She is a carnatic singer, flautist and she sang Sau Aasoon for the Hindi film Katti Batti. You must have guessed that I’m talking about Rasika Sekar. City Express caught up with her to chat about how a Dubai-born American girl got into classical music and learnt to play the flute.
Although she took up music as a career, she initially wanted to either pursue chemical engineering or help her dad in his business. “Everyone on my mom’s side of the family is into carnatic music. They wanted me to learn some form of art. When I was eight, I attended carnatic vocal classes. I didn’t like it in the beginning, but it grew on me. Today I’m thankful they pushed me into it,” smiles Rasika. “Taking it up as a career was something that just happened. The seamless journey made me realise that this is what I want to do.”
Though she moved to India to learn Hindustani music after she graduated, her connection to her hometown never faded. She visited her native Valliyur near Tirunelveli during summer holidays. The village temple there was her favourite spot. “Every year at the annual festival of the temple, a group of musicians would play traditional instruments including the mridangam and nadaswaram. The beat of all percussion instruments intrigues me. My interest and love came largely from these musicians. I would sit with them, ask them questions, and they would let me play too,” Rasika smiles, adding that the stories and village life kept her connected to Tamil literature and culture.
How did she manage to get along with her peers in the West, while practising carnatic music and playing the flute? She says it wasn’t tough. Her circle of friends was largely into music — Hindustani music in particular. “I met my closest friends in college, who were into Hindustani music, western classical and jazz. They enhanced my love for music, and were open to all forms of music. They were very curious about the bamboo flute that I played,” she shares.
Rasika has enthralled fans with her flute, not just at MTV Coke Studio, but also at all her world tours with artists like Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy. She also worked on a variety of background scores, albums, advertisments and jingles with artists including Clinton Cerejo, Amit Trivedi, Papon and Blaaze. Her popular composition Lalitha, is serene and a favourite of many. “Lalitha came to me from nowhere. I suddenly had an image of a Bharatanatyam dancer wearing a blue costume. She was some kind of a spiritual form dancing for liberation in a dark room. I just closed my eyes and thought about it. The tune came to me,” she recollects.
Her first bamboo flute was given to her by her first guru. “I still have it with me. What attracts me to this instrument is that it is the most natural instrument. Made of wood — no fixtures. The tunes are so harmonious they hit my senses every time, even after 12 years!” she says.
While watching a World Tour YouTube clip of her performance, we wondered if she found it difficult to play the flute and sing during the same song. “Initially, it was a challenge, but over time I learnt to tackle it. As long as you understand the mechanism, you will know how to tune yourself,” she explains.
Her journey comprises equal measures of independent music and Bollywood items. Since her mother tongue is Tamil, would she play or sing for Tamil films? “I would love to! I did a small part in a song called Thoongama, Nalanum Nandhiniyum. But I need to explore. I grew up listening to Ilayaraja, M S Vishwanathan and A R Rahman. Getting into the industry will be amazing,” she explains.
The 26-year-old is working on a new composition that would include both flute and vocals, and another collaboration with a trumpeter from the US. “There is another Bollywood number coming up but I’m not allowed to say anything about it yet,” she winks.