Khanjira is usually used as a supporting instrument for mridangam in Carnatic classical music concerts. According to experts, Khanjira artistes often lack opportunities as they are neglected by several musicians in the industry.
In conversation with City Express, Latha Ramachar, a leading Khanjira artiste in the country spoke at length about her initial days, opportunities in the industry and her passion for music. Having a strong background in music, Latha developed an interest in learning how to play percussion instruments at a very young age. Latha was under the tutelage of her father H T Ramachar. "I underwent rigorous training by my father. It was his hard work and dedication that helped me carve a niche for myself as a performing artiste at the age of 13." This artiste has performed with some of the stalwarts of Carnatic music like M S Subbulakshmi, M L Vasantha Kumari, Lalgudi Jayaraman, Dr M Balamurali Krishna, Khadri Gopalnath and others.
Sharing instances form some of her memorable concerts she narrated, "I will never forget my first concert with M S Subbulakshmi in 1996. I was a little nervous and thrilled, as I was performing with one of the legendary musicians. At the end of the concert, I got wide appreciation from all and this encouraged me to learn and improvise my skills. Since then, I was regularly invited for concerts rendered by Subbulakshmi."
Latha was also a part of Karnataka Mahila Laya Madhuri, an ensemble that included only ladies who played percussion instruments. The ensemble has not only performed in the city but also in different parts of the world like Africa, Singapore and others. She is also a part of Stree Shakti, an ensemble formed by Anuradha Pal and has performed in many prestigious festivals including the WOMAD festival in London in 1997.
Sharing some of the bitter experiences in the industry she said, "Even today, a few mridangam artistes do not accept women percussionists. I was encouraged by musicians at every step as my father was a musician. Many a times, Khanjira artistes are totally ignored by mrigandam artistes. They do not even consider that we are on the stage performing along with them."
Speaking about the current trend of fusion music, she said, "Fusion music is a good trend but the tradition of classical music has to be retained." Today she is the part of the ensemble formed by Dr L Subramanium.