On Tuesday evening, the Ilayaraja-hit Janani Janani resonated the hall at Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram, Kilpauk. However, the voice was not that of a professional singer — but of chartered accountant V. Balasubramanian’s.
Mr. Balasubramanian, senior general manager (commercial and administration) of The Hindu , learnt to play the veena from G.N. Dhandapani Iyer. “He used to make me sing while playing the instrument. That is how my interest in singing developed,” he said.
His association with light music grew further when he became part of a troupe called ‘Sangeeth’ while working at BHEL in Tiruchi. “When I came to Chennai, I became a part of A.V. Ramanan’s group. He trained me in the nuances of light music,” said Mr. Balasubramanian, a fan of Ilayaraja.
Despite his hectic schedule, he has managed to find time to practise, primarily, while driving his car, and is now part of a troupe called Bharti Entertainers.
Like him, many other professionals, including doctors, lawyers and even managing directors of multinational companies (MNC), who started out as bathroom singers have begun performing on stage, shedding their inhibitions.
V. Varadarajan, a paediatrician, has been part of a light music band called ‘Medical Melodies’ for nearly a decade. “We perform thrice a year. Singing helps me relax,” he says. His troupe has conducted concerts to raise funds to meet the medical needs of children.
For Sudeep Sangameswaran, managing director (India) of Paques, it all began with a karaoke session. “When Rajesh Khanna died in 2012, one of my friends motivated me to conduct a light music programme in memory of the actor. Thus, our troupe, Aarohi, was born,” he said.
“Mr. Sudeep came to me as a client. We realised music was a common interest and began singing together. Pioneer Suresh trained us in light music and, from then on, there was no turning back,” said Harishankar Mani, a lawyer.
All these people have one thing in common — passion for music. “For those who are willing, there is always time to pursue dreams,” said Mr. Balasubramanian.
