CHENNAI: On November 24, when Chennai was buckling down and preparing itself for Cyclone Nivar, singer Isaivani was oblivious to another storm that was to hit her and change her life forever. Still tucked in bed in her house along the coast of north Chennai, Isaivani checked her phone as soon as she opened her eyes that morning.
Past the everpresent and ever-unwanted ‘app update’ notifications and the handful of WhatsApp messages, there was bigger news in store. She, after years of work in the world of music, had made it to the BBC’s ‘100 Women 2020’ line-up.
“To be selected for this feature and to be the only person from Tamil Nadu to make it to the list is momentous. However, I don’t see this either as my first step to success or my final destination… naan ipo dhan ezhundhu ninuruken. I am yet to take the first step. But, I am overwhelmed by this recognition,” says the 20-something-old gaana singer.
Into the world of music
One of Isaivani’s earliest memories is of her skipping everything in life to do what she loves most — singing. It was no different during important periods in her life; like the class 10 public exam days. “I used to finish writing the exam early, take permission from the invigilator, leave the exam hall and head to music practice. I always packed two sets of clothes in my bag so that I could go for practice from wherever I was. Sometimes, I used to bunk classes too! I think I was always prepared to ascend the stage,” she says.
While her mother desired for her to become a nurse, a young Isai, true to her name, had her heart set on making it big in the music industry. “I was in class 5 and I remember my father telling me ‘Porandhom, vazhndhom, sethom nu iruka kudadhu. Edhavadhu sadhikanum’. This had a huge impact on me. Since then, I’ve always desired to achieve big and carve a name for myself,” shares the north Chennai-based singer, the only female member of The Casteless Collective (TCC), an ensemble known for dishing out sharp political commentary through music.
Yet, getting on stage and setting it on fire, and also making a mark, was not an easy feat. “When I stepped into this industry, I faced a lot of backlash. I was, ‘after all a woman from a working-class background, a marginalised community. How could I climb on the stage and sing? Use my voice and gaana music as a tool to share stories of the oppressed?’ Now, this achievement has shut many people.
When I decided to take up gaana singing, I took it as a challenge to prove wrong everyone who said it was not a ‘woman’s world’. I feel a sense of triumph and responsibility on my shoulders,” says Isai, who has been singing since the age of six. Her innate skills were honed by her father, D Sivakumar, a self-taught musician and keyboard artiste. “Though I didn’t feel connected to the art when I was a child, it slowly grew on me.
My father taught me the nuances and I slowly picked it up by observing He ran a light music orchestra called ‘Old is Gold’, and I became a part of it. Eventually, I became a freelance singer,” shares Isai, who, in the past 17 years has performed in several shows. “On average, I perform at about five or six venues per month,” she tells over the phone, on her way to another concert amid the Nivar cyclone. “This show is special because a child insisted I perform! How could I say no? So, I decided to do it despite the cyclone scare,” she shares.
Stage presence
As a 15-year-old, when financial crisis struck her family, music anchored Isai through the tough times. “I dropped out of high school and began singing. To support the family, I even took to doing odd-jobs, worked at a post office, in a data entry role and financial services. However, my heart remained in singing. Yet, the big break I wanted was ever elusive.
At that time, it seemed far-fetched. Sometimes, I used to feel bad for not completing my education. But, my father used to say that experiences were equally important. So, I studied in the school called life and it taught me a lot. It was those experiences and the pain that I endured that shaped me and made me strong,” says the artiste, who grew up in Royapuram. “Growing up, I listened to my grandmother sing gaana and then, I began enjoying the depth in Palani and Ulaganathan aiya’s songs too.
But, I took to the genre only four years ago. During our orchestra’s concerts, if the audience requested ‘peppy’ numbers, I used to sing gaana songs. That’s how I stepped into the world of gaana. In hindsight, I feel it was all meant to happen,” she says. In 2017, during a rather ordinary day, when a music composer mooted Isai to audition for director Pa Ranjith’s and music composer Tenma’s then yetto- be-named band, her life changed. “I was initially hesitant.
But, I gave my best and got selected,” she enthuses. However, her decision to join The Casteless Collective was met with disapproval from the family. “For long, gaana has been seen as a male-dominated space. My parents were wary of me singing gaana songs because of its political tones. But, I rebelled and joined the ensemble. Now, The Casteless Collective is like my second family and the stage is my home.
Here, equality is our lifestyle,” shares Isai. In 2018, when she performed a political gaana song to a packed audience, she came through as a revelation not only to the listeners but to her family too. “My father refused to attend the first show. But, many from our area did and told him how well I’d performed. After that day my family accept me as a gaana singer. From being ‘Sivakumar oda ponnu Isaivani’, now people refer to him as ‘Isaivani oda appa’. He is very proud of me!” she enthuses.
Part of a new era
TCC, over the past two years, has stirred a new era in art, questioning oppression and inequality through its music. In its all-encompassing attempt to spread equality, the troupe, when deciding to wear a threepiece suit as a symbol of emancipation, did not leave out Isaivani just because ‘she is a woman’. “When Ambedkar aiya wore the suit, it became a political symbol of empowerment for those from the oppressed classes and a form of resistance.
The voices of Dalit women are more marginal than men. So, for me, to wear the suit and perform in front of an audience became a symbol too — of both women empowerment and liberation of the marginalised,” she says. “It might seem trivial to others. But, it means the world to women like me. When I was told that the three-piece blue suit was going to be our costume, I was thrilled. Unbridled joy washed over me,” she recalls. Asserting and demanding her rights as a woman through music has been an arduous yet satisfying journey, says Isai.
Her songs for TCC, including Beef song and I am sorry Ayyappa, became instant hits while also drawing strong criticism. “There is never a better time to voice your opinion and fight for your rights than when you are writhing in pain. That’s when your wound is raw. So, if I had to pull myself together, allocate a time to talk about my struggles, it will lose its essence. If there is a repercussion, let there be. Even if we are stopped from singing in venues, we will continue singing. Mic ponalum, enge kural pogadhu,” she says.
A fan of the artiste nudged us to ask how Isai turns her gethu (swag) on while performing. Wirh a laugh she tells, “Not just me, many women have a unique style and swag. But most are hesitant to bring it out in front of the society or on the stage because they’ve been conditioned to ‘behave like a woman’. The society is nothing but threatened by women who are unabashedly themselves. There are different layers to the kind of suffering one feels, especially when you are a woman from a marginalised community.
My style and swag come from a place of sorrow and resilience.” Harking back to the first gaana song she sang on stage: Manidhan uruvagum idam karuvarai dhanada, kadaisiyaga serum idam kallarai dhana da, penned by her father, Isai feels that gaana in its meaningful, true and raw form should be revived and preserved. “Artistes from The Casteless Collective and a few independent artistes are on a journey to bring back the original gaana that echoed in the streets of north Chennai.
Tapping into the struggles of the discriminated, I want our music to become the sound of liberation,” she says. Her strong views on feminism and her openness to having discussions on social equality have spilt into Isai’s life in the form of words and poetry. “I always carry a pen and notepad. If I feel deeply about an issue or an incident, I immediately write. The words naturally become laced with personal tribulations and stories about the discriminated, about women. But the words haven’t seen the light yet. They are tucked safely in my diary…one day, I hope to sing and release it,” she says.
Now with Isaivani’s voice receiving cognisance as a ‘distinctive Gaana singer in India’, will this give space for others from her ilk dare to dream? “Objection from family and society is what stops women from performing gaana. But once they believe in themselves and step out of the constraints, their lives will change. Maatram varum,” she says. Isai’s journey will, perhaps, be the preamble to the change that she is singing about.
What is gaana paattu?
Gaana paattu is a style of Tamil music that originated in the streets of Chennai, especially north Chennai. These songs are often written in rememberance of the deceased, and about livelihood
and biography. In recent years it has evolved and become a strategic tool that touch upon various social themes. These songs are accompanied by lively percussion.