It is a volte face of sorts, in the Carnatic music firmament! The progeny of well-known musicians have far outdone their seers, at least going by popularity charts. The progeny-turned-stars navigated their own course and destiny, scaling the pinnacle of popularity.
Having an artiste-scholar and guru for a parent is an incredible advantage to the offspring, says Komanduri Seshadri, a Carnatic musician (violinist) and scholar. The inclination to arts is a natural corollary of being born into a family steeped in music or dance, where the environment nurtures whatever little talent is lying beneath the surface. Added to this is the association with stalwarts in the field who are colleagues and co-artistes of the parent(s). Above all is the goodwill of the family which is like an expedient platform to take off into the world of performing arts. From there on, it is one’s own initiative to endeavour to deliver the best if one wants to carve a niche for him/herself. The exposure and gratification for the present day artiste is much more than it was three to four decades ago. Carefully nurtured talent with the added advantage of a family background and a conscious effort to make it to the top can be a sure shot to success and fame.
Be it the Mysore Brothers, Manjunath and Nagaraj whose father Mahadevappa was a popular music teacher of his times; the Trichur Brothers, sons of mridangam vidwan Mohan; Mahati, the daughter of Vasanti and Thiruvayaru Sekhar (flautist-vocalist couple) and granddaughter of ‘Sangeeta Kalanidhi’ P. Swaminatha Iyer, or child prodigy violinist Kamala Kiran Vinjamuri whose father is US-based V Srinivas Subhash, their parentage drew our attention ever since they adorned the Carnatic music dais.
“My son Venkatakrishna is a sought-after artiste in violin. Few know that he is also a gifted vocalist who was able to take the stage in the sudden absence of the day’s musician and enthralled the audience. I am proud of his talent. He can overshadow the main vocalist with as much subtlety in a concert as he can play solo in full vigour. The three of us, my elder musician son Rajan, Krishna and me, played once for AIR and I just couldn’t differentiate my individual style from that of my sons. It was one singular, harmonious blend. We were like an echo of each other. I continue to enjoy my share of respect in the music world with titles and awards still coming my way, but I honestly feel fulfilled and happy at my sons’ success,” says Komanduri Sheshadri.
Malladi Brothers Sreeram Prasad and Ravi Kumar are a joint force to reckon with . Though their scholar father Malladi Suribabu was well-known in the regional music circuit, the rest of South India looked towards him once his sons established their presence on the platform to fame.
Says the senior Malladi, “At a time when I was putting all my efforts into getting them ready to take the All-India level competition, the great music doyen Pinakapani came into our lives. There was no looking back after that. He inculcated the values of tradition, principles not to let go off tradition for mundane considerations and such positive qualities that shaped them into the musicians they are today. The fine tuning for a concert mode of singing was Nedunuri Krishnamurthy’s contribution. I for one, cannot brook compromises in something as deep and profound as music. Thankfully today I am happy that my sons do not succumb to popular tastes and dish out diluted music. For instance a minor raga requires a certain kind of elaborate expression for it to bloom completely and my sons give great importance to ethics; they respect every raga they render and vest it with the right amount of exposition. They are never under duress to perform a lackadaisical concert on personal excuses or public reaction. To raise the standards of audience and give them rich music rather than stoop to lower levels is what they learnt from the legendary Pinakapani which they observe with reverence.”
Multi-talented Vyshnavie Sainath has come a long way from being just Bharatanatyam dancer Rajeswari Sainath’s pupil and daughter. Today she can carry the entire show on her shoulders. She has inherited her mother’s agility and precision in nritta with a lot more inputs by way of martial arts, Odissi and so on which gives her an edge over others of her tribe. “I have been in this field of dance for past 43 years and Vyshnavie has been exposed to the dance scenario at home ever since she was born. And obviously I began teaching her along with my other pupils when I felt she was ready to learn. She picked up very fast as she must have absorbed all that she saw day in and day out both at home and the stage. My role as a mother-cum-teacher was challenging. But the mother in me, I admit, took the upper hand as I watched her moulding herself with my teaching into a fine artiste. I have gone through struggles and failures though I’m grateful to God for all the good things too. Today’s generation is not like us. They have excellent time management, balanced mindset that can take both failures and success in their stride, emotional stability and are open to competition without negative feelings. These are good traits for youngsters and my daughter is no different. She had the dance instinct coupled with my genes and is very diligent. So she succeeds like nobody else. I feel a sense of joy and fulfilment overtaking me. I realise that her persona is such that she attracts viewers with her breezy demeanour and dance. These are her inborn traits,” says Rajeswari with utmost sincerity.
Confidence, courage and conviction with careful grooming is what catapulted the progeny to reach the top in no time from where it is their responsibility to retain their fame for years to come.
