Child Prodigy Mahathi Kishore will be performing at the Academy of Creative Arts on April 10, 2016 at 4:00 pm.

Lokvani had a chance to talk to her about her music.

How did the teachers realize Mahati was a Prodigy? 
My response to learning carnatic in keys was very sharp from day one. I would not copy any notes in the class. I did a lot of practice.   It was Umayalpuram Sivaraman, the legend of mridangam who found the talent in me while hearing me play, and advised me to seek a Guru of a higher order.

Why did you decide to learn keyboard and then use it to learn Carnatic Music?
When I started learning vocal music at the age of 4 after the first lesson I declined to go citing no reason. After a few weeks I happened to hear  a small boy playing carnatic in keyboard. When my father asked if I wished to learn at least this, I said I would try. It so happened in a few weeks of learning, I realized that I loved it.

How difficult is it to use the western instrument for Carnatic music?
Very difficult to play carnatic in keys as the glides and modulations (gamakas) are the most essentials for carnatic which is easy for some ragas and notes and not possible at all for certain ragas and notes. The instrument cannot handle all the ragas.  The artist somehow finds a way to get over it using the skills.

What are your ambitions for the future? 
My ambition is to study pure science basically physics which is logically close to music in the sense that both needs a creative mind to work within two set swaras in musics and two set parameters in science.

It appears that children your age are more into western and film music? What can we do to increase interest music in the future generation?
Make children hear lots of devotional music right at the age of 5.  Create an ambience at home that would tread the path of the divine.

Any message for Lokvani?
Music is love. Music is bakthi. Music is the source thru which one connects to the God.

Mahathi is a performing Carnatic Musician in Keyboard and has completed her Grade 12 from India. She started her musical career at the age of 5 and has been performing stage shows from the age of Seven.   So far, she has staged more than 300 concerts at various platforms both in India and Abroad.

Mahathi has received training from different Gurus and currently she is under the expert guidance of  Shri. T.R.Vasudevan, a senior disciple of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar.

Mahathi is a recipient of prestigious CCRT Scholarship from the Government of India, Ministry of Culture and very recently she was bestowed with the title “KALAI ILAMANI” from the Government of Tamilnadu.  Apart from this, she is a seasonal performer during the prestigious December Music Festival  and  has received  the “Best Performer Award”  by Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha in 2010,  “Emani Sankara Sastry” Award by Krishna Gana Sabha in 2014,  “Bhavans Cultural Award”  in  2014  and  “ Award of Excellence”  from Chennai Cultural Academy in 2015 .  She is also a recipient of many other “Young Achiever Awards” and Titles from Various Organisations to her credit. Her talent has been featured in various print and electronic media.

AWARDS, TITLES & HONOURS:

1.  “AWARD OF EXCELLENCE” from Chennai Cultural Academy 2015-16

2.  “KALAI ILAMANI TITLE” 2013-14 from Tamilnadu State Government

3.  Bhavan’s Cultural Award for the December Music Season  2014-15

 4. “EMANISANKARA SASTRY AWARD” by Krishna Gana Sabha
 during the ongoing Gokulastami Festival 2014 for her contributions
 to Carnatic Music in Keyboard.

 5. “BALA ISAI THENDRAL” Title – 2010  (Lions Clubs International)

 6. “BEST PERFORMER AWARD” in the afternoon concerts by
 Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha for their 109th year (2010-11)
 December Music festival
    
 7. ‘SAMAIKYA BHARAT  GAURAV SATKAR - 2008 
 (Ugadi Purashkar Award from Madras Telugu Academy).

8. ‘YOUNG ACHIEVER AWARD’ - 2008’  (Rotary Club of Chepauk)

9. ‘YOUNG ACHIEVER AWARD’ - 2007’  (Rotary Club of Chennapatna)

10. ‘YOUNG ACHIEVER AWARD’ – 2006 (Sornammal Education Trust)  
       
11. ‘BALA SWARNA JWALA’  Title  – 2006  (Journal of School Social Work) 

12.  Chosen as an “AMBASSADOR for Rotary Club of Esplanade for the year 2009
              
SCHOLARSHIPS :
Mahathi is the recipient of the prestigious CCRT (Centre for Cultural Resource and Training) scholarship by the Ministry of  Culture, Government of India for pursuing training in Carnatic Music for the year 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14  and being renewed upto 2016.
        
GURU :       
Mahathi is learning Carnatic Music in Keyboard from the age of 5 years.
She had her initial training from Mr. John for 8 months, Isaimamani Sri.M.S.Martin, a leading Keyboard tutor in Chennai for about 3 ½ years, Gana Bhushanam Smt. Lakshmi Ananthakrishnan, a B High Carnatic Vocalist of All India Radio, Chennai for about 1 ½ years,         Sri.T.G.Badrinarayanan, a Senior Disciple of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri. D.K.Jayaraman for 4 yrs.  Currently she is under the tutilege of Sri. T.R.Vasudevan Disciple of Chembai  Vaidyanatha Baghavathar.

EXPERTISE :   
Mahathi is quite at ease in playing about 25 Varnams and about 300 Krithis  of popular composers. She performs extensive Raaga Alapana,  Niraval and Kalpanaswara keeping in mind the grammar and parameters of Carnatic Music. She can also render Thevaram, Thiruvasagam and Thiruvarutpa extensively.

MEDIA & PRESS REPORTS  :
Mahathi has appeared in leading television channels (Doordarshan, Podhigai & Trivandrum,  Jaya TV, Kalignar TV & Raj TV), She performed an exclusive 30 minutes programme in Kalignar TV on the occasion of Children’s day 2010. Her concerts were aired in All India Radio & Anna FM on various occasions.  Mahathi’s awards were covered by Doordarshan News Channel and also by the News        Bureau of Jaya TV in their special capsule for children titled “Kids News”

Mahathi’s performance, awards, reviews & write up were published in leading Magazines & Newspapers like The Hindu, Deccan Chronicle,  News today, Trinity Mirror, Tambaram Talk, Adayar Times, Mangayar Malar, Telugu dailies like Sakshi, Vaartha, Enaadu etc and Kannada Dailies like Prajavani, Samyukta Karnataka etc.. 

 

The Hindu in its “Downtown edition” published a detailed write up of Mahathi on 28th Dec’ 2008 and  her concert at “Asthika Samajam on the occasion of Rama Navami  was reviewed Smt. Lalitha Krishnan and published in “The Hindu – Friday Review Column on 30th April 2010.  Her concert at Kalasagarm, Secunderabad  was reviewed and published in the “The Hindu” Friday Review on 29th June 2012.
       
An International Magazine “Frozen Thoughts” in its “Young Wonder Column” of April 2009 appreciated Mahathi’s talents and dwelled into her interests & future plans.  “Define Chennai” a monthly chronicle featured a cover story on Mahathi in their May 2011 issue.

STAGE PERFORMANCE :
Mahathi has presented over 300 concerts so far which includes the December Annual Music Festival in  leading Sabhas in Chennai since 2007,  Temple concerts, Aradhana functions,  Park concerts, Cultural  organizations,  Spiritual Centres, School functions etc.,

She presented charity shows for institutions like Banyan, Scarf and Anbhaham (Homes for the mentally ill and recovering patients). Her performance at Vishranthi, (Home for the Aged) was well appreciated and applauded by the aged people.
   
Mahathi has the credit of being the “Youngest Musician” to have given a full length evening prime time Concert for Kapali Fine Arts, Chennai during the December Music festival 2007 & 2008  and the “Youngest Performer” for the renowned Sundaram Finance “Kutcheri in Park” during the year 2008.

Mahathi staged her First International show in Malaysia performing Thirumurai Songs on Keyboard for the famous “Periyapuranam Dance Festival”  on 28th & 29th Nov’ 2009 and Dhandayudhapany temple in Singapore on 1st Dec’2009.

She has performed a full length morning and evening concerts in India’s prestigious Shri.Shanmukhananda Fine Arts, Chembur Fine Arts, Mumbai on 21st March 2010 and at National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) Mumbai  on 11th Nov 2010 for Children’s day & Kalasagram, Secunderabad.  In Karnataka, she gave performance at Gana Sudha Sangeetha Sabha, Hubli and Belgaum.

Mahathi is blessed to have performed an exclusive 1 hour concert for    
Swami Dayanand Saraswathi at his Gurukulam in Coimbatore on 6th Nov’ 2010.  Mahathi was invited to perform in Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam , Tirumala for 1 hour  and on the 19th of May 2013 at TTD, Chennai followed by a recording in  Doordarshan Kendra telecast on the 30th May 2013.

She gave 2 hours concert at Neelakanta Sivan Academy, Trivandrum in July 2013 and 1 hour recording in Doordarshan Trivandrum  which was telecast during Aug 2013. She was  invited by CCRT to perform for the Festival titled “Unity in  Diversity” on the 27th Sept 2014.