What happens when students of music meet for a practice session? They sing and talk about music. But little did musicians Preeti Sethuraman, Bhavya Hari and V. Subashri know that it would result in the launch of a monthly e-magazine titled Kural: Voices in Music.
When Preeti and Subashri initiated the idea, Bhavya, their senior, was excited. Preeti, who is doing her Ph.D in Indian music, recalls: “The very same day, we came up with the content and name for the magazine.”
Says Subashri: “Kural means voice in Tamizh. Kural is our initiative to share interesting aspects of Carnatic music with students, rasikas, musicians and music teachers.”
The team launched its first edition on April 16, 2023 on the birthday of their guru S. Sowmya. “Kural is an extension of all that we have imbibed from Sowmya akka’s research-oriented and creative pedagogy of teaching compositions. We are fortunate to have her guidance right from the start,” says Bhavya.
Kural allows Carnatic music learners to contribute and share their perspectives. Aaditya Rangan, also a student of Sowmya, who was roped in by the team after two issues of the magazine were out, shares: “The knowledge we get from researching and the interactions with scholars are significant takeaways.”
Aaditya Rangan, Bhavya Hari, V. Subashri and Preeti Sethuraman - the team behind Kural, the e-magazine. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Apart from interviews of veterans under the title ‘Perspectives’, the magazine also features concert reviews (Kutcheri Chronicles) and book reviews (Book-a-thon). The team has also put in place unique sections such as ‘Aavali’ (comprising musical values and references woven in creative narratives), ‘Word bytes’ (subject-specific explanation of technical words in music literature).
Other sections include ‘In a nutshell’ (expertise shared by scholars of Carnatic music), ‘Inniku enna kekkalaam’ (Students’ analysis of musical aspects from renditions of yesteryear musicians), ‘Kural vlogs’ (video coverage of unique musical events and heritage sites) and ‘Laya 360’ (conversations with experts on comprehensive laya analysis). The ‘Kids’ Corner’ section for school-going Carnatic vocal learners demonstrates 113 talas mentioned in the Tamizh musical treatise Chachaputa Venba.
To make things more interactive, there is a section called ‘Brain Benders’ (games, puzzles, quiz series around Carnatic music), chat room and suggestion box.
According to the editorial team, ‘The Voice it out’ section, where students address commonly faced social issues, has drawn a lot of attention. Subashri, who is doing her Ph.D in physics, says: “Subjects such as bhakti in Carnatic music and the role of music in children with special needs were penned by our student contributors.”
The team at Kural states that they do struggle to bring out the edition, because they have to juggle among academics, training and performances. But they are determined to keep it going.
The team recently organised a series of competitions in painting, creative writing, photography, fancy dress and raga identification, and received a good response. The prize distribution will be held on April 19. “We plan to make Kural Competitions an annual event. This means we need financial support. We are planning to officially register Kural soon.” https://www.kuralmagazine.in/
