KOCHI: The soft music that flows from her is not her own, yet it packs all that she is — elegant and strong.
Rear Admiral (retd) Nirmala Kannan attributes the traits to the era she grew up in — the 60s when there were tonnes of hope after years of social compromises.
There was also a melange of cultures as winds from across the globe crisscrossed with the Indian ways. Youngsters like her took in the air aplenty to fly their hopes high. Their fashion trends were emerging with bell bottoms co-existing with salwars and sarees. There was also music around, the East and the far West remaining wedded in the cultural landscape without much ado.
It was in this milieu that Nirmala found herself tuning on to the radio almost every evening. Her taste in music was organic, fuelled by her upbringing in Coonoor where her father was posted as an Army person and influenced by the Anglo-Indian communities who were into music that came right from the minds of greats such as Bob Dylan, Beatles, Tina Turner and more. It was the Woodstock era — something that shaped the musical acumen of Nirmala and her sisters Asha and Nirupama (who later became a diplomat and retired as India’s foreign secretary).
Nirmala then grew up to be a doctor and later joined Indian Navy. With several firsts to her credit, including being the mentor of the first batch of women personnel inducted in 1992. She rose in the ranks and retired in 2013 as a Rear Admiral. For her illustrious service, she was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal in 1993.
On the personal front, she is wife to Vice Admiral (rtd.) B Kannan, a mother and now, a grandmother. But what remains constant in her is the love for music, with the same zest as that of the girl who sang her tunes strumming the guitar. Currently, she is settled in Coimbatore and is a YouTube music sensation.
She is now in Thiruvananthapuram to perform at HDN’s musical fiesta ‘Hope and Harmony’ on June 8 for the cause of the Rotary Institute For Children In Need of Special Cares. TNIE caught up with her for a tete-a-tete.
Excerpts.
Your musical journey has been quite extensive. How would you want to look at it now?
I started singing when I was four but there was no formal training. Yet my sisters and I used to sing every day at home. Our parents encouraged our love for English music. Also, we grew up in Coonoor, where the Anglo-Indian culture introduced us to the music of the 60s. Some of the greats in the genre were born in India — like Cliff Richard, the good-looking hrummer of hits such as ‘Congratulations’ and ‘Summer Holiday’ and so was Engelbert Humperdinck (of the ‘Sweetheart’ and ‘The Last Waltz’ fame). We started associating with such music naturally.
Also towards the 1960s, a lot of things were happening and we were as hungry for information as we were enthused by music. It was also the time when the phenomenon called Usha Iyer (later Uthup) happened in India and I was fascinated by her. So yes, my upbringing was in music, with a lot of freedom to express, indulge in the latest the times had to offer, and of course, with no compromise on education.
Without any formal training, you used play guitar during performances...
Yeah... By the time I became a teenager, I was in Bangalore, where I was given a guitar by my father. Some friends taught me the basics after which I learnt on my own. (Her husband Kannan interrupts: ‘She used to accompany herself on the guitar, that is how I met her while in the Navy’).
At times, I do it even now. It comes with regular practice and it did take a lot of it.
You became a doctor and then joined the Navy. How did you manage both your career and music?
My parents always felt that all they could give us was good education and values, but they gave us freedom too. I was more of an all-rounder, good at athletics and badminton, always a tomboy. I later went to Government Medical College, Aurangabad, and then joined the Navy. Whatever I did, even while studying or serving in the force, the music went side by side.
The Navy has ample room for those trained in music, and word got around that I sang. Often, I was asked to look into what the Navy band would be playing and on occasion, perform live with them. One such jaunt was in 1999 at Siri Fort, where I sang to an audience of 1,000 with the Naval Symphonic Orchestra. Once, I sang in uniform in Mumbai. Unfortunately, it was on the day of the 2008 blast.
You were probably one of the very few women in the Navy when you joined. Could you take us through that journey?
In 1977, women in the Navy were mostly doctors and nurses. The Constitution was amended in 1992 later allowing women in other roles too. I was the mentor for the first batch of women officers in the Navy in 1992 and had a role to play in their induction.
Now, there is a lot of talk of women being taken in combat roles. There is, however, a universal fear about opening combat roles for women due to the kind of treatment that could be meted out to them during war times. That, I guess, will take a lot of thinking.
How do you see the music of today? Do you think tunes overtake the lyrics?
I think when we grew things weren’t as wild. I have always liked songs that appeal to my ears, and where the lyrics are meaningful. I have found that it appeals to audiences too. Being in the Navy, we have to imbibe some amount of discipline. That helped me understand that expression could be aesthetic even while being open and from the heart. The lyrics play an important role in portraying the feelings, and hence the music of those times still stays.
Who is your favourite singer?
My first love is always Joan Baez, the American singer who epitomised things I wanted to do. She was a rebel to the core, stood for social causes, made amazing music with Bob Dylan, and is still singing at 83.
How did the latest musical twist and the YouTube chapter happen?
We settled in Coimbatore after retirement, where I formed a group and performed together till Covid. Then, everything stopped but I couldn’t stop singing. That’s when my husband asked to try YouTube. It took shape in August 2021, and I was pleasantly surprised by the reactions. We then recorded a couple of songs to know how I sound and thus came the video versions. Now, people call me for shows, which I insist should be for charity. Recently, I was in Kochi on Women’s Day for the National Defence Fund at the Kerala Fine Arts Society. In Coimbatore, I performed for the Armed Forces Battle Casualty Fund. There is one in Bengaluru next month for the teachers’ foundation.
I do not sing for money or fame. We get our pensions and have enough. People come to my shows because they know it is for a cause and because they still like the music.
What is it that you wish to convey about music and songs and your experiences?
You may be growing old... But music makes you feel alive. It helped me when I was a child, and now, it lets me tell people that music helps people who want to remember the happy past and remain lively. It is universal medicine in all ways.
But more than anything, I now sing to tell people not to stop. Do what you want to do. Even on my retirement day, I told them I am not going to give speeches, and instead sang my farewell song — ‘My way’. It epitomises all that I have been, always. I have done everything my way. Now, I normally end my performances with that song. I wish it was so for everyone.