KOTTAYAM: The soothing sounds from her violin pierced the quiet of the night, the 12-year-old Ganga Sasidharan, commanded the instrument and the stage, at the Neendoor Bhagavathy temple, Kottayam.
The strings responded to her adept touch with precision, producing music that was at times serene, at times brisk, but thoroughly alluring. The performance was more than just a concert; it was a milestone, marking the 500th stage of the young talent in just three years.
Ganga’s enchanting performance, titled ‘Ganga Tharangam,’ which she began to work on at the age of nine, has been creating waves. She is a social media sensation, drawing millions of listeners to her music every day. Her concerts offer a rich tapestry: seamlessly blending classical Carnatic compositions, semi-classical pieces, bhajans, devotional songs, and popular film hits.
And her fame has taken her beyond India’s borders, to various West Asian countries and Australia; and Ganga is now preparing for a performance in the United States later this year.
Born to K M Sasidharan, a businessman based in Dubai, and Krishnaveni, Ganga’s formal musical journey commenced at the age of four. But, her mother believes that it began when Ganga was in her womb. Coming from a family with deep musical roots, Krishnaveni was determined to make her child a violinist. She started learning to play the violin, while expecting Ganga, in the belief that it would influence her unborn child.
“Some may dismiss it as nonsense, but I believe that the violin classes I attended and the music I listened to during my pregnancy might have influenced her. As a child, she grew up listening to performances of violin maestros such as L Subramaniam and Mysore Manjunath,” Krishnaveni said.
Ganga acknowledges her mother as her greatest source of inspiration and motivation. “My mother used to make me listen to musician Balabhaskar’s music, which sparked my fascination for the violin.” When Ganga approached a guru to enhance her skills at age of five, she was initially turned away, as the instrument was deemed too large for her.
“She got her first lessons at the age of four from my friend Nithin S Karthikeyan. Later, she studied under Guruvayur-based Radhika Parameswaran, sister of mridangam artist Kuzhalmannam Ramakrishnan. When I approached All India Radio artist C S Anuroop to further develop her skills, he first discouraged her, saying she was too young for his classes. However, after I sent a video of her performance, he promptly invited her for lessons,” Krishnaveni said.
Ganga’s debut performance was at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple on an ‘ekadashi’ day in 2023. It went viral. “Ganga has been invited to an entertainment show helmed by Mammootty in the United Kingdom this year. However, we are uncertain if we can accept the invitation due to the her packed schedule. Ganga often misses her school sessions and attends online classes now,” said Sasidharan.
Ganga is currently honing her skills under the tutelage of acclaimed violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan of the Ganesh-Kumaresh duo.
Ganga’s performances are enriched by a team of dedicated artists that include thavil artist Trippunithura Sreekumar, ghatam artist Manjoor Unnikrishnan, with Vaikom Vijayakumar on the rhythm pad, and Kumaranalloor Akash Krishna on the keyboard.