After 10,000-odd performances, the Gamaka queen is going strong

Have you heard of any Gamaka artiste who has presented 10,000 concerts? Gangamma Keshavamurthy, the incomparable, holds the amazing record making her ‘the Gamaka Queen’ that the genre can be proud of. Ask her again about the astounding number of concerts that she so casually talks about and she reiterates, “It’s actually more, my list has missed out noting many!” No wonder Centenarian and renowned Gamaka exponent B.S.S. Koushik in Mysore, who recently heard her was so moved that he said: “You are indeed Captain Gamaki.”

Born in Kananooru in Hassan District, Gangamma’s passion for Gamaka grew when her father, a headmaster, had initiated her as a 10-year-old. As Carnatic music was an essential base to the art form unique to Kannada and Karnataka, she learnt 100 kritis from K.P. Venkateshamurthy apart from several others over the years. In the last 63 years of her association with music she has presented the maximum number of Gamaka concerts in Karnataka, apart from Delhi and Mumbai. “I have not gone anywhere else,” laughs the unpretentious lady, who is now the president of the Karnataka Sangeetha Nritya Academy.

Gamaka’s lifeline lies in its lyrics while it derives its melodic connect through Classical raga-based melody. “Its exclusivity lies in its solo vocal presentation accompanied only with a

shruti . The art is oblivious to rhythm, and it progresses with Vaachana (rendering) and Vyakhyaana (explanations) taken from poems from 10th Century Pampa to 20th Century Kuvempu covering all the varieties of Kannada through these centuries. The ragas are set depending on the emotions present in the lyric,” she explains.

It’s a sin to relax and see the art fading away, she says. “I want to knock on every door in Karnataka, every school and college in the State to revive the art form. Both Gamaka and Kannada are preserved with the use of this art form,” says Gangamma. She has requested Minister of State for Kannada and Culture Umashree to appoint Gamaka teachers in schools.

For Gangamma, a recipient of Karnataka Kalashree, the mike seems redundant. “Villages have believed in open mouthed singing, while I am also blessed with a booming voice. Akaara-ukaara practice is essential, it is like sharpening a knife,” she says.