CHENNAI : Vocalist Kalyanapuram S Aravind looks forward to the Margazhi season for two reasons — to listen to his senior musicians and to deliver a mellifluous performance for the rasikas. His favourite part about Margazhi is attending morning sessions of educative lecture demonstrations at different sabhas. The 28-year-old comes from a family of rich Vedic and music heritage of generations which includes Kalyanapuram Sri Aravamudhachariar, a renowned Harikatha exponent and musician.
Aravind began learning Carnatic music from the age of four. He was initially trained under Sudha Seshagopalan and then S Kasthuri Rangan. He is currently under the advanced tutelage of the living legend Padmabhushan Sangeetha Kalanidhi Madurai TN Seshagopalan. His first season concert was in December 2013 at Vani Mahal.
“Till date, my hero and inspiration has been my Guru Padmabhushan Sangeetha Kalanidhi Madurai Sri TN Seshagopalan sir. I admire his dedication and hard work. Guru was, is and will be the pivotal person in the life of a musician. Without a guru, one can never even progress a little. The word Gurukula has been misunderstood,” Aravind says. Sahitya (mastering the composition and lyrics of music) has been his strength.
The computer engineering graduate gave up foreign job opportunities and higher education to pursue music as a career. “It takes time for one to establish him/herself in the field, very similar to that of a software job. A fresher isn’t paid as high as an engineer with 10 years of experience. The music scene in Chennai is busy throughout the year, we have Sri Ramanavami, Gokulashtami, Navaratri and Thyagaraja Aradhana festivals during different parts of the year and it keeps us busy. Apart from that, we spend time practising and equipping ourselves to meet the standards of the field,” he said.
Aravind feels that the challenge in the industry is to carve your own niche and gain acceptance from the audience. “Coming from a family of musicians does give us the challenge to be original and not a copy. But that happens only with time as the musician evolves. Rasikas are the pillars of the performing arts tradition. I remember a rasika relating himself to the lyrics of the verse which I was singing and later asked me to explain its meaning,” he said.
The artiste said that to have a sense of fulfillment one must stay committed, practice constantly and introspect. “Technology helps us connect and share music with the audience and learn from a guru, but the intimacy a student enjoys with the guru is lost. Social media helps us listen to our friends perform in case we have missed,” said Aravind who wants to take music education to the next level and reach out to many passionate students.