Ashvin Bogendra, the grandson of TK Rangachari is an industrial engineer who had been working for more than a decade in New Jersey, the U.S. “I moved to India recently to pursue Carnatic music more diligently,” he says. He continues to work in the Indian office of the same organisation. He shares some of his experiences in a brief chat.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of inheriting a legacy?
It is advantageous to some extent but living up to high expectation is the disadavantage. In the initial stages I was only following my grandfather’s style. I soon realised the need to approach music in my own way.
Features of TK Rangachari’s
music...
Azutham and melody were the hallmarks of his singing. He was also known for introducing refreshing sangatis and prayogas of a raga. They added colour to his rendition and made it sound different. It’s fascinating to imbibe these nuances by listening to his recordings.
How does he balance his profession and passion?
During the 12 years that I worked in New Jersey, I kept my music going due to the flexibility the job offered. Now that I have moved to Pune, I tcan afford to sing more concerts and also improve my musical prowess .
Memorable concert
Once at a concert in the U.S. I sang a composition of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, who was present at the event. He then invited me to perform at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. That was an unforgettable experience as Swamiji sat in the front row and listened to the entire concert.
On his strengths and weaknesses
I give a lot of attention to voice and bhava in my presentations. I feel those are my strengths. Weakness? Well, I think I have to be more attentive about laya control.
