They have a huge fan following, but don’t wear an attitude. Fondly referred to as Ra Ga sisters, their concerts give as much aural pleasure as it’s visually soothing. The latter because they complement rather than compete, appreciating each other audibly, with complete honesty. The Urdu word ‘sukoon’ would best describe the experience whether they’re exploring a raga, rendering a ‘krithi’’, bhajan or abhang.
Classical musicians have been singing film songs for ages now. There has never been a stigma attached to it though a few fanatics do frown. Santosh Narayanan offered Ranjani- Gayatri a song tailor made to suit their style with a brief ‘alapana’, a fast paced, pallavi and brief sangathi laden interludes. The lovely lyrics describe the wisdom of our predecessors in designing a diet that was tasty yet medicinal. The sisters do full justice, with ease and grace. I met them for a brief chat about their maiden playback singing debut.
How much time did you take to say yes and what were your apprehensions?
Ranjani: We’ve known that Santosh Narayanan is our fan. He likes our music and has attended our concerts. He’s also written to us that he’s an admirer. He said he conceived this song with us in mind. Santosh wanted to change the impression that he’s capable of tuning only populist songs. He confessed being hesitant in making the offer. Now here is a person who respects our work and had conceived a piece with us in mind. We did not hesitate too much. We went to the studio, got the tune, learnt the words and did it. The chemistry we share onstage was there in the song. The song starts with Gayatri’s ‘alapana’. It was a creative experience while retaining classical elements. It was a very enriching experience and a pleasure working with Santosh who’s so humble.
Gayatri: The ‘alapana’ was off the cuff. We didn’t know he had recorded it. When I did I asked for another take but he said it was fine.
You’ve been singing for so many years but this is a new experience. How much time did the process take?
Ranjani: It was new, yes. In classical music you internalise and have the freedom to make it your own. You can add colour and flavour. Here the music director conceives it and we stick to that completely. There was very little improvisation. We didn’t have too much time and it’s verbose. We did our best.
Was it done in one take?
Gayatri: No. We split it into two or three lines at a time.
The lyrics are about delicious, everyday food. Was it tough to control temptation?
Gayatri : (Laughs) we didn’t think of that.
Ranjani: That’s because we were worried about pronunciation. We realised this only after we finished the recording when we listened to it.
Were you averse to singing film music before?
Gayatri: Not at all. It’s a very wrong notion to have.
Ranjani: A musician with an open mind will not have that attitude. All music is equal. You need a conditioning to appreciate certain music. Ilaiyaraja has a repository of great music and every classical musician will acknowledge that. His work is amazing any which way you look at it.
Many admire you for your staunch adherence to classicism. So amongst your fans was there a debate like, ‘should they’ or ‘why did they’?
Gayatri: That’s a very good question. There was a debate, yes.
Ranjani: Most of them were appreciative. There were some who said the last bastion had fallen. RaGa have followed Nityashree and Bombay Jayashree. They were a minority. Some who were apprehensive apologised after listening to the song.
You were brought up in a household which monitored the kind of music you listened to. What was your exposure to film music?
Ranjani: That started at a later age. Our parents are our first ‘gurus’. We subconsciously learn so many things from them. In that sense we were immersed in classical music from a very young age. I think that’s a good age to be exposed to classical music, when the parents still have control.
That’s because the taste for classical music has to be cultivated. Later when we stepped out film music is the only thing that fell on our ears. We grew up in Mumbai where film music reigns. I love certain songs like ‘Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha’ and ‘Chain Se Hum Ko Kabhie’( sings a line laden with gamakas).
Gayatri: Asha Bhonsle is a favourite.
Ranjani: We enjoyed the golden period of Hindi film music. We started listening to whatever we wanted after a certain age. We’ve liked Ghazals sung by Mehdi Hassan and Anup Jalota to name a couple.
This song is done and dusted. Do you see it as an indulgence or a way of expanding your fan base probably?
Ranjani: That is a byproduct honestly. It will be great if we can spread the joy and bliss we experience while singing Carnatic music. If it helps reach more people why not? The bottom line is we should be comfortable with what we do. We’re definitely not doing it to increase our popularity. We are responsible for good music and to reflect the values we’ve been brought up with.
What if a song requires only one of you? Will it be a problem?
Gayatri: I don’t think so at all.
Ranjani: I’ll answer that. We’ve never had such problems. The equation we share permeates onstage but if someone opts for Gayatri I’ll be the happiest and I’m sure she’ll be if it’s vice versa.
This song is going to be frequently requested during kutcheries.
Ranjani: We don’t sing ‘thukkudas’. We like to end our concerts with Abhangs and Bhajans.
