“Ours is a musical family and everybody is a star. But they have chosen to put me in the limelight,” smiles Karthika Anagha. The young Carnatic singer is pursuing her Ph.D in ethnomusicology in the U.K.
It was Karthika’s grandfather who spotted her interest in music. “I was three when I learnt my alphabet but I could look at an English notation book and sing varnams. I could identify ragas, repeat phrases and sing complicated swarams and everyone was fascinated,” she shares .
She first trained under MSN Murthy and then Pantula Rama. Her first concert was at seven at Kalabharati in Visakhapatnam. In Bangalore, she learnt music under Neela Ramgopal, with whom she shares a special bond even today. “She is my role model,” says Karthika. She was also under the tutelage of Raghavachari of Hyderabad Brothers and is now a student of Malladi Suribabu.
Karthika has balanced academics and music well. She has done her Masters in Mass Communication from St. Francis College in Begumpet. She also holds a Masters degree in Carnatic music.
Having performed over 400 concerts, Karthika believes every concert has helped her evolve as a performer. “There are times when I lose myself in the singing. Once I rendered the alapana of a raga for an hour and a half.” Unlike youngsters who get carried away with their stage performances, Karthika observes that they are only incidental and perceives music as a way to enhance her spiritual growth. She also doesn’t like to plan her performances. “Then it starts weighing on your mind. I ideally prepare sets of kritis, varnams and tillanas and present them depending on the audience’s and my mood.”
Her tryst with ethnomusicology opened up new avenues. “When I researched for music courses abroad, I discovered ethnomusicology. It is the study of music in the societal context, which is what Carnatic music is. My idea of pursuing it is to see how I can establish the art’s connect with the layman.”
Evolution of sound
She focused on gender study in her Masters in Carnatic music and and will move to more specific topics for her research. “I think I have read more in a year than I would have in five years in India,” she laughs and recalls the first lesson on the evolution of soun. “ Our music is thousands of years old yet remains relevant to the changing times.”
Her course gave her a sense of freedom and an opportunity to learn more. “I wanted to know why I was singing. That ‘why’ came early in my life and I feel blessed for that. There is always a fear that if one is away from the music scene for a long time, one loses the connection. It didn’t happen to me as I keep performing during my visits to India. If you understand what you are singing, your performances will be several notches higher.”
