. Whatever the challenge and however large, she would say, just go to sleep and you will find the solution the next day. I think everyone in the field knows I don’t give up!
Q: And what were your challenges as a woman especially in the context of #Metoo?
A: I have faced a few embarrassments. There are a lot of organizers and other men around you, especially when you start out. I was lucky that I did not get into any tricky situation but I was very, very clear about it as I would call them out on it. Having priorities clear is important. The ability to walk away also gives strength. Youngsters come to me today and talk to me privately and I have helped them with organizers who tell them to come to meet them or meet with them often.
Q: Film music – does it dilute your music?
A: No. I don’t do it on a regular basis. 363 days I am in the classical mode and connected to my roots. Two days in a year I am doing film music. Of course the way you use your voice in films is different. They want the lows in your voice, huskier. You tailor it to that need. The fallout of film music is that with one song you suddenly reach a thousand people. Somewhere it has brought in a new audience and visibility to the genre itself.
Q: What has film music taught you?
A: A lot of things. How to use the microphone, present your lyrics, bring more emotion into your voice - what we call ‘bhava,’ they call ‘feel’! And then there is confidence. They give you the lyrics, hum a few lines and you have to do it! Within an hour you bring it out and it has to meet the requisites of the composer in terms of emotion, presentation and embellishment. The composer is a small creator there in front of you. It’s an amazing experience.
Q: Your most rewarding concert?
A: (long pause) In December 1990 at the Music Academy in Chennai, 13 days before I delivered my daughter. Earlier in October, a few days before she passed, I had visited my guru in the hospital. She looked at my stomach then up at my face and speaking in whispers, made me promise that I would not miss any concert. To keep that promise I performed. I was really worried about sitting that long and about breath control. The Music Academy was packed to capacity. I still remember every song, every moment, even the purple saree I wore! The standing ovation still resounds in my head.
Q: What music do you listen to?
A: All kinds. Sufi, Coke Studio – my son supplies me links and leads, Beyonce, Norah Jones. When it comes to Carnatic, a lot of MLV, MS and yesteryear musicians. I feel that their paatantaram, the regimentation of a kriti is very clear.
RSS Feed
