KOCHI: A passion he has been following for two decades, a skill developed with continuous effort, a love which helped him to fight and recover from cancer. This is the love story between a flute and , who has made a mark as a flutist. “In August 2016, I was diagnosed with blood cancer when I went for a checkup after continuous fever. But even on the eve of admission, I had gone for a programme though I didn’t know that it will turn out to be cancer.
Music literally helped in bringing me back to normalcy,” said Aluva-based Raghuthaman. He is a busy flautist and has recorded for more than 50 movies and plays with numerous musicians. He has also appeared in various public performances and TV programmes. He mentioned that although he plays all the wind instruments, the flute is his major focus.
Raghuthaman said during the treatment he was completely cut off from the instrument and it was only in mid-2017 that he took up the flute. “The doctor used to tell me that playing the flute had kept my lungs healthy, thereby benefiting me in the treatment. I am happy that I could start playing again,” he said. He noted apart from music, his friends were also a continuous support for him.
“I remember my first programme after treatment was by our association ‘Musick’, which also had a cancer awareness class by oncologist Dr V P Gangadharan,” he said. He also said that his first trip abroad, after surviving the disease, was a musical tour with singers K J Yesudas and K S Chithra.A graduate of the RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura, Raghuthaman also plays the chenda, mridangam and tabla. “My brother and father played the chenda but I later switched to flute.
My uncle was my mentor in learning the flute. I had also learned vocals in the beginning but left it later,” he said. He mentioned since the flute has fewer takers, he wished to pursue his career in it. “For recording or live programmes, flautists are rare. This, along with my love for the instrument, helped me to take it up,’ he added.
Raghuthaman said he usually does classical fusion or a medley of film songs. “One of my videos, Wind Fluid, a combination of Oscar winner A R Rahman’s songs was well-received by the public,” he said. He had also performed with music director Sharreth on an American tour. “Every second with him was a masterclass. It was one of my best lifetime experiences,” he added.Raghuthaman has recorded for Chalakkudikaran Changathi and Oru Kuttandan Blog, both of which are expected to release this month.