It was March of 2018, and at the end of a rousing jugalbandhi with Hindustani vocalist Kaushiki Chakraborty, sisters and Carnatic vocalists Ranjani and Gayatri descended the stage in Bengaluru to a packed crowd. They were met by a plethora of fans, one of whom had a special request.
That fan was violinist Ambi Subramaniam. His request? To collaborate on a piece that was unlike anything the duo had ever done in their 30-year career span as both vocalists and violinists.
“We have been wary of collaborations in the past, often because of the highest ideals posed by the music that we practice. But Ambi’s composition is a testament to his lineage and the exposure he has had to high-quality music — it was a perfect fit,” Gayatri says. Ranjani concurs, giving credit to the team’s ‘common ground’ of the Carnatic idiom to making the sisters feel so comfortable that the recording materialised in almost a single take.
The young team
Working alongside Ambi’s sister Bindu, Mahesh Raghvan (iPad), and mridangist Akshay Anantapadmanabhan, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Chakravakam’ was born, marking the sisters’ third venture into novel territory over the last year. The timing, they say, was a ‘complete coincidence.’ “It has just happened — that, I think, has made us believe in destiny,” says Ranjani.
Destiny apparently plotted its own course, first involving the sisters’ in Tamil film composer Santosh Narayanan’s quirky composition ‘Unarvey Marundhu’ that released early last year.
“We’ve often shied away from film numbers because of the lyrics or the aesthetics being presented. The song, and essentially any collaboration, has to be ideal for us as classical musicians,” Gayatri explains. That clarity of thought has stood the sisters in good stead, taking them into collaboration with Kaushiki that opened up an artistic playground, so-to-speak. Was it fusion? Maybe by definition, although Ranjani looks at it as an organic flow of art.
“It’s quite difficult to demarcate classical music systems as they flow from one to the other very easily for us,” she explains. And yet, the inclusion of a third vocalist challenged and excited the chemistry that Ranjani and Gayatri have tuned, subconsciously and almost to a fault. The result, they say, was magical.
“We went beyond the stereotypical divisions of how a jugalbandhi is usually presented, from matching swarams to Kaushiki’s bandhish to having her sing taans during our Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi. It was electrifyingon stage that day,” Gayatri smiles.
She attributes that on-stage experience to a musical open-mindedness that she and Ranjani have cultivated over the years. It’s one that has them enthused for what lies ahead and speaks, they hope, of their musicianship.
The evolution in mindset is evident. Their most recent track, a fusion number, incorporates melodic Western and Middle Eastern soundscapes while remaining rooted in the classical idiom through konnakol, mridangam, and the sisters’ vocalisations. Complete with a subtle griha bedham from Chakravaham to Sarasangi, the joint composition was the best of “ aesthetically-pleasing music.”
“As an artiste, it’s your responsibility to maintain the purity of what you sing. But in a space of fusion, the integration of Carnatic music often results in it taking on a different form and shape, almost like water. Watching it evolve, that is the true joy of collaboration,” points out Gayatri.
No wonder the ventures seem effortless, given that their joint journeys in music have created an almost intuitive synergy for the two vocalists.
“We have been lucky enough to strike a balance over the years. Along with everything we’ve learnt, what we have imbibed from each other and our gurus has integrated so beautifully that it feels effortless as well,” adds Gayatri.
Is it time for another collaboration, another new venture?
“You never know!” Gayatri laughs, hoping to interact with the film space via a melodic number in the future. Ranjani smiles. “Whatever we attempt to do should inspire us, challenge us, so that the best of our intellect and imagination flow together to create something truly memorable.”
