I was born into a family which had firm roots in Carnatic music. My Grandfather, the late Prof. Krishnan, was a conoisseur of Carnatic music, and loved listening to all its varied forms. So much so, that he encouraged all his daughters to learn this frorm in a formal way. My Mother took it up as her career, and with his encouragement every step of the way, now runs a music school as part of GeethaNivedhana Trust, formed jointly by them and a similar-minded group of people with music as a common bond. All my aunts had formal initiation into Carnatic music, and one of them even added Bharatanatyam to this repertoire. Today all of them are in the forefront of their careers in diverse fields of education, yet this is the common bonding factor.
My first exposure to this sublime art form was in my early childhood; I was fortunate to be in Madras during my formative years, Madras being the home of Carnatic music, and music already being in my blood. I was encouraged to contribute of my own to the "kutcheries" that used to take place at home - I did not realize what a great thing it was to be a part of this great art form then; but I did so, and that stimulated my taste buds for music!!!
As I grew up, this tradition of music continued at home; I started picking up the threads of my career, which took me all over the country, and I had the chance to expand my horizons in music - I chanced to attend concerts in Hindustani music in Delhi, and unconsciously added this to my collection of music. Later, during my college days, along with the usual mix of film music, Michael Jacksons and Phil Collinses, I chanced upon some excellent pieces of fusion music by a group called SHAKTI - a diverse band of musicians with an East-West culture mix, which really sent my pulse racing, and that really started this blog!!!
The purpose of this blog is more of self-education, and the hope of attracting like-minded people so that good music can spread far and wide, uniting people of various and diverse cultures; I would love to get a chance to share and read blogs of people with their experiences of good music and culture, and thereby add to my knowledge-base.
More from my end later.
