Perennial Carnatic Music: An interview with Ranjani and Gayatri
Indiaspora had the pleasure of interviewing the celebrated Carnatic classical music singers and sisters, Ranjani and Gayatri. They were recently featured with their Monsoons music video at the end of the 3rd Annual Indiaspora Climate Summit. They will be traveling to the US later this April for the Raaja by Raaga tour. The wide ranging conversation covered everything from their research into the history of music to their hopes for the future of Carnatic music. Their deep devotion to their art form and their passion to share this music with new audiences was a central theme of this conversation. Please see select excerpts below:
Indiaspora: What do you see as the defining ethos of how you approach Carnatic music as singers-performers?
Ranjani: We are very proud of our art form and are keen to make it accessible to more people. Significant in our approach is our efforts to strike to the middle ground. It is a difficult line to straddle to strike the chord with the audiences while singing music that fulfills our innate sense of values.
Gayatri: We believe that whatever you do with conviction, it reaches the people. Whatever we feel as we perform, we connect with it emotionally and that helps us deliver it with conviction. And this resonates with our audience. It is our job and duty to communicate this with the audiences who come to our performances.
Indiaspora: You are celebrated as "pillars of classicism" for your exceptional rendering of Carnatic music. Can you please share what you think are the hallmarks of Carnatic music?
Ranjani: The hallmark of Carnatic music is its very perenniality. Far beyond the time it is composed. It has an evergreen quality. When we sing songs composed a couple of centuries ago and that still moves people, we see the power of this music. We have read a lot of history and researched musical roots, and what we are performing today goes back 5000 years ago. There is a reference in the Mahabharata to specific instruments.
Gayatri: Carnatic Classical music is both traditional and contemporary in its sensibility. Singing a Purandaradasa composition from the 15th-16th century and seeing the way that emotion is still relevant for a contemporary audience is very moving. The padathi is old but the music is now and here. In comparing Carnatic music to most other musical systems, it is interesting to note that most are structured pre-set music compositions; there is, of course, expressiveness in recreating a certain musical score. But the special quality of Indian classical music is that it is only partly a score. The things you do with a composition, neraval, thanam, kalpana swaram, ragam thanam pallavi, what you do with the line is what makes this art form distinctive. Every performance is a creative essay. There is the grandness and majesty of pre-composed music and also the unique feature of complete artistic license to reimagine a composition. South Indian classical music is to be celebrated for its deep roots and as the music of this land (India), so many aspects of the soil. It is truly reflective of an ages old culture and civilization.
Indiaspora: Do you believe those not educated in classical music can appreciate a classical music concert?
Ranjani: Initiation to classical music in early days is useful in enjoying a Carnatic music concert but having said that, we also find that music can reach out and engage with all interested listeners.
Gayatri: People with non-musical backgrounds, who were there at a concert because of friends, have found joy in the experience. There is an elemental connection to the beautiful sound, and also all of these fundamental aspects right, this music can cut across every single barrier and it transcends any people’s unfamiliarity and their grappling with the technicalities. Once listeners embrace the musicality of the experience, it becomes more about enjoyment and less about making sense of the music.
Indiaspora: There is a radical approach in your Raaja by RaGa concert tour - the one that you are going to be performing in the US 2023 tour coming up later this month. Can you share a little bit about how this collaboration happened?
Gayatri: We both went through a big Ilayaaja phase at one point. Although we were brought up on a steady diet of Carnatic music, there was a time when I played his music as a violinist and was very taken with his song. The idea of this collaboration was mooted by a good friend and the conversation that evolved over dinner. There is no question about what he stands for in the world of music and when we thought of melding his songs with Carnatic compositions we knew it could be done as so many of his songs are set to beautiful raagas.
Ranjani: That germinated the idea and then it felt like a wonderful program to make it his 80th birthday celebration.
Indiaspora: There must be a fresh kind of joy in introducing musical genres to new audiences - what are some of your most exciting and challenging discoveries?
Ranjani: An industrialist held a special celebration and invited his friends during an event last month in Bangalore. A couple came to us after the concert, in tears, because they were so moved by the music. They are people who were not established Ranjani-Gayatri fans or even followers of Carnatic music. But they became so involved with the music that it moved them deeply. These kinds of experiences reiterate our conviction that music is a global language and experience meant to be shared widely.
Gayatri: The emotional connection we spoke about earlier is there whenever audiences listen to our music. We are fortunate to have had various collaborations where we are able to stay true to our values and find great opportunities for expanding the reach of Carnatic music. We both plan a concert to make it best suited for the context. Depending on everything from the length (45 minutes or 3-hours) to the expected listeners we think in terms of the flow and the complexity to make sure it is accessible to those who attend our concerts.
Indiaspora: The incredible success of this concept of Raaja by RaGa, is a testament to the exciting possibilities with musical collaborations. Do you have other ideas you are keen to explore - would love to hear more about this.
Gayatri: We feel fulfilled in our chemistry. Jugalbandhi thrives in our performance as we are a duo, who have complete understanding of each other. It is very difficult for anyone else to jump on this. We have been fortunate to have some great experiences with other artists.
Ranjani: We have had very successful collaborations - for eg. with Kaushiki Chakraborty, The Crazy Little Thing Called Chakravakam, and Agam.
Gayatri: To step into collaborative space artists have to be at the top of their game. Most of the spontaneous developments are about handling improvisation and they have to have a huge tool kit to choose from and that comes from years of immersive practice . We want our collaborations to always keep the values that we stand for and expect these to evolve rather than trying to set up projects for the sake of collaborating. Our idea of collaboration is something larger than what each artist stands for, something truly meaningful. We will always strive to do the right thing for the art form we represent.
Indiaspora: Can you give a teaser of some of the songs that you plan to perform in the upcoming US tour?
Gayatri: (Sings a beautiful line) We don’t want to give away too much - we would like our fans to know that we have worked creatively to merge some of our signature renditions with appropriate Raaja songs and they can have fun guessing how some of this may work out.
Ranjani: We are eager to share the planned songs - we think our existing fans and new attendees will enjoy the creativity that has gone into this concert as a true celebration of music.
Indiaspora: Thank you both for taking the time to share your vision for this concert and your hopes and dreams for Carnatic music. All of us at Indiapsora wish you all the very best for a successful tour!
