Artist Namboodiri will script a documentary on auteur-cinematographer Shaji N. Karun.
Veteran artist Namboodiri will script a short documentary film on auteur-cinematographer Shaji N. Karun. Their close association lasting several decades is what has inspired the master artist, known for his fluid sketches, to swap the brush for the pen this time around.
Artist Namboodiri will script a documentary on auteur-cinematographer Shaji N. Karun (above).
“It’s no doubt an honour for me that a visual artist of Namboodiri’s stature has decided to script the film. I have always believed that a filmmaker’s biography comes through his filmography. A creative artist is a bundle of nerves, so a synthetic approach to his works would not work. But when nonagenarian artist Namboodiri visualises it using his tremendous sense of imagery, architecture and visual sensibility, it gets a whole new dimension. It makes me proud that he’s writing the script of this bio,” says Shaji N. Karun.
“Nearly 70 per cent of the script is ready and the shoot is beginning very soon,” says Binuraj Kalapeetom, director of the documentary titled ‘Frames of a Light Bender’.
Binuraj, who has previously taken critically-acclaimed documentaries on literary critic M.K. Sanoo, jurist V.R. Krishna Iyer and artist Namboodiri (whose sequel is being canned at the moment), says the 45-minute long documentary will focus on Shaji the cinematographer.
“While we all see him as a filmmaker making artistic cinema, he’s primarily a cinematographer who handled the camera for the aesthetic films of G. Aravindan and several market-oriented films. In fact, he worked behind the camera for nearly 40 flicks,” says Mr. Binuraj. Which is why the documentary is being planned as a motion picture without any static shot. “Given that Shaji sir is known for using available natural light for shooting, we will be doing the same for the documentary, too,” he says. The film will have no interviews. The film is being made just when Shaji is busy carrying out final editing of his documentary on artist Namboodiri.
Art direction for the documentary is by Namboodiri’s son Devan. Produced by L. Santhosh under the banner of Universal Entertainers, switch-on for the film will be done by Namboodiri himself at BTH, near Rajendra Maidan on March 6 at 6 p.m.
Critic Sanoo master will preside and artist T. Kaladharan will light the lamp.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – March 02nd, 2015
Thotta Tharani as Swami Chinmayananda. Photo: Special Arrangement
The movie, ‘On a Quest’ made on the life and vision of Swami Chinmayananda is worth watching. It is not a propaganda film but a story about transformation, seeking truth and interpreting life.
Who says commercial films starring superstars like Rajnikanth or Shahrukh Khan alone can have punch lines?
Sample this: “India is free, but are Indians free?”; “God is like the petrol in a car. Without the petrol, the car cannot run. But it is the driver who determines where the car goes.”; “Without the touch of life (read God), a sinner cannot sin neither can a monk meditate”.
These are powerful words not penned by any scriptwriter but uttered by men of high knowledge and wisdom that appeal equally to the atheist and the divine. Many more such meaningful dialogues generated applauds, evoked emotions and accentuated the wow factor of ‘On a Quest’ — a period film on Swami Chinmayananda’s journey from a freedom fighter and a non-believer to a teacher of Vedanta.
The two hour biopic in English was screened for the second time on popular demand in Madurai and the people who filled up the Mookambika theatre on Sunday morning got their money’s worth.
Made by the Chinmaya Mission to mark the birth centenary celebrations of Swami Chinmayananda, this is the first ever documentation of the fiery young revolutionary’s transformation into a missionary. It is a beautifully woven and enacted story which unlike the stories about most other gurus, does not push Swami Chinmayananda’s lectures, achievements or books to the forefront.
Rather, director R.S.Prasanna of “Kalyana Samayal Saadham” fame convincingly and touchingly tells the story of a man who never made claims of being a god or a godman and offered miracles. He simply interpreted the Bhagavad Gita for the masses. No matter, if there weren’t enough people to listen to him or even if the most educated came to him to understand the meaning of life. The multi-linguist Swami simply shared his knowledge without a fee and alluring promises.
THE MAN BEHIND: Director Prasanna with Sandeep Hebber in the role of young Swami Chinmayananda. Photo: Special Arrangement
Obviously Swami Chinmayananda is not his real name. He was born Balakrishna Menon in 1916 in Ernakulam. As a student of Lucknow University, he briefly joined the nationalist movement and was jailed by the British in 1941. When he is tortured and left to die by the British, he is nursed back to life from the throes of death by a friend’s family. But when the same friend dies unexpectedly in the prime of his youth, it sets Balan thinking about life, its meaning and uncertainties. He joins The National Herald as a reporter and in a short time establishes a fan following with his articles. The subjects he chooses and his style of writing sets the paper’s circulation to a new high.
But deep within Balan is unable to fathom many things that touch his life. If a cobbler’s life humbles him, he wonders why the rich argue with a poor rickshaw puller and pay him only 30 paise for a ride with no regard for his labour and with much ease offer a sadhu five rupees to seek his blessings.
He plans to expose what he calls the racket of religion and the myth of sadhus and goes off to Rishikesh to meet Swami Sivananda. He stays on for six months to see things firsthand at the ashram. While the rationalist in him refuses to believe in the existence of God, the journalist in him questions meaningless rituals and the seeker in him sets about experiencing everything.
Eventually he gives up his name and profession and gets his orange robe and the name of Chinmayananda. Then he goes further North and learns the Shastras for 10 years from the well know sage, Swami Tapovan. It is this ardent quest for the truth that sees Swami Chinmayananda reaching out to the world in a way it understands best. It is a spectacular transformation from an unconventional seeker to a revered master, who inspired the establishment of missions all over the world and embraced an ever-expanding network of devotees and students.
The film has created a lot of buzz with 75 plus screenings across the country. Except art director Thota Tharrani who plays the older Chinmayananda, all others on the screen are amateurs. Together with technicians from KSS, the film has succeeded in matching international quality because all the people who have been associated with the film in any which way have done it with the purity of their heart.
Madurai is the only city in Tamil Nadu to have screened the film twice and is planning a third one soon. “We have received good response from the people,” says Swami Sivayogananda, Acharya of Madurai Centre, “but want more children and youths to watch it for the inspirational and invaluable lessons that can be drawn from Guruji’s life”.
If you feel inclined to watch, don’t miss it the next time. It could make a difference to your lives. Or at least watch it for the effort that has gone into it.
(Making a difference is a fortnightly column about ordinary people and events that leave an extraordinary impact on us. E-mail soma.basu@thehindu.co.in to tell her about someone you know who is making a difference)
After making his debut as a cinematographer in 1953, Vincent shot into prominence in the very next year with the acclaimed Malayalam film, Neela Kuyil that won awards at the national level. Vincent then went on to man the camera for over 250 films and directed about 50, in languages including Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi over the years.
Born in Kerala in 1928, Vincent landed in Chennai, then Madras, the capital of the presidency, to begin his career in films as an assistant cameraman. Here in Chennai, he assisted the legendary cinematographer, Marcus Bartley, who introduced what is called Hollywood style camera work in regional language film industry.
His noted works as cameraman include Amar Deep (Hindi, 1958), Uthama Puthiran (Tamil, 1958), Nenjil Oru Aalayam (Tamil, 1961), Sumaithaangi (Tamil, 1962), Kadhalikka Neramillai (Tamil, 1964), Enga Veettu Pillai (Tamil, 1965), Vasantha Maligai (Tamil,1973) among others.
His directorial debut was in Malayalam with Bhargavi Nilayam in 1964. The first film in Malayalam to feature a ghost, this was a runaway hit, establishing Vincent as a director. He went on to make several popular and critically-acclaimed films, often choosing scripts based on works by renowned writers.
Family members said Vincent’s funeral mass will be held on Thursday at St Joseph Church in Nungambakkam, and the burial will be at the Quibble Island Cemetery.
Jaya offers condolences
Chennai: AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday condoled Vincent’s demise. “His demise is a huge loss to the film industry. I convey my deepest condolences to his family members and pray that his soul rest in peace,” she said. He had directed Tirumaangalyam, in which she had acted .
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / February 26th, 2015
Students of Natyaveda College of Performing Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, have secured the first three ranks in BA (Honours) Bharatanatyam and the first rank in the Hindustani Vocal (Diploma) examinations conducted by the Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya of Chhattisgarh.
According to a statement from the Natyaveda College of Performing Arts issued here on Sunday, Parvathy Kurup secured the first rank in Bharatanatyam. P. Saritha and Deepthi Unnikrishnan won the second and third ranks respectively. Sreekanth Hariharan won the first rank in Hindustani Vocal (diploma). – Special Correspondent
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Special Correspondent / Thursday – Februry 23rd, 2015
Mili says she loves the way the jazz musicians broke free from format, yet stayed rooted to the core.
A host of film songs, jazz gigs and independent music later, Mili Nair stands on the cusp of another milestone: her debut album as singer and songwriter, writes Esther Elias
Mili Nair’s moment of epiphany dawned in the darkness of a vocal booth in Kodambakkam. She’d just written down Vairamuthu’s lyrics, and learnt its simple tune, when A.R. Rahman and Mani Ratnam walked in. As they sat down and listened to her render ‘Keda Kari’ for their film Raavanan, a dream reel scrolled in Mili’s head of all the magic the two had woven together… Roja, Bombay, Alaipayuthey, Guru… “I couldn’t believe that I, at 24, was standing in that room, singing for them! That moment gave me my calling; I knew I was here for a reason.” Five years and a host of film songs, jazz gigs and independent music later, Mili stands on the cusp of another milestone: her debut album as singer and songwriter.
Born to Keralite parents and raised in Pune, Mili grew up a single child with music as her companion. “I was a late talker, so I was humming before I could say words,” she laughs. Like all “good South Indian children”, she was sent for Carnatic music classes, but secretly built an ear for her mother’s collection of English music, everything from Abba and The Beatles to Christopher Cross. Her mornings began with choir rehearsals and after school, she’d hop next door to her music classes in a little cottage full of upright pianos left behind by English nuns. “I knew quite early on that music would be my life,” says Mili, but for a short while, as a teenager, when that dream almost didn’t come true for a lack of resources, her heart fell. “When music did return, I realised anew just how precious what I’d taken for granted was.”
It was only in Bangalore as a student of journalism at Mount Carmel, did Mili find jazz. All the while training in Trinity School of London and Royal School of Music’s classical music syllabi, a friend lent her a Chet Baker instrumental CD, and it was love at first listen. “I loved the way the musicians broke free from format, yet stayed rooted to the core. It instantly changed my thinking as a singer. I started seeing my voice just like an instrument, capable of all that freedom of improvisation!” Mili went on to sing covers of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Dee Dee Bridgewater alongside her usual repertoire of rock and pop at gigs across Bangalore, until one day renown bassist Keith Peters, heard her sing and offered to back her. “I was stunned, but went along with it, and learnt more about exploring my voice with Keith, than ever before.”
In the thick of making life as a jazz musician, Mili never quite foresaw Rahman knocking at her door. She still doesn’t know how he found her, but that window of opportunity with him opened numerous doors into playback singing. From ‘Ippadiye’ for Yuvan Shankar Raja in Poojai, to ‘Nee Sunno New Mono’ for Harris Jayaraj in Nanbenda, ‘Oh Penne Penne’ for Anirudh Ravichander in Vanakkam Chennai, ‘Parakka Seivai’ again for Rahman in Ambikapathy, and the song she’s best known for, ‘Meethi Boliyaan’ for Amit Trivedi in Kai Po Che, Mili is thrilled with the music that’s come her way. She’s also just finished recording the title track of Mr. X, a Bollywood film with Jeet Ganguly as music director, where she’s sung a duet with director Mahesh Bhatt (“What a rockstar!”). “I’ve been blessed to have music directors who understand my voice,” says Mili, “They call me for that particular sensibility of a jazz singer, and allow me to be me.”
Alongside film music also arrived the offer of a Coke Studio session with Amit, where the vocal powerhouse in Mili came forth in all its glory in ‘Badri Badariyan’ and ‘Yatra’. “Singing with him is the sort of work that fulfils your soul. The calibre of musicianship that plays with Amit is that splendid,” she says. For a year now, she’s been gigging with Amit and the band across the country, at college events and music festivals like NH7, one of the latest venues being in Pune. “The energy there was just insane! People were screaming song requests, and climbing over barricades to reach us. For me, that was a homecoming of sorts.” In the midst of the whirlwind that Mili’s life had been the last couple of years, she found herself one evening at a concert in Bangalore listening to a drummer named Hamesh. They got talking, about music, of course, and are today married and settled in Chennai with a home full of music and their earnings spent on buying even more music. “Music is the marriage,” smiles Mili.
At home, one day three years ago, resting between shows and studio sessions, Mili picked up a small keyboard lying around at home and fiddled a melody that popped into her head. She explored the musical idea a little further and gradually, it blossomed into a full-fledged song. “I found music come to me in most unexpected moments this way. And it doesn’t come with lyrics first because I feel far better through music than words; a bass line or guitar phrase will drop by and I’d have to follow it around for a while, nurture it into fullness.” Over these years, Mili’s stacked up a collection of songs that range from jazz to blues, rock and pop, rarely performing them live, but running them by musician friends for “that magic that happens in collaboration”. All of life thus far has shaped this album, says Mili. From Bollywood, she’s learnt of how the music industry works, and from independent jazz performances, she’s honed that maturity of feeding off fellow musicians’ creative flights. Her work enters studios soon and will reach the world later this year. “Doing music where you can be yourself, truly is divine,” she says.
Latha Ajith works with glass to great effect, producing traditional stained windows to designer pieces
Nothing about the building just off the Container Terminal road at Cheranellore suggests Krish Glass and Glazing. It is only when, inside the building, Latha Ajith points in the direction of her office we get an idea of the work she does. Each wall is made of glass panels each showcasing a different technique of glass work – painted, stained, embossed – one very different from the other.
Glass is an unusual choice of material to work with, for a woman and on this scale. “The closest I came to working with glass was at my husband’s steel storage units making plant where glass is bent for storage units such as the ones used in bakeries. I saw bent-glass so I had no clue about how it was done.” A visit to a trade show in Mumbai opened her eyes to the wonders of glass. She was struck by the creative options it offered. Glass made her curious and she started asking questions about it. At every trade show she attended with her husband she asked questions at the glass stalls. “After I finished asking questions about techniques in one stall I would move to the next and then to the next. Finally I would quiz myself on what each technique was and virtually learnt the process by myself.”
Latha is one among very few women in India who have glass as their business. “Even at trade fairs there aren’t too many women.”
Her passion for glass grew to such an extent that she set up a unit to fashion glass – stained glass, treated with acid, mixing processes, etching, colouring, fusing glass and fabric or glass and glass – Krish Glass and Glazing in 2004 and a showroom Krish Glass House in 2010. “Whatever I learnt, I learnt on the job.” Her initial plan was to start a dealership but she gave up considering the risks involved which included breakage during transportation.
A trip to Ghaziabad, known for its glassmaking units, got her the equipment and the workers with the know-how.
Latha’s manufacturing unit has huge, hulking machines which bend, mould and shape glass; in one part workers go about cutting glass while elsewhere in the compound is a huge China-made machine which laminates fabric with glass to stunning effect.
On the first floor an artist meticulously puts together a stained glass picture, glass by glass using Belgian glass. A huge flex print of a Ganesha seems to oversee the process. “Flexes are made in order to replicate them in glass, based on which a ceramic mould is made for embossing,” Latha says.
Glass is a popular option with interior designers and architects since it is cheap and aesthetic. Churches, from various parts of the State, comprise a major chunk of her clientele requiring stained glass panes, windows and backgrounds for altars.
Recently she got involved in the restoration of aged glass too. In a square basin lies a stained glass panel soaking in what looks like water. “The stained glass panels are more than 200 years old, from a church in Kottayam. They tried getting it cleaned at many places before finally coming here. I asked them to leave it here. It took some experimentation but it is working. We will get the panels clean.”
When there is a ‘project’, she works in the unit till the piece is packed, loaded and transported. There have been times like when the Last Supper scene on glass shattered while being packed for transportation. “It was the day before Easter and the client wanted it that day but he understood when I called and told him what happened. Within a few days I got it redone and had it delivered.”
At times such as these she stays back late and works along with her team. “Whatever we have done has been a team effort.” Although she has a creative team she is involved in the designing and innovations.
Krish Glass House near Edappally Toll is a testimony to her effort. Glass embossing is her pride as she shows each piece – a Ganesha, a pair of horses, abstracts – “there is so much that can be done with glass and the different ways in which it can be used.”
According to Latha, artistically worked on glass has many takers, it being a cheaper option and aesthetically appealing. Some of the other options , she says are cladding, flooring, partition, as wall pieces, tiles and even fabricating entire walls in the material. “There is so much one can do with glass,” she says. Latha, it appears, is not done with innovating.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Shilpa Nair Anand / February 18th, 2015
Theatre House inside the New Theatre complex. Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu
Theatre House in Thampanoor, which is over 80 years old, retains much of its original features
Those who have been to New Theatre would, perhaps, be familiar with the quaint old house, tucked away in a corner of the expansive compound, to the right of the iconic building. Known simply as ‘Theatre House’, this one-storied building in traditional Kerala style architecture with Tamil influences, was once home to the late P. Subramoniam, pioneering director and producer of the Malayalam film industry. By virtue of Subramonian’s and his Merryland studios’ association with the industry, Theatre House could well have played a role in the story of Malayalam cinema itself.
“If I remember correctly, the house was built in 1935-36, around about the time the theatre itself came up,” recalls octogenarian Leela S. Pillai, only daughter of Subramoniam. “I was barely two or three years old, when we moved from my grandmother’s home in Chala to Theatre House. My youngest brother was born after we set up home here. It was actually great fun to grow up here given that the theatre is just across the yard. I remember how we children used to hop across to watch the action on screen, particularly whenever the songs came on. Of course, we had to surreptitiously crouch inside the door, in case father caught us at it!” she says with a laugh.
Leela, her parents and brothers lived at Theatre House for almost a decade, before moving home once again and she says that it has been in continuous occupation since then. “It was for a while occupied by my eldest brother and his family and then given on rent for a few years. At one point of time, the artistes who acted in Merryland Studio productions were also put up here,” says Leela, who has been living in Theatre House with her family, on and off, since the mid 1970s. Presently, her daughter Krishna and grandson Vignesh stay with her in the well-kept house.
Lord Krishna carved on one of the gables of the house. Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu
As it was then, a beautiful statue of Lord Krishna made of clay – said to be as old as the house itself –welcomes visitors to Theatre House. Inlaid front of the statue and behind it are Chettinad tiles, arranged in the pattern of kolams. Although weathered by rain and shine and the many footsteps that have traipsed over it over the decades, the tiles, still retain the signature red hue of the clay found in the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu.
A kolam made of Chettinad tiles. Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu
The front façade too hasn’t changed much since the house was built 80 years ago. The tiled roof still has two gables on each side, inside which figurines of Lord Krishna and Lord Murugan have been carved on wood; the carving of Murugan on the right side of the building is obscured by the branches of the stately, old jackfruit tree that grows in the garden. “The gables had carved wooden borders too but they have since fallen off,” explains Leela.
Up the unpolished granite steps to the veranda and you’ll immediately feel like you are in an island of calm amid all the hullaballoo outside. The mosaic flooring (that was laid over the original cement flooring sometime in the 60s) and the timber ceiling polished with age offers an immediate respite from the heat outside. The family has also kept the original wooden windows and doors intact; each window frame, inside and outside, has glass panels painted with a flower and leaf pattern.
The living room with it high wooden ceiling is the centre of attraction of the house and is neatly arranged with a mix of original and colonial art deco furniture. Gracing the walls are several paintings of religious iconography such as a Tanjore painting of Lord Murugan [“embossed in Germany”] and a pencil and charcoal drawing of Lord Krishna, both of which Leela believes have been hanging in the same place since the beginning. There are also a couple of portraits on the walls, including a large one of a young Leela with her parents.
The living room leads off to bedrooms on either side, the prayer room and the dining room, which are more or less its miniature versions, high ceilings, mosaic floors, wooden widow frames et al.
It seems that the only part of the house that has been renovated is the kitchen and dining area and that too only a couple of years ago. “It had a beautiful sloping jali made of wood. We had to tear it down because the slats were infested with mice and were a haven for marapatti [Asian palm civet],” explains Leela. “The dining table came much later. Initially, the entire family used to take our meals sitting on the cement floor,” she recalls, as we make our way back to the small garden in front.
“There used to be a deep rivulet which ran in front of the garden. My father was afraid that we kids would fall into it, so he had it diverted to the back of the property,” says Leela.
(A fortnightly column on houses in and around the city that are more than 50 years old.)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Nita Sathyendran / Thiruvananthapuram – February 20th, 2015
The famed Machad Mamankam also known as ‘Machad Kuthira Vela’, one of the major festivals of Valluvanad, was celebrated at Thiruvanikkavu Temple at Wadakkancherry, near here, on Tuesday with fervour and pomp.
Processions carrying huge models of horses (poikkuthira) made of bamboo planks and hay, decorated with colourful silky clothes and other ornaments, were taken out by various desams in a charged atmosphere.
Percussion ensembles also drummed up excitement as people from various ‘desams’ carried the horses models.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / February 18th, 2015
pioneer:K.V. Mathew started the now famous Chennai Book Fairin 1977 —Photo:V. Ganesan
K.V. Mathew, who died on Friday, leaves behind a vast library at his house and generations of book lovers.
The man who nurtured the Madras Book Fair from its initial days breathed his last at his house in Luz on Friday afternoon.
On February 4, Mr. Mathew had celebrated his 87th birthday, said his nephew George, a school headmaster.
“His passion for books was unimaginable and he would encourage youngsters to read,” he said. Mathew was responsible for starting the now famous Chennai Book Fair in 1977, and later the Student’s Book Fair.
Born in Mavelikkara in Alappuzha, Kerala, Mr. Mathew began his career in 1945 as a salesman with Christian Literature Society (CLS), and became its sales manager.
After 25 years at CLS, he joined BI Publications as its regional manager in Chennai. He retired from BI at the age of 83, after which, along with three other friends, he started the Ecumenical Book Services, a publishing house for nursing textbooks.
He was founder secretary of the Ecumenical Fellowship in Madras, which organised the Human Christmas Tree. His wife Mariamma Mathew was former nursing superintendent at CSI Kalyani Hospital.
He also penned an autobiography, You Turned My Wailing into Dancing , and a book on jokes, Chuckle Till You Buckle .
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – February 15th, 2015
Perumbavoor G. Ravindranath in the room where he composes and teaches his students. Photo: Athira M. / The Hindu
Carnatic vocalist-composer Perumbavoor G. Ravindranath draws inspiration for his flights of creativity from his ‘music room’
“I enjoy solitude when I compose…,” says Perumbavoor G. Ravindranath with a smile. His retreat is a non-descript room in a building in the same compound of his house, ‘Anjaneya’, near Sasthamangalam Junction. That room, at the rear of his century–old ancestral house, is where he takes music classes and makes music. The rest of the house is now occupied by an advertising company.
The composer who gave us soul-stirring melodies in movies such asThoovanathumbikal, Innale and Sneham and who scored music for many devotional albums, says he has always had a separate room to pursue his musical flights. “I picked up this habit of being with myself during my All India Radio days. Those days, when I had to make new tunes, I would come home and do it sans any disturbance. That working style stayed on and after that it became difficult for me to compose if somebody else sits with me! Initially one of the rooms in my old house used to be my music room and after we shifted to this new house, a hall upstairs was converted to my working space. But after a surgery, it became difficult for me to climb the stairs and from then on this small room of my old house is where I find my space as a musician,” he says.
Be it for teaching or composing, he prefers to sit on the floor. So, near the door is laid a reed mat on which he sits, that too facing the portrait of his guru, the late Balakrishna Iyer. “I want to see his face when I take classes or compose,” says the 71-year-old.
On a raised, wide platform are kept his good, old, favourite organ, the sruthi box, books with music notations and a tape recorder. In fact, there are two other tape recorders in the same room. “I know times have changed and there are modern ways to record and listen to music. But I still belong to the old school when there was audio cassettes and tape recorders. These recorders are intact and so too the cassettes in which are stored the works of my favourite musicians. Also whenever I get a new tune, I sing and record it in a cassette. When my students come, I play it for them, leaving it to them to improvise,” he says.
The room is also more like a temple for him with religious images – photos and idols – of all faiths occupying the walls and an almirah in a corner. “I am extremely religious and I pray to the deities of all religions daily.” There is a photograph of his mother, the late M. K. Bhargavi Amma. With a legion of disciples, many of whom have made a name in music industry, Perumbavoor is happy that all of them even today come to learn from him. “I am rich in terms of my disciples. I don’t take regular music classes now, but some of my senior disciples come to learn and I never say no to them. Among them are singers like G. Venugopal, Vidhu Prathap, Jyotsna, Sudeep Kumar, and Ravishankar. It gives me a lot of satisfaction when they sit with me in this room and learn,” he says.
(A series that explores the workspaces of creative people in the city and its suburbs)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Athira M / Thiruvananthapuram – February 06th, 2015
