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IN FIRST PERSON   • Semmangudi     Sreenivasa Iyer   • Kunnakudi R     Vaidyanathan   • Rajkumar Bharti   • Soumya   • Nityashree     Mahadevan

Unnikrishnan

Unlike many other Carnatic musicians, Unnikrishnan did not start young. In fact, it was only when he was in his early twenties that he turned to classical music.

But it was after he won the National Award for his song Ennavale in the film Kaadalan that he shot to fame; as a result, the number of visitors to his kacheris has seen a dramatic increase.

When I was young, I never attended the Margazhi festival as I was not really into Carnatic music. It was only much later, when I was 20 or so, that I was drawn to Carnatic music and started singing.

Before I knew it, I started participating in Margazhi concerts too. I sang whatever I knew, but I was not technically perfect. I remember I made a mistake in one of the shlokas too. But it was all a learning experience.

Singing during the Margazhi festival is an altogether different experience. It is very challenging as well; you sing at least at 14 sabhas during the season and you need to have different items at all the places. Besides, the Chennai weather is at its best and the number of people attending these concerts have, I feel, increased over the years.

I wouldn’t say that all those who come to listen are knowledgeable about classical music. It is like this: the fans of some musicians attend all their festivals, some go just for the heck of it while some are very serious about music. Some even get up and leave while you are singing thaniyavarthanam. I find this quite irritating and disturbing. I wish they would wait for the song to get over and then walk out.

From the eighties to now, the number of rasikas who attend my concerts have increased. But, ultimately, you have to sing for your own satisfaction and for the few who are serious about music and who are looking forward to hearing a pallavi. I think you have to give a little bit of everything and offer a good package that will satisfy the rasikas.

More sabhas have sprung up in the last decade or so, and more and more people are attending them. This is a good sign. For music to be alive, you need more performers and more rasikas; unless new performers are given a chance, music will not grow.

It is also true that you don’t get full crowds for all the concerts. And yes, you always have more elderly people as connoisseurs of classical music and very few youngsters. Only when people grow old do they go to a classical music concert!

Also in first person:
Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer
Kunnakudi R Vaidyanathan
Rajkumar Bharti
Soumya
Nityashree Mahadevan
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