She is all of 22 and already N.J. Nandini has won 19 awards! Make that 20 as of Sunday (August 17), when the Carnatic vocalist will be felicitated with this year’s Chembai Puraskaram. Nandini of the dulcet voice, a B-grade artiste of All India Radio, is one of the youngest ever recipients of the award, instituted by the Department of Culture, Government of Kerala. It just goes to show how the determination to succeed can take you places and how age is just a number.
“I’m happy to get such a prestigious award and that too in memory of legendary musician Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar. It’s doubly thrilling because I am getting the award a bit early in my career. For sure this award will boost my career as a vocalist and give me a better standing when it comes to kutcheris. However, I feel that the award only increases my responsibility towards the audience. It propels me to learn more about Carnatic music; acquaint myself with its processes and involve myself further in the art form. In short, I have to be dynamic towards the audience,” says the articulate Nandini, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram.
The young musician admits that there is a “sort of a regional bias” when it comes to getting recognition in Carnatic music, especially if you are not based in Chennai, the epicentre of the art form. Not that such a thing has ever caused so much as a dent in Nandini’s career, given that her year is packed with concerts and that she has had the opportunity to perform on several stages across the country, including the Music Academy in Chennai and the Shanmukhananda Sabha, Mumbai. “I’m proud that I have got acceptance on merit alone and fortunate to have had the opportunity to sing on these prestigious stages. However, fate and location have a role to play in one’s success in this field and it is subjective too. Only time is a healer in these instances and you have to persevere if you want to succeed,” muses Nandini, a grandniece of the late maestro Vechoor Harisharasubramaniam Iyer.
She won acclaim in Kerala as the winner of a classical music-based reality show ‘Raga Ratnam’ and is now a student of nonagenarian vocalist Parassala B. Ponnammal, herself, a student of Vechoor. “I am trying to imbibe as much as possible from the font of knowledge that is Ponnammal teacher,” says Nandini, with reverence. Of late, the youngster has also started teaching music. “It’s the best possible thing at the moment, for I am learning as well when I teach and that has helped me improve as an artiste,” says Nandini.
