Finding a new challenge every day is what keeps violinist-researcher Dr. M. Lalitha on her toes. When she is not performing at various prestigious global music festivals as one half of the Lalitha-Nandini duo, she is busy teaching, writing and researching … “on anything that revolves round music.”
And now, this fourth generation musician has added another feather to her rather crowded cap. She has been appointed as Dean, Indian Music Programme, at the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music. Talking about her new role, Lalitha says, “The opportunity to put together such a course for beginners came about after a chance meeting with Swarnabhoomi’s Rajini Reddy. We got chatting and soon the conversation veered towards a course in Indian classical music. As there are not many introductory courses in Indian classical music, she suggested I put together a programme. I was really excited as here was a wonderful platform to share all the knowledge that I have assimilated over the years, with aspiring students. The project is something that suits my mindset as a musician and most important, it is an opportunity to give back…”
A bit about Swarnabhoomi. The academy, which promotes and propagates the gurukulam method of training, has so far focussed on Western classical, jazz and sound recording techniques. “So going Indian is a challenge for them too,” says Lalitha. The core team for this endeavour comprises, besides Lalitha, academic head Vinay Prabhakar, and assistant vice-president Robin Richard. “We pool our thoughts to find the best way to approach each aspect. And we have Rajini Reddy at the helm of things, to give it perspective."
Talking about the course, the granddaughter of violin vidwan V. Lakshminarayana and the niece of violin trio L. Vaidyanathan, L. Subramaniam and L. Shenkar says, “Since this is a foundation course, the content will be a combination of theory and practicals. I feel understanding how music evolved from the Vedic times to its present state, is a vital aspect in the learning curve for musicians. In Western classical music, theory is given equal importance. Our aim is to do just that for Indian classical music as well.”
She goes on, “While the focus will be Carnatic music, we will also touch upon the Hindustani style, its gharanas and so on.” Two instruments — the violin and the mridangam — will be taught initially.
Guest lectures, short performance, jamming sessions and full-fledged concerts will be part of this 10-week introductory programme, which hopes to equip an aspirant with the basic knowhow about classical music. “We have prepared several modules in such a way that the students are encouraged to think, analyse, interact and explore. Here, I have to acknowledge and thank my uncle L. Shenkar, who gave valuable suggestions and inputs.”
She concludes, “This is just a small step towards a greater goal… of preserving and propagating Carnatic and Hindustani music.”
