The melody of Indian classical music will naturally bring youngsters towards it, said violin maestro Kumaresh Rajagopalan here on Sunday.
Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of a three-day workshop on playing violin organised by Swaralaya Sadhana Foundation, Kumaresh Rajagopalan, who, along with his brother Ganesh Rajagopalan, is a popular musician, said that special efforts are not necessary to bring the youth towards Carnatic music which is the original art form of India.
“Music based on melody, which is beyond lyrics, will definitely bring youngsters towards this classical art from,” he said and referred to their “Raaga Pravaham” style of presentation that is based melody. “We have been following this style for over 22 years now. I do not see any dearth in the number of youth who have taken this art seriously.”
Each performer, Kumaresh Rajagopalan said, should enjoy his performance, which is essential in bringing in melody during a presentation and make the audience happy. “I am my own critic. I listen to my music several times. Only when I am happy, I will present it before the audience,” he said.
Students trained by him and his brother, he said, are asked to have a feel of every note they are playing. “It is only when you listen to each note that you can bring out its essence and enjoy it also,” he added.
His research on classical music, he said, goes hand-in-hand with his performance on stage. “What I am doing is naadopasana, which leads to the understanding of Naada yoga,” he said.
Kumaresh Rajagopalan commended the efforts of violinist Vittal Ramamurthy and Vishwas Krishna of Swaralaya Sadhana Foundation in holding the workshop, which, he said, will go a long way in making Mangaluru a centre for Carnatic music.
Later, Kumaresh Rajagopalan demonstrated his “Raaga Pravaham” style in his hour-long concert. Starting with a Varnam based on Mohana and Harikambodi ragas, he went on to present a composition of Tyagaraja.
He presented a composition bringing out the essence of the Hamsadhwani Raga.
He was ably supported by Arjun Kumar on the Mridangam and Pramod Kiran on the Tabla.
