Made in Chennai - G.V. Prakash

Undoubtedly the most hip and happening music director in Tamizh cinema who has composed for movies like Veyil, Aayirathil Oruvan, Madrasapattinam,Va Quarter Cutting and most recently, Aadukalam.

When did you begin to seriously consider music as a career?

In high school (+1). I was the Cultural Secretary and used to also play the keyboard at culturals. That was when I realised that I must explore music as a career. Incidentally, I now work with the same people I played music with back then – my sound engineer Sri Hari, flautist Navin Iyer and singer Saindhavi.

How did your first break come about?

My first break in cinema came through a jingle I had created for Radio Mirchi's first anniversary. They asked for my showreel and when Vasanthabalan heard it, he liked it. He recommended me to Shankar Sir and that's how I ended up creating the music of Veyil.

Has it been smooth sailing?

There are always challenges. People had doubts about my capabilities, probably because I was so new and so young. I listen to people when they express themselves, but I stick to what I believe is right.

Tell us about your fans.

I have fan clubs that people start out of interest in my work. In fact, Jagadish, who manages my Facebook and Twitter accounts is doing it just because he wants to!

Another fan, Nadia from Coimbatore has so many of my pictures. She keeps sending me collages and mugs with my pictures. When the Madrasapattinam team travelled there to promote the film, she was interested in meeting only me, not the rest of the crew.

One fan came all the way from Delhi to meet me because he loved the song, 'Veyilodu vilayadi...' from 'Veyil'. He doesn't understand the language, but hears the song a hundred times a day because it makes him happy!

Why did you choose Chennai as base?

I am very attached to Chennai. It is home. I keep moving depending on where my work takes me, but if I'm away for too long, I miss the city and my grandmother's cooking. Moreover, this is where my friends are.

What's a typical work day like?

This is a creative field, so the timings of a corporate professional don't apply. I'm almost always at the studio and my friends drop in there to visit me. In the mornings, I hit the gym, then meet my clients and once work begins, I go on till midnight. At times, I have gone for an entire week at work without sleep!

We hear you're composing music for a Bollywood movie. Tell us more.

I've just completed three songs for the 3D movie, Joker, starring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha, directed by Shirish Kunder and produced by Farah Khan. The audio release will be around September this year.

Any advice for those looking to make a career in music?

Be confident. But look at yourself from the outside, like a mirror is being held up to you. And be truthful.

What is the secret of your success as a music director?

Focus. And the fact that I know the pulse of the audience. I have a clear judgement that if I enjoy hearing something, then others will love it too.

An edited version of this interview was published in Taxi Magazine in 2011.

Made in Chennai - Suchitra Krishna Kumar

Playback Singer, RJ, Television Host

What was your first song as a playback singer?

The first song I ever sang as a playback singer was for Yuvan Shankar Raja. It was called 'Pelican Paravaigal' and was for a movie called 'Lovers'. Neither the album nor the film have released till date!

What were the turning points in your career?

There has never been one single break or turning point, because my career changed every 5 years! For my current career as a singer, the work I have done with Harris Jeyaraj, Bharadwaj, Mani Sharma and Yuvan were definite turning points. Recently, Devisri Prasad and Thaman have given an additional dimension to my singing - so they have become turning points too!

Have there been any unique challenges that you've faced?

Indian singing definitely requires some amount of classical training and the playback singing industry generally prefers sweet, feminine voices for women. Being an untrained singer with a slightly unconventional voice was the biggest challenge. But somehow, the kind of songs I got to sing were stronger on tone, expression and power, which did come easily to me.

What are some of the poignant moments you've had as a singer?

Poignant incidents happen all the time. Srikanth Deva actually stands up and claps if I ace a song, Mani Sharma treats me like a daughter, Devisri Prasad and I bond like long-lost twins, Thaman and Dharan are wonderfully caring brothers. When Rahman Sir looked me in the eye after he heard my takes for his Telugu film 'Komaram Puli' and said "Sounding good, man!”, I thought I was going to faint! My years as a playback singer so far are full of gooey-warm, happy incidents!

Why did you choose Chennai as base?

I didn't choose Chennai. Chennai chose me!

What's a typical work day like?

Walk the dog, feed her, feed self and husband (we have a power drink in the morning which our friend Andrea Jeremiah calls 'morning miracle'), yoga, lunch, work/learn at the bakery (I am an intern with 'Sandy's'), do my recordings, evening with friends/family/dog.

What would you consider your secret to success?

Is there one???

What's 2011 looking like for you?

2011 is a year of learning and travel for me. Apart from what I learn at Sandy's, I go for music lessons and plan to do a teacher's training course in yoga too. Also, I'm focusing on taking my stage concerts to the next level of showmanship.

What would be your advice to aspiring playback singers?

Like Whoopi Goldberg says in Sister Act, if you wake up in the morning and can think of nothing but singing, want to do nothing but sing, then that's what you are meant to do and it would be a crime to not pursue it. Devisri Prasad says pretty much the same thing.

An edited version of this interview was published in Taxi Magazine in 2011.

Laya Project

What is this album about?

The Laya Project is dedicated to the survivors of the Tsunami of 26th December, 2004. It is a confluence of contemporary sound with originalrecordings of folk music traditions from the South East Asian coastal communities ravaged by the Tsunami.

Who is it by?

The album has 11 tracks featuring folk musicians and vocalists from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar and India. It is produced by Earth Sync, a Chennai-based record label that combines the classical, the folk and the contemporary, and boasts of some unique musical collaborations from different parts of the world.

Why should listen to it?
The album not only documents musical traditions but also maintains the essence of each regional musical tradition within the larger contextual framework of a world music album. The voices of the folk artistes are raw, untrained and soulful in tracks like Ya Allah, Touare and Nium Nium, while the instruments, especially the percussives dominate in tracks like the vibrant Tapatham and Prem Jam.

Available in formats such as CD, DVD as well as downloadable digital audio files.

An edited version of this article appeared in the August 2012 Issue of Culturama

The Best of Wadali Brothers

What is this album about?

This is one of the few albums by the Wadali Brothers, well known exponents in the vocal musical tradition inspired by the Sufi poets. This mini-album contains three of their most popular songs - Tu Maane Ya Na Maane, Ghoonghat Chuk O Sajana and Duma Dum Mast Qalandar, giving a glimpse into the raw devotion that their music is renowned for.

Who is it by?

Ustad Puranchand and Ustad Piyarelal Wadali belong to Punjab and are the fifth generation in a line of Sufi singers. While they have sung for film and cut music albums, they have a clear preference for live shows over recordings. They have been awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy award in 1991 and the older of the two brothers, Ustad Puranchand has been awarded the Padmashri in the Arts category by the Indian Government in 2005.

Why should listen to it?

Sufi music has always been traditionally performed at dargahs (shrines) of Sufi saints and they express different forms of longing for the divine. While Bollywood has incorporated a lot of Sufi music into soundtracks, the Wadali brothers believe that their songs are voice offerings to the divine - their music is perhaps the next best thing to hearing a live performance at a Sufi shrine.

An edited version of the article was published in Culturama's July 2012 Issue.

Coke Studio @ MTV Season 1

What is this album about?

This is the music album from the first season of the Indian edition of the Coke Studio television program format where multilingual artistes and musicians of different genres come together to create unique sounds. 

Who is it by?

The album is the coming together of some of the most popular and offbeat musicians from Indian classical, folk, film and non-film genres, like Bombay Jayashree, Rashid Khan, KK, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan, Lesle Lewis, Sabri Brothers, Harshdeep Kaur, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Raghu Dixit, Kailasa, Richa Sharma,Wadali Brothers, Khagen and Mousam Gogoi.

Why should listen to it?

Much like a minute-long trailer giving a snapshot of what a movie is about, this album made for easy listening, gives a fair idea of Indian music through its melding of bits and pieces of various genres, so one can then go on and delve deeper into the genres that one enjoys.

An edited version of the article was published in Culturama's November 2012 Issue.

Quartet Genius Series

What is this series about?
Carnatic music is a system of Indian classical music that originated in South India. This series showcases four renowned 18th and 19th century Carnatic composers through some of their krithis (composition structures combining lyrics and melody), set to a raaga (specific combination of musical notes) and rendered by some of the most popular contemporary musicians today. 

 
Who is it by?
This series features the work of four of the genre’s greatest names - Thyagaraja, Shyama Shastri, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Swati Tirunal - sung by some of the well-known musical talents of today including Bombay S. Jayashri, T.M. Krishna, Nithyashree Mahadevan, P. Unnikrishnan, Sudha Ragunathan, Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Hyderabad Brothers and Neyveli R. Santhanagopalan.

 
Why should listen to it?
This album does not attempt to teach an appreciation of Carnatic music, nor is it a definitive album on Carnatic music. However, it does come close to providing a familiarity through repeated listening, of the genre, the composers’ signature styles and the musical prowess of the vocalists. Especially useful to those interested in attending the Music Season concerts in Chennai all this month.

An edited version of the article was published in Culturama's December 2012 Issue.

Sound Trippin

What is this album about?

Sound Trippin is an album compiled from the television show of the same name, where a song is put together with sounds inspired by a particular location in India. Each song is a collage of the unique auditory experience of that region – musical traditions, ambient sound and local voices - combined in a contemporary framework, in timeframes as short as four days.

Who is it by?

Sneha Khanwalkar is a young composer known for the strong rural Indian flavour in her contemporary compositions.

Why should listen to it?

Khanwalkar makes sense of the sound clutter that beseiges our ears when we walk along the streets of the cities and villages of India. For instance, Tung Tung is inspired by Punjab - the sounds include not just the full throated vocals of the Nooran Sisters and the beat of the dhol drum, it also includes a factory siren, a tractor motor and the voice of the commentator at the rural olympics in Qila Raipur. The very phrase, tung-tung, mimicks the sound of the local single-stringed tumbi instrument.

An edited version of the article was published in Culturama's October 2012 Issue.

Tarrega to Thyagaraja - Nacho Corral & Belen Cantos

Flamenco is the common platform for Nacho Corral, a guitarist and Belen Cantos, a vocalist, who were in Chennai recently to perform at the Alliance Française de Chennai as the band, Beuroshna.

The other common factor is that both study music at the Swati Tirunal College in Trivandrum. Nacho, is learning the Veena while researching the ‘Sopanam’ style, native to Kerala. Belen is learning Carnatic Vocal formally under a Guru. Both find the ‘Gamakas’ a challenge.

“Initially, I had trouble learning the vocal technique in Carnatic Music, as my breath control was different. But with time, it has adapted, and now, I find that even Flamenco singing has become easier.”says Belen.

Nacho recounts the beginnings of his interest in music. “I suppose music was all around me. My father loves to listen to music. My brothers had a band of their own. It was a natural transition for me to become a musician too.” Belen’s mother, a gifted vocalist, has been an inspiration for her.

Their music, far from being given the generic epithet of ‘fusion’, is a combination of Indian ragas with Spanish lyrics and Flamenco talas (Belen’s coinage!). More interestingly, the Flamenco beats are played on a Mridangam, an instrument that has enthralled the two ever since they heard it being played.

Both recall a particularly amusing incident, when they were ‘advised’ to perform in as many places as possible, to gain exposure. Belen says, “We represented University of Kerala, at an inter-collegiate festival just outside Chennai. The funniest part was that our Professor, visiting Chennai at that time, thought we were playing at the December Music Season!”

Nacho adds, “He actually tracked us down, and saw us perform ‘80s hits at this college complete with guitar string snapping on stage. We went on to win 2^nd place! He then whisked us away to his hotel, to stay the night more comfortably, before we headed back to Trivandrum the next day.”

“One experience that helped acclimatise us to India rapidly, was in an unreserved compartment on a train journey from Trivandrum to Chennai. There was a sea of people in the compartment, and we could hardly move. At 2 a.m., at Madurai station, we were quite shocked to see what looked like a group of mustachioed men in sarees! We then figured out, that they were transvestites.”

Nacho and Belen have come a long way, not only in terms of the physical distance traversed from Spain to India, but also in the learning and unlearning that they have done, in their quest to raise the bar on their skills. Here’s wishing them all the best in their musical careers!

Pic courtesy Seven Shots, as published in Madras Plus

Double Act - An Interview with Amaan & Ayaan Ali Bangash

Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash do a sound check just ahead of their performance at Saarang 2005, the IIT Madras Cultural Festival on January 21, 2005. The few students, who have turned up in advance, are enthralled. The brothers depart to the greenroom, and as though in protest, the heavens open up, and there’s a downpour.

"It’s a good sign." reassures someone. And suddenly, it’s my turn to interview the brothers.

Most people know that Amaan Ali and Ayaan Ali Bangash are Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s sons. Not many are aware that they belong to the 7th generation of an unbroken tradition, the Senia Bangash Gharana. The tradition was started by Ghulam Bandegi Khan Bangash, credited to be the inventor of the Sarod.

Ayaan, the younger of the two, says, "We have been handed down a legacy and count ourselves fortunate for it. However, a legacy is no substitute for hard work. If we perform poorly, our legacy is no longer adequate."

Amaan adds, "The instrument has changed since its creation, more from the angle of expression. Our father is responsible for making the sound as expressive as the human voice."
Both Amaan and Ayaan are also disciples of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Initially, they saw it as a complex relationship, but were later able to mentally separate the roles of disciple and son. They played their respective solo debut concerts when they were eight.

Amaan says, wistfully, "As children, we were more interested in what we were wearing for the concert. The turning point came for both of us during one concert abroad, where there were many eminent musicians in the audience. After the performance, there was a dinner, which our father did not attend. He was so disappointed with our performance, that he developed high fever. This was when we realised the extent to which our performance mattered to him."

Since then, the brothers have performed extensively in India and abroad, and won accolades aplenty. They have also gone off the beaten track by hosting Sa Re Ga Ma, for Zee TV, when their name and popularity reached the living rooms of many an Indian family. "We did Sa Re Ga Ma for two years. Popularity apart, it brought a new section of audience to our performances."says Ayaan.

Amaan and Ayaan have also authored a book, ‘Abba – God’s greatest gift to us’ for Roli Books as part of its Family Pride series. The book is said to be written with great sensitivity and grace, the very qualities that Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is renowned for.

As for their composing skills, the duo have worked on the soundtrack of a film set in an Indian call-centre, ‘American Daylight’, directed by Roger Christian. Due to its setting, the film will first be released in Bangalore and then move to other cities. "But do buy the album", insists Ayaan.

So, what are Amaan and Ayaan’s plans for the year? "We perform at a concert in memory of M.S. Subbulakshmi at Delhi on January 28th, 2005. After that, it’s the usual concerts in India and abroad. We will, of course be coming down to Chennai as often as in the past."

"One thing we don’t understand is, why don’t the Sabhas here invite us to perform? Be it Carnatic or Hindustani – at the end of the day, Music is Music." chips in Amaan.

(edited version published on January 27, 2005 in Madras Plus, the city features supplement of The Economic Times, Chennai. Pic courtesy Third Eye, as published in magazine)

Get Clued into Jazz - An Interview with Madhav Chari

“The idea for the Jazz Lecture Discussion series and Outreach Program, originated last year in Delhi, with a workshop I did for Spic Macay on Jazz. They were pleasantly surprised to find that the whole concept of jazz being unstructured music, was a misconception.”, says Madhav Chari, Jazz musician and composer, based in Chennai. 

Madhav Chari is no stranger to Chennai. He is an accomplished jazz pianist having performed with many jazz luminaries across cities in the US and also in Canada. He moved here a year ago, with the intent of performing here, as well as continuing his studies in Indian Classical Music and Philosophy. He has performed on various occasions over the past year in Chennai, not to mention at prestigious venues such as the NCPA in Mumbai and Jazz Yatra in Delhi and continues to perform internationally. He is now presenting India’s first jazz and modern music outreach program, right here, in Chennai. The program is two-pronged, with an outreach program for educational institutions and a Lecture Discussion series for the general audience.

Dwelling a little more on the popular misconception about jazz being an unstructured form, Madhav clarifies, “Let’s say I placed you in Senegal, and you heard people there speak Wolof. You may not understand it, and it may sound to you, with your framework of English grammar, like babble. This doesn’t mean it’s an unstructured language. The same applies to jazz. Jazz is fundamentally, fusion - a hybrid between languages of music. As a product of parent languages, it took many generations for it to become a finished product with a structure and a well-developed grammar.”

About the lecture discussions, he says, “The objective is to increase awareness about jazz and modern music in India. At a different plane, for those who have no formal background in music, I hope they learn more about music and its connection to society. When they go to a jazz concert after these discussions, their perspective towards jazz, and in general, any kind of music, would change.”

Why the Lecture-Demonstration format? “To understand jazz, or for that matter, any form of music, there are vast theoretical resources. But there’s nothing quite like experiencing it. If you listen to the Blues, you feel the emotion. No amount of written matter can replace that experience. After all, there are limitations to language when it attempts to describe something from another medium. Which is why, I’m also doing performances with my lecture discussions.” says Madhav.

Alongside the workshop for the general audience, Madhav is also attempting an outreach program among schools and colleges in Chennai. “The inspiration for the outreach program was a cute 10-year old boy at a school in Delhi. He was totally into what I was explaining about music and snapped up all that I taught, especially things like rhythmic patterns, at one go. When I asked his teacher how they were planning to nurture his talent, she mentioned that they were thinking of piano lessons. Here was this rhythmically gifted kid, who, by virtue of living in Delhi, had access to some extremely talented local resources like Tabla players from various Gharanas, and his talent was being diverted to the piano!”, says Madhav. This got Madhav thinking about a workshop for children and after a pilot at Amethyst earlier this year, he’s all set to get working at schools and colleges.

Why Chennai? “Unlike other cities, where people claim to understand jazz, in Chennai, we have an audience that is starting out with a clean slate and an inquiring mind as far as jazz is concerned. Moreover, they are attuned to the musical grammar of Carnatic Music and that makes it all the more interesting when I draw a connection between the two musical forms in terms of their structure."

Two topics of the seven planned under the Lecture Discussion series for the general audience, have taken place already. The remaining topics are: Feeling the Blues (Sep 25, Saturday, 3 PM, Amethyst), American Popular Song as Profound Artistic Statement (Oct 1, Friday, 6.30 PM, Max Mueller Bhavan) , The Movement of Africa (Oct 2, Saturday, 3 PM, Alliance Francaise), Thelonius and the Many Moods of Monk (Oct 8, Friday, 6.30 PM, Max Mueller Bhavan) and Telling a Good Story (Oct 9, Saturday, 3 PM, Alliance Francaise). No registration or tickets are required, but the venues have limited capacity. 

(edited version published on October 2, 2004 in Madras Plus, the city features supplement of The Economic Times, Chennai. Pic courtesy Third Eye, as published in magazine.)

Soaring Skyward - An Interview with Aasma

“Something funny happens at each of Aasma’s performances.” says Sangeet Haldipur of Aasma. “At one concert, my leather trouser came apart along the leg - I had to keep it covered with my guitar and tone down some of my movements on stage. Another time, after a concert, one of the organisers mentioned to Jimmy that his fly had been open, possibly for the entire duration of the concert!”

It’s this heady mix of humor, zest and talent that seems to be the key to Aasma’s popularity. For the uninitiated, it’s a four-member pop band comprising Sangeet Haldipur, Jimmy Felix, Neeti Mohan and Vasudha Sharma. Although all four have visited Chennai at some point in the past, they performed here as a band for the first time yesterday at Lifestyle as part of a tour to kick off the store’s Lifestyle Weekends concept in Chennai.

Flashback to just over a year ago, when they were selected among 15000 hopefuls across seven cities in India, as part of the Coke [V] Popstars 2 Talent Hunt. While the selection process was gruelling, it was only the first step for the foursome. What followed was four months of a rigorous regimen to groom them in all it takes to be a pop band, be it voice training, dance or the look.

Vasudha reminisces, “We were trained by the best talent in the country and had the opportunity to work on our first album with some of the most respected music directors and lyricists. That was a valuable experience. And the biggest challenge for us was to learn to sing together as a band. We were no longer individuals, we learnt to complement each other.”

And look how far they've come already. They’re one album old and their debut performance was in front of a crowd of 40,000. They’ve opened the show for Bryan Adams at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore and performed international shows at Dubai and Malaysia. They’ve appeared in two television serials, ‘Saara Akash’ and ‘Shakalaka Boom’ as well as sung the title track for the Star Parivaar Awards.

Owing to the popularity of one of the tracks, ‘Chandu ke Chacha’ from their debut album, a second version of the music video was created showing the country dancing to the tune. Not to mention the fact that it has spawned off over 40 remixes on the web as well as bhajans written in the tune!

Neeti recounts one very touching moment. “When we performed ‘Chandu ke Chacha…’ at the Spastics Society at Mumbai, the kids got so caught up in it. You could see it in their eyes. In fact, we’re still in touch with them and their parents.”

And what’re their plans for the future? “Our second album is in the pipeline. We’ve just worked on a jingle. A dance track, composed by Salim-Suleiman and written by Abbas Tyrewallah is also on the cards.” Says Neeti.

Jimmy adds, “We’ve also recently created our website, www.aasmaworld.com, which our fans can check out and get to know us. They can write to us through the site and we promise to reply to each one of them. We’ve been doing that, but people don’t seem to believe that it’s really us replying to them!”

A recent development has been Aasma’s nomination under Best Indian Pop Band at the Sangeet Awards to be held in the Royal Albert Hall, London on October 1. “It’s an honour for us to be nominated and we’re looking forward to attending the awards.” says an exultant Vasudha.

Let’s hope Aasma’s visit and the response to their performance provides a much-needed shot in the arm for efforts to bring music bands down to Chennai for concerts. 

Pic courtesy Third Eye

An edited version of this article was published in Madras Plus in 2004.

Key Notes - An interview with Mira Sundara Rajan

“Western Classical music is perceived as elitist. Once that perception changes, more people will be able to study and appreciate it.” says Mira Sundara Rajan, a pianist of Indian origin and teaches Copyright Law at Queen Mary, University of London. She is in India for legal research in her chosen stream, Cultural Property Rights and Intellectual Property Rights in the Arts area. Although she has visited Chennai before, on this visit she has performed at the Madras Music Association on June 6th and at the British Council Division last evening.

Why the piano? “I was always enthralled by the piano. It’s the backbone of the classical tradition. As an instrument, it is structured to provide a very versatile range of sound. That’s why composers use it while working on a piece.” Mira has been studying music for the past 25 years. She has a particular interest in the work of Johannes Brahms and plans to make a recording of all of his solo pieces.

“This has not been attempted before - Brahms is a complex composer in that his solo compositions are usually short and range from vibrant pieces to those that convey unusual emotions. His work is not about playing the notes, it is intellectually very demanding. If audiences appreciated Brahms for the brilliant composer he was, having truly understood his music, there would be more musicians playing his pieces. To give an analogy, Brahms was a true craftsman of music but audiences are yet to understand the art form.” According to Mira, all of music is an attempt to reach a higher state of existence - call it intellectualism or spirituality. “But the music of Brahms can transport even a listener with no background in music to appreciate it for the emotions it conveys. Understanding his music, however, can elevate you to a different plane.”

Which brings us back to Mira’s conviction that the way forward for the Western Classical music industry is in educating the audience. She says, “Did you know that Classical Music constitutes only around 5% of the entire recorded music industry?” She finds that even in performances, musicians play according to popular tastes, either famous composers or oft-heard pieces. “The interest will expand only with educating the audiences. In my concerts, I give a brief background about the piece and the composer hoping that I am leaving the audience with a little more information and interest. This concept doesn’t exist in the western countries as most people are assumed to know about western classical music. However, it’s the people who don’t understand the music that I want to reach out to. They are the people who can move the tradition forward with appreciation.”

Mira is also into writing poetry and started at a very tender age like her illustrious great grand father, Mahakavi Subramania Bharati. “I also write short fiction and when I have some time in the midst of my music and teaching, I will be attempting a novel. And for sure, Brahms will find a way into it!”

Pic courtesy Third Eye

An edited version of this article was published in Madras Plus on June 12, 2004 .

Who reads what? Sanjay Subramanyan

A Chartered Accountant by profession, Sanjay Subramanyan is better known for his on-stage persona. He started out learning to play the violin under the tutelage of Shri V. Lakshminarayana. When the switch to vocal music happened, he learnt initially under Shrimathi Rukmini Rajagopalan and later, under Vidwan Shri Calcutta K.S.Krishnamurti. A renowned and much sought-after vocalist today, he is appreciated for his passionate rendering of many a Krithi and a Raaga.

His passion extends beyond singing, to other areas of Carnatic Music as well. He has organised heritage walks around places of musical interest in Chennai in December. Music-related trivia are at his fingertips and a wealth of information, on a website he has, called Sangeetham.com

In the midst of a hectic schedule, he does manage to do a fair amount of reading. Sanjay recounted, “Last year, I was reading Tamil fiction. Although I read P.G. Wodehouse every opportunity I get, and I’m up to date on the Harry Potter books, I am currently reading an e-book called Don't Know Much About History by Kenneth C.Davis.”

As an avid reader, he regularly looks to download e-books off the Internet. Coming back to the e-book at hand, “I was reading various reviews on a website, and came across one on this book. The review mentioned that it was interestingly written unlike other books of its genre which end up sounding like textbooks. So, I downloaded it and started reading it” says Sanjay.

The book narrates the history and development of America in a witty, coversational style. It dispels some myths while clarifying some facts. Right from Christopher Columbus to Clinton, the Rosenberg spy case to September 11, from gun control to the death penalty, the book relates America's historical, social and political issues. It deals with questions as diverse as “Who really discovered America?”, “Did the Indians really sell Manhattan for $24?” and “Did Pocahontas really save John Smith's life?”

Sanjay added “The format of the book, in a Question and Answer style, makes even the more complex topics in American History, easier to understand. It is a very elaborate subject and has been well written.It truly is a fascinating study of American history and brings to life the events and the people who were responsible for its development.”

Pic courtesy Seven Shots

An edited version of this article was published in Madras Plus in 2004.