It is a common practice in many South Indian households for girls to learn classical music or dance. Rajna Swaminathan, who is based in Maryland, U.S., also took up Carnatic vocal and Bharatanatyam classes, but chose to specialise in the mridangam.
Rajna is born into a musical family — her late mother was a singer and her father plays the mridangam. She got interested in the percussion instrument when she was five. “My fingers were too tender to play the regular-size instrument, and they would hurt. I remember I would get frustrated as I couldn’t play with my small hands,” she smiles. Her parents then enrolled her in piano classes to strengthen her fingers.
It was her father’s dream to learn from veteran mridangam artiste Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, and the family invited him home for two months. However, Sivaraman was initially hesitant to teach Rajna, as she was too young. “Once, Sir noticed me when I was practising the mridangam, and was convinced about tutoring me.” He visited the family six times and stayed for two to three months every time. During the holidays, Rajna would visit India to continue her learning.
One of her most cherished memories is performing alongside her guru for a 25-city tour across the U.S. “Sir was strict and wanted to bring out the best in me. His perfectionist nature has brought me this far. It was an honour to accompany him on stage, even if it was for just one song — ‘Samaja Vara Gamana’.”
Around the same time, Rajna had her arangetram in Chennai, with Sikkil Gurucharan. It was only then that realisation struck that she was one of the very few women mridangists. “Throughout my childhood, I was always encouraged to learn the instrument. In Chennai, gender bias manifests in many ways, but the scenario is opening up,” says Rajna.
Ask her whether growing up abroad impacted her musical career, and she says that it has helped explore her creativity across musical genres. Says Rajna: “Playing at a sabha has always been an enriching, satisfying experience, but I also enjoy performing for other art forms. I consider myself privileged to be exposed to jazz in the U.S. I got a grant to go to New York, where I had many knowledgeable sessions with various musicians and studied improvisation. I started performing with jazz musicians such as Steve Coleman and Vijay Iyer. In college, I worked with Ragamala Dance Company that gave me opportunities to play for different thematic projects and musical forms.”
Rajna has initiated a band RAJAS, where she is a composer as well. With so much already on her plate, there was a time when she contemplated if she must keeping attending the Season. Coincidentally, vocalist T.M. Krishna requested her to perform for him that season. “He mentored me on the pros and cons of performing in Chennai and my musical path,” says Rajna, who has performed with artistes such as Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, Sikkil Mala, Akkarai Subhalakshmi, Papanasam Ashok Ramani, Carnatica Brothers, Radha Venkatachalam and the late Suguna Purushothaman.
Rajna has applied for a Ph.D. programme at Harvard University on cross-disciplinary studies in music, which aims to bring in professional musicians across genres and allow them to engage with the academic world.
It’s been 11 years since Rajna began playing professionally. Reflecting on her journey, she says: ““People such as the artistic directors of Ragamala, Steve, Vijay and Krishna anna, among others, have empowered me at the right time, and I hope to continue playing.”
