7 months ago
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Abhirami Ajai’s concert, Divine Echoes, successful Thiruvananthapuram took listeners connected a philharmonic travel that bridged languages, time, regions and streams of philosophical contented that person defined the Bhakti question successful India. As the rainfall pounded outside, Abhirami’s assemblage was soaked successful melody during her interactive performance astatine the yearly Soorya Dance and Music Festival. For much than 2 hours, she treated her assemblage to philharmonic gems of exponents ranging from Tulsidas to Swati Thirunal and Sadashiva Brahmendra.
The 2nd variation of the performance she curated was enriched by her little explanations astir the doctrine of the composer and the contented of the lyrics earlier she took up a composition. To marque it accessible to the audience, she showcased ragas of the pieces by humming oregon singing a fewer lines of fashionable movie songs based connected the raga. Her versatility was evident arsenic she effortlessly switched betwixt movie euphony and classical euphony without missing a bushed oregon the sruti.
During an interaction, the 28-year-old singer, a graded vocalist of All India Radio, says she wants to research the immense beingness of Indian classical euphony and instrumentality her curated concerts of Bhakti Sangeet to caller platforms and popularise it among listeners of each property groups.
Abhirami had caught the attraction of euphony buffs with her evocative rendering of ‘Thottu thottu nokkamo…’ nether Vidyasagar’s baton in Lal Jose’s Diamond Necklace(2012) erstwhile she was 14. After pursuing it up with immoderate superb numbers specified arsenic ‘Azhalinte azhangalil’ (Ayalum Njanum Thammil) and ‘Omanakomala thamarapoove’ (Oru Indian Pranayakatha) Abhirami “took a interruption from playback singing to absorption connected academics”. Part of a caller procreation of playback singers successful Malayalam, Abhirami’s repertoire bridges classical rigour and modern sensibilities.
Musician Abhirami Ajai | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A station postgraduate of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, she believes that her studies successful societal subject and her grooming successful euphony person seamlessly merged successful her involvement successful the works of the large composers of Indian classical euphony and the Bhakti saint-composers.
Says Abhirami: “When I began to instrumentality up euphony seriously, my gurus were peculiar that I recognize the meaning of the lyrics adjacent earlier I learnt the music. That helps maine to evocatively convey the contented of the lyrics successful the mode the vaggeyakaras had composed it.”
She points retired that portion Syama Sastri and Tyagaraja wrote mostly successful Telugu, Dikshitar wrote successful Sanskrit, Purandara Dasa successful Kannada and Swati Thirunal successful galore languages including Manipravalam.
“In summation to the melodic constituent of a composition, I was besides profoundly funny successful the poesy of the lyrics. And if I wanted to stock that poesy with my listeners, I had to recognize what I was rendering,” she says. At times, she took the assistance of friends who spoke the connection to delve into its poetic depths.
To onslaught a chord with her listeners, Abhirami endeavours to marque her concerts interactive by talking astir the composer, the meaning of the lines and the discourse successful which it was written. “We indispensable recognize that those large composers were not simply pouring retired their devotion successful the signifier of music. They besides spoke astir the request for morals and values and to look beyond the worldly world. Bhakti Sangeet is applicable successful today’s satellite arsenic this benignant of euphony helps successful demystifying and deconstructing societal constructs of sex and caste.”
Quoting a fewer lines from Tyagaraja’s ‘Durmarga chara’, Abhirami asserts that Bhakti Sangeet has a transformative powerfulness to marque listeners introspect. “Tyagaraja Swami lists what helium considers unethical successful that kriti and refuses to praise those who travel the way of vice. In ‘Nidhi chala sukhama’, Tyagaraja asks whether worldly possessions are much important than uncovering spiritual peace. Tukaram’s ‘Vishnumaye jaga Vaishavanche’ is simply a lyrical mentation of the Advaita doctrine that the full satellite is simply a manifestation of the divine.”
She says poetic expressions of saints specified arsenic Mirabai and Akka Mahadevi are besides manifestations of autarkic women who erased sex barriers adjacent successful those times. Abhirami says it was her studies successful societal sciences that exposed her to societal issues and besides helped her merge her interests successful euphony and academics.
She avers that it is an archaic signifier not to interact with the audience. “Some years ago, starring vocalists mightiness person been singing to elite audiences who were alert and knowledgeable astir music, but that’s not the concern now. Many starring vocalists instrumentality clip to explicate what they are singing and shed airy connected the composers and the composition. I would similar my concerts to beryllium interactive and accessible to listeners. I invitation them to sing on and support clip with the music.”
Musician Abhirami Ajai | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
As portion of her effort to scope retired larger audiences, she has begun a unrecorded bid connected her YouTube channel, Abhirami Ajai, named Chords and Words with Abhirami, which is “an experimental endeavour to observe music”.
And playback singing? “Yes, I would to sing for films if I get an opportunity. Playback singing was thing that came to maine by chance. Lal Jose sir and Vidyasagar sir gave maine that accidental to sing for movies and I americium grateful.”
Abhirami points retired that fixed the immense excavation of endowment that exists today, 1 has to beryllium seen and web to get opportunities to sing for movies. “Moreover, dissimilar the erstwhile decades, present euphony directors bash not hold for a peculiar vocalist to sing for them. If 1 is not available, determination are respective talented singers waiting successful the wings to get a chance. In addition, the contiguous harvest of playback singers is not singing movie euphony alone. Most of them are into autarkic music, composing, experimenting and bringing retired their ain benignant of music.”
Her collaborations with autarkic singers and groups person helped her scope a wider audience. “I americium bustling with ideas and determination are galore things I privation to research successful Indian music.”
