CHENNAI: From hitting the right ghamakas in her Carnatic songs or the bhol in khayal, she is a master of it all. Though as a kid she would fight with her parents for sending her to music class and not letting her play, it wasn’t long before Lakshmi Sreeram realised her love for music and pursued it seriously. While in Class 8, she moved to Mumbai, and had an unpleasant experience with the Carnatic teacher.
After that, she gave up Carnatic music but her parents decided to enrol her for Hindustani classes. “I trained under Madhubala Chawla, who shaped both my life and music to a great extent. She made me pursue khayal music, which was new, especially for a South Indian,” shares Lakshmi.
How challenging was the shift from Carnatic to Hindustani?
My training in Carnatic helped me understand Hindustani better, because Carnatic has a very strong base of swara and laya. However, Carnatic music has some influences of Hindustani especially in laya, and it’s also more tightly structured in melody and rhythm.
Having learnt both Jaipur and Agra gharanas, what were the differences you found?
After training under Madhubala Chawla, I learnt from Pandit Vasantrao Kulkarni. And at that point, I was already performing in my own style, and he did not tamper with it much. Though he was trained under the Agra and Jaipur gharanas, he did not believe in the gharanas. The differences between the gharanas however came in terms of the ragas and compositions. Agra and Gwalior don’t really believe in a vilambit (slow tempo), so the compositions are performed at a slightly quicker pace, especially when compared to Khirana and Indore gharana.
You have also learnt Bharatanatyam. How important is it for a classical dancer to know music?
I was passionate about dance, but couldn’t pursue it. But, personally, I think as a dancer it was much easier to express myself because I knew music as well. Most senior dancers insist that the students also learn music along with their dance class. Usually in dance classes, they give the beats and students don’t relate to the music at all.
Tell us about your flair for writing.
I started writing dance and music reviews initially, because it was something that I knew. I did not believe in working on something without justifying it. For instance, I could write about Bharatanatyam, Hindustani and Carnatic music, whereas, I would never volunteer to write about Kathak, because I don’t know the nuances and intricacies of the dance form. I am also an avid reader...I love the works of RK Narayan, Rudyard Kipling and Milan Kundera.
Are you open to contemporary, western and modern music?
Oh yes! I recently attended a concert which had everything from film songs to Carnatic to blues and jazz and I really enjoyed it. I may not relate to all kinds of music, but I am open to it. The only thing
I cannot really sit through is electronic trance music.