“I remain a vidyarthi , not a vidwan ,” says carnatic singer K.J. Yesudas, ahead of his concert at Ramaseva Mandali-Chamarajpet on Saturday. His presence draws crowds akin to a rock star. What accounts for such unprecedented crowds, causing traffic jams and seat-confusions?
Says S.N. Varadaraj, general secretary, Ramaseva Mandali, “Sree Narayana Guru’s great message, ‘One religion and One God for all humanity’ has had a deep impact on Yesudas, reflecting a secular persona. His first film song was Jaathi Bhedam Matha Dwesham in 1961 . Be it pure Carnatic classical, bhajans or light classical, audiences patiently wait for their favourites to come by. Reverence and admiration for his guru Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar has Yesudas performing at the Mandali for 50 years now.
‘After me, you have to serve the Lord at the Mandali every year,’ Chembai is said to have instructed Mr. Yesudas his young shishya decades ago, and that’s how a three-hour concert is still being performed for a token Rs.10 from Mr. Yesudas from the days of his guru, says Mr. Varadaraj. “Although he never refuses requests to entertain his fans, personally this year I yearn to hear his all-time hits “Seethamma Mayamma” in Vasanta and “Pavanaguru” in Hamsanandi,” he says.
What are the arrangements from the Mandali for this evening? “Believe me, a Yesudas concert for us is like a World Cup cricket match, interesting yet challenging! We have nearly 10,000 seats fixed, CCTVs added, extra police protection with our own security doubled up at the venue,” says Mr. Varadaraj.
“The effort is worth it. After all, his devotion towards Goddess Saraswati has him singing for Kollur Mookambika every year and Sabarimala officially uses Mr. Yesudas’ voice for his evergreen Harivarasanam every day.”
The biggest tribute to Mr. Yesudas’ playback singing of course had the visually impaired music director Ravindra Jain confess (after Chitchor hits) that if he ever happened to regain vision, he would first open his eyes to see Mr. Yesudas, who has rendered more than 50,000 film songs.
