CHENNAI: From making his first stage appearance at two in 1969 in Bengaluru, to being declared by Ravi Shankar as ‘God’, Chitravina instrumentalist-cum-vocalist, recently added one more feather to his cap. The celebrated child prodigy, Chitravina N Ravikiran has been selected for this year’s Sangita Kalanidhi award, and he shares his enthusiasm with us. “In terms of pure Carnatic music, winning this award is equivalent to winning a Nobel Prize.
It’s an honour to receive it and is extremely gratifying,” he says and attributes the award to his guru and father Narasimhan. The artiste who was hailed as the ‘Mozart of Indian Music’ by the Wisconsin State Journal, USA, talks to CE about his early experiences with renowned artistes, the concept of Melharmony and his love for the ‘core carnatic ragas’. Excerpts follow.
With a distinction at the age of two and the ability to render several ragas and talas, you were quizzed by some of the most iconic musicians of the time. Do you have any memories of the event?
First of all, it was the early experience that I had with legends like, Ravi Shankar, MS Subbulakshmi, TR Mahalingam and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer which made my journey successful. I was two-years-old when I was tested by them…and all I can say is that I am grateful to have gotten the chance to interact and gain knowledge from them all. They were all down-to-earth and humble.
They had pure passion for the music and were not interested in fame…it came to them. Learning this as a lesson was important to me at a young age. They taught me this — ‘If you protects values, the values will protect us’, and, this keeps me grounded. They were always ready to learn more and saw themselves as students first. That’s an important trait anyone should have…the thirst to learn more and to have a genuine passion without an agenda.
How would you describe your love for Carnatic music?
Carnatic music by itself is a phenomenal system. It doesn’t just teach you about the ragas and talas…it also teaches you philosophy, spiritualism, social awareness and historic values! If you look carefully, many of the great composers of classical music are also great philosophers. It shapes you to the core and I have to thank my father for teaching me at least 400 to 500 compositions. It’s quite surprising as to how he was able to impart so much knowledge to me! So, I would describe Carnatic music as something that shapes ones thinking and way of life!
A memory that you cherish…
MS Subbulakshmi had invited the who is who of Madras and hosted a reception in my honour at two-years-old. Also, there was a time when Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer gifted me his guru’s instrument! But, there was an incident that happened during my first concert….I was 11 then. I played the Chitravina and incidentally, Balamuralikrishna who had just received his Sangeeta Kalanidhi award came to my concert.
He sat in the front row and as I was playing, I noticed through the corner of my eye that he had left. But, right after I finished the concert, he came back…walked directly to the stage and handed me over a silver medallion. He had received it from another great musician during his first concert as a prodigy! He had gone all the way back to his house to get it for me….even today, I cherish the fondness and affection that the senior-most legends showed on me.
What do you think is the beauty of Melharmony?
For me, the beauty is not about the complex musical system…but about the whole system of music. Though I pioneered it, Robert Morris developed it from the western stand point and it takes into consideration the Indian and western classical systems. It’s a great vehicle to import some of the classical values to the world audience and take composers to the main stream music world. For example, Thyagaraja and Muthuswami Deekshithar’s repertoires performed with that of Mozart and Beethovan! It’s something that globalises the music culture.
Would you pick a particular raga as your favourite?
The raga that I play that moment on stage becomes my favourite raga for a period of time! Every raga is beautiful and unique in its own way…but, some of the ‘core classical ragas’ are extremely challenging and very meditative — I tend to travel with them. But, when it comes to concerts, it’s all about balance — of ragas and compositions.
A comparison between old and young artistes?
I have seen ‘old teenagers’ and ‘young adults’ (laughs). There is a lot of cynicism and sarcasm among the youth these days…even at the age of 13 and 14. But, I have seen people as old as 90 who want to learn more and are open to new things. Though after we are taught by our guru, we tend to evolve from the basic philosophy with something of our own, something we relate to, but it’s important to learn first and then introspect.