It’s a lazy Sunday morning. As we enter Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s mini hall, a group of children greets us. Their parents line the walls and watch as choir director Sudha Raja talks into her microphone: “Do we understand? Let’s try it together now.” As three-part harmonies form, a boy tapping away on his mridangam in the corner, it’s a reflection of the enterprise Raja has built over the last five years.
“We began Sargam choir in 2011 and it’s definitely grown since then,” Raja recounts. A doctorate in music, Raja is a product of the Carnatic idiom, trained by musicologist Sulochana Pattabhiraman. A chance celebration in 2011 led her into Indian choral singing, eventually forming two choirs with big dreams.
“I first trained a group of bank employees in the choir, Akshayam. Sargam was formed shortly after but initially, it only involved children.” she says. The parents showed equal interest, prompting Raja to form an adult choir to complement the younger group.
The ensembles wasted no time in learning pan-Indian compositions with vigour and began to compete in international competitions. Taking part in festivals that showcased over 250 choirs from 78 countries opened a whole new world of choral possibilities.
At the 2013 Asian Pacific Choir Games in Indonesia, the group presented Indian compositions by Rabindranath Tagore and Muthuswami Dikshitar and was awarded a bronze medal (for the second time): a considerable achievement but the children wanted more and got it. They have been invited to the Asian Pacific Choir Games later this year in Colombo.
“It’s a stamp of validation,” she explains. “There might not be any prize money involved. But for the Sargam children, that gold medal is the icing on the cake.” She’s changed the format considerably, combining the adult and children’s choirs into what is referred to as a ‘mixed choir.’ And she’s brought about one more change: she plans to present the choir in an acapella format, that is, without instruments.
Thillana medley
“I prefer acapella,” Raja says, illustrating the benefits of the format in honing better swarasthanam and sruti suddham techniques through a sketch of one of Dikshitar’s nottu swaram compositions. It’s one of the four pieces that Sargam will be presenting along with a Rajasthani piece, a Malayalam composition, and a thillana medley that pulls the best from the vast repertoire of 25 thillanas that the children have learnt over the past few years.
The trip to Colombo will also include a host of ‘friendship’ performances for the public and interactions with other choir ensembles. She hopes to build a large choral network through the journey.
Raja attributes her passion for the art to the students and parents, who enable its success. “The investment is no small amount, in terms of both time and money, and I’m humbled by the dedication of the children and their parents.”
As rehearsals progress in full swing, the hall reverberates with energy. “While other nations receive government funding for choral productions, it’s been quite a challenge for us to get monetary support,” says Raja.
As the group concludes a piece in unison, she quickly introduces a new harmony for the younger ones. A few seconds later, the room fills with sound. “See, choir is all about singing together,” she tells the children. “Anything has a possibility for harmony: you just have to listen in.”
To register for Sargam, contact 98401 32913.
