The harmonium is often used as a saathi in Hindustani classical music, the use of this instrument in Karnataka is fairly low, which is a pity,” says C Ramadass, a harmonist, as the sign on the door of his music room proclaims. Walk in on a Monday or Friday evening, the classical notes emanating from this shrine usher you into the lessons he holds for a select few students.
Inside, the pictures, awards and certificates covering the walls speak volumes of his achievements including the Karnataka Kalashree, the only harmonium artiste to be conferred the title by Karnataka Sangeetha Nruthya Academy so far.
Music before all
A septuagenarian, Ramadass’ journey with the harmonium started in the 1950s, when his father K C Cheluviah, a musician and music lover, ran a bhajan mandir. Always on the lookout for musicians - vocalists and instrumentalists - one day Cheluviah hit upon the idea of training his sons to fill in. “That’s how I began learning the harmonium and my brother, C Cheluvaraj, the mrudangam,” Ramadass says.
“Music is the love of my life and I was introduced to it, thanks to my father’s insistence. A harmonium player himself, he was also my first teacher,” says Ramadass, adding, “We were boisterous kids then, what did we understand of the seriousness of music.”
But an earnest approach was not far behind as Ramadass knew that his future lay in music and he didn’t think twice of studying past class 10. After the initial years under his father, Ramadass continued his harmonium training under the tutelage of Muneshwarappa and learning the violin from V Ramaiah.
Breaking barriers
One of the few harmonium artistes who has given solo recitals playing ‘just like a vocal artiste, complete with accompaniments’, Ramadass has close to 600 performances to his credit.
He has also played his part in taking the powerful notes of the harmonium overseas and to All India Radio. Reminiscing, he says, “Harmonium was banned on AIR in those days, nobody seemed to know why. So when Dr Raja Ramanna, a nuclear scientist deeply interested in music, called me to his office to play for him and found that his computer could not match the speed of my fingers, he asked me why my programmes hadn’t been aired on the radio.”
A member of the Lok Sabha, Ramanna was a catalyst in AIR calling for auditions of harmonium artistes throughout the country in 2000. Ramadass promptly signed up and qualified with an ‘A’ grade, delighting listeners with his fleet-fingered music.
Talking about his journey with music through half a century, Ramadass says, “It is a challenge to play the harmonium such that it mimics the human voice. Rather than just look at other harmonium players as benchmarks, I have chosen to draw inspiration from vocal artistes.”
His mission is to pass on Carnatic classical instrumental music to the younger generation. He also teaches the music he has experimented with and mastered to youngsters at Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha on the keyboard. He says, “When I play on the keyboard, I miss the thrill of the harmonium. But if I have to teach on the keyboard to capture the interest of the children of today, then that’s what I must do.”