Archives
Contribute
| Lokvani Talks To Mohan Subramaniam And Sudha Rao |
Ranjani Saigal
06/09/2011
Singers Subramaniam and Rao are leading the entertainment team for the Lokvani@10 gala to be held on Sep. 9, 2011. They talked to Lokvani about their passion for music and their involvement with the gala. The gala features Qawali presentations, a Kathak Odissi Jugalbandi, lovely folk dances from Rajasthan. Buy Tickets.
How did you develop an interest in music ? What training did you receive?
Mohan: I was very fortunate to grow up in a family of musicians. My parents started their lives as musicians ... influenced in turn by their parents who were also musicians. My father in particular was considered a child prodigy in his younger days ... trained under the legendary Palaghat Mani IyIyer and accompanied legends like Chembai and Tiger Varadachari at the tender age of 12. My mother was a vocalist too. I grew up listening to LP records that my father played every morning (I can still never forget Ravi Shankar's Abhogi and Ameer Khan's Megh for example) ... I started learning the violin but never went very far with that. But I continued developing a keen ear for both Hindustani and Carnatik music.
Years later in Boston I have been fortunate to get back to receiving some excellent training from Kumkum Sanyal in Hindustani vocal and from Tara Anand in Carnatic music (violin).
Sudha: My family gave music very great importance - my mother, a trained Carnatic musician used to perform on stage and on Radio Ceylon as a youngster and my father and his sisters were also schooled in Carnatic music. My siblings and I grew up listening to western, Indian (classical and film- hindi and tamil) music and attending concerts. Music (both Indian and Western) was an integral part of my school curriculum as well. I started learning Carnatic music when I was 7 or 8 years old and continued till my mid-twenties. I have however kept in constant touch with classical music over the years.
What got you interested performing light music concerts almost all of which are dedicated to supporting charities?
Sudha: Though I was learning carnatic music, I was more drawn to the genre of light and semi-classical and western music. I sang for the school and college music team but formally joined a music band Friends Orchestra only in my mid-twenties - in the beginning they were mostly paid shows but then my group also started doing regular fund raisers for charities and NGOs that I found highly fulfilling. After moving to the US, I joined Saptaswar, a music show with a cause - some of my early shows were fundraisers for Akshayapatra, Udavum Karangal, Guri, ISW etc. The spirit of social and community service was ingrained in us at school, college and home (my parents were active members of the Lions Club and involved us in several of their fundraising activities) and we interacted often with NGOs and old age homes, many a time, entertaining them with music and dance. All this and having worked in Bala Mandir (a home for orphan and destitute children) and being part of (as an overseas advisory member) with TANKER (Tamil Nad Kidney Research) Foundation have all inspired me to get more and more involved in charitable causes and do my bit to support them in every small way possible.
How has Lokvani impacted your life? What does it mean to you?
Sudha: I was introduced to Lokvani during my first show with Saptaswar in 2002 – (late) Chitra Parayath had attended and written a very encouraging article about our show and later carried an interview with all the team members. Ranjani Saigal and her colleagues have been absolutely encouraging and inspirational over the last so many years and have constantly spurred us on to give our best. A few years ago Lokvani invited me to write music related articles and it has been such an immensely satisfying and interesting experience for me. I find that Lokvani reaches out to a wide section of the Indian community in the New England area and is well put together covering so many facets of our lives and showcasing not just well known names and talent but also relatively unsung heroes and heroines who impact the community in their own silent ways. I like the fact that they encompass all areas and activities of the Indian community and there is no regional bias or divide.
Sudha: It is my honour and privilege indeed thank you for having me on board!! Mohan Subramanian and I are working together on a short entertainment segment that will have melody, meaning and masti and hope to put together something interesting involving a few other singers from the community as well. The idea is to present something short and sweet and meaningful.
Any special message for our readers?
Sudha: Just a few lines from my favorite hymn in school - Have you had a kindness shown, pass it on...t’was not given for thee alone, pass it on...let it travel down the years, let it wipe another's tear, till in heaven the deed appears, pass it on.......let it's music live and grow, let it clear another's woe, you have reaped what others sow, pass it on!
|
You may also access this article through our web-site http://www.lokvani.com/
