Music is nothing short of a spiritual experience for Carnatic vocalist Gayathri Venkataraghavan. The celebrated musician, who performs in the city today, stresses that constant practice and preparation are vital for a musician. “I do plan ahead of my concerts and think about music even when I am not performing,” says the musician.
Like many other musicians, Gayathri too has a special connect with listeners in Kerala. “It is always exciting to come to Kerala. There are very good, intense rasikas. And I often wonder how come everybody here has got a nice voice. Even when they talk there is a sweetness in their voice!” she says with a chuckle.
Her love for Kerala also has a lot to do with king composer Swati Tirunal, her “favourite composer”. In fact she has brought out an album, ‘Navaratri’, featuring kritis of Swati.
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Music has been a constant in Gayathri’s life ever since she was a young girl, thanks to her father, Ramani, who was resolved to make her a musician. “I am the first musician from the family and it was more under pressure from my father that I took up music,” she says. Though initially reluctant, she fell into the groove, under the guidance of her gurus, especially Padma Veeraraghavan who instilled in her a passion for music and A. Sundaresan, whom Gayathri calls her “primary guru”.
Currently a disciple of P. S. Narayanaswamy, Gayathri judiciously divides her time between family and music. “Women are amazing multi-taskers, but then you also need to have a good support system at home. I am very choosy about the concerts. I make it a point not to stay away from home for long,” she says. Though she took a break after marriage, she returned to the music circuit encouraged by well-wishers. And she feels that it is not difficult for women musicians to come back to the music scene after a break provided they stay in touch with music. “Also, I find that men have become very supportive these days,” she adds.
Talking about the Carnatic music scene, Gayathri is of the opinion that singers should make best use of the opportunities available. “There was a time when concerts were very few. But today the situation is different especially with wide media coverage which brings in fame and name to the singers quite easily. I am quite amazed by the kind of talent we have around. Only thing is that they have to practice hard and be patient. Most of all, they have to have a spiritual connectivity,” she says.
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Gayathri, an A Top grade artiste with All India Radio, has 17 albums to her credit. She is now working on an album ‘Durga Lakshmi Saraswathi’ featuring Navaratri compositions and another one on Muthuswami Dikshitar’s kritis on Lord Muruga.
Gayathri Venkataraghavan presents compositions on Lord Rama at the Brehath Sangeethotsavam today. The concert is at Abhedasram, East Fort, at 6.30 p.m.