Carnatic vocalist and music scholar Dr Sreedev Rajagopal believes that mastering a raga requires more than years of training. It demands patience, attentive listening and an immersion in the art form that extends beyond the classroom.
A teacher at Swathi Thirunal College of Music and chairperson of the Board of Studies in Music at the University of Kerala, Sreedev has also been
researching lesser-known compositions of Swathi Thirunal.
His commitment to the classical tradition has earned him the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, which he received in Delhi on Monday.
A native of Nedumkunnam in Kottayam, Sreedev trained at the very institution where he now teaches. He is also among the few accomplished musicians from Keralam to have performed regularly at the Navaratri Mandapam in Thiruvananthapuram, one of the most revered stages in Carnatic music.
His association with the 150-year-old music festival began in 2020, when the pandemic had brought public life to a standstill. “The event continued that year with just a few spectators — the traditional orchestra, organiser Prince Rama Varma, and Goddess Saraswathy, whose idol is brought from Kanyakumari to Thiruvananthapuram every Navaratri season,” he recalls.
Sreedev describes it as a “surreal experience” — a space where “history, heritage, art and spirituality converged”.
He has since performed there seven times, most recently on Sunday. Sreedev notes that the festival, which enjoys international acclaim among musicians, is increasingly making room for younger performers.
“What matters is one’s dedication. One has to live with music. A raga must be understood at a deeper level by making it part of everyday life. It has to resonate within you constantly,” he says.
Patience, he adds, is paramount. “Today, music students are reluctant to sit through an entire kacheri,” he says. “To learn how to develop a raga on stage and understand its finer nuances, one needs to listen to kacheris by veterans.”
At this year’s festival, Sreedev’s principal rendition was the prescribed ‘Janani Pahi’ in Shuddha Saveri raga. He also presented rare compositions of Swathi Thirunal, including Sri Narasimha, in raga Bilahari, a composition he believes has received little attention.
Interestingly, Sreedev’s research explores the linguistic diversity of Swathi Thirunal’s works. While compositions in Manipravalam, Malayalam, Hindi and Sanskrit are familiar to audiences, several works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi are being unearthed.
“Swathi Thirunal composed in almost every language that found a place in the Carnatic tradition. While his compositions in Manipravalam, Malayalam, Hindi and Sanskrit are well known, several of his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi are now being unearthed,” Sreedev notes.
“I don’t think there is another composer in India with a comparable linguistic range. He composed padams, keerthanams, javalis, varnams, thillanas and abhangs — almost every form a composer could attempt — all within his short lifespan of 33 years,” he says.
Hence, the Navaratri Mandapam concerts are close to his heart. “We are permitted to sing only Swathi Thirunal’s compositions here,” he says.
There is a distinctive quietness to Sreedev’s musical approach. At the Mandapam, that restraint finds a natural setting. The lamps cast their dim glow as the vermilion hues of dusk give way to night, and music becomes part of the season’s offering to the divine.
“Navaratri is a time when art becomes a prayer. It is time for drawing on the spiritual strength to dive deeper into music. Being able to sing during Navaratri is the most cherished reward,” Sreedev smiles.