The musical bridge called R.K. Shriramkumar

R.K. Shriramkumar and I person known each different for astir 40 years and, obviously, I person galore stories to tell. But I americium not going to stock them with you. I americium not going to picture his philharmonic lineage nor explicate his journey. Shriram symbolises an thought of Carnatic euphony that, successful today’s satellite of immediacy and instant gratification, reminds america that gravitas is hard to achieve. In this essay, I volition sermon 3 ideas astir his philharmonic persona.

Shriram’s euphony is often spoken of arsenic being reminiscent of a bygone era, of belonging to musicians of an older generation. For many, listening to him is nostalgic. This content is not unexpected considering Shriram’s ain demeanour and the information that helium had adjacent associations with galore musicians of the past. But, a person investigation volition uncover that his euphony is not aged successful that sense. It belongs successful the contiguous and, astir crucially, is his own. What you perceive is Shriram’s ain mentation of raga euphony that comes from his knowing of its assorted threads. Sometimes, his ideas are not successful concurrence with the musicians of the past. But, thing has decidedly been mislaid successful Carnatic euphony and Shriram reminds america of this loss. The nonaccomplishment is not the disappearance of a benignant nor of a mode of thinking. It is the quality of musicians to beryllium themselves yet clasp adjacent to their bosom the abstractness of the raga experience. Shriram does this with ease, and hence challenges the contiguous norm. Consequently, helium is either celebrated arsenic an emblem of the past oregon categorised arsenic not being 1 with the times. Both these positions place Shriram’s quality to distil and clasp from the past lone what was quintessential portion ever being himself. Shriram is not a radical, but neither is helium a conformist.

Scholarship successful euphony is defined successful 2 ways. There are musicians who are considered scholarly due to the fact that they tick each the method boxes. Then determination are musicologists, who cognize the interior workings of music. The affectional scenery of a philharmonic signifier seldom finds spot and is often considered unnecessary successful an world discussion. This presumption is flawed. The superior crushed for a philharmonic signifier to travel into being with each its complexities is evocation. Stripping this distant erases its quality intentionality. When I talk of the emotionality successful music, I americium not talking astir preference, affinity oregon taste. Rather, I americium referring to the acquisition of euphony itself. Every operation successful an alapana, kirtana oregon niraval needs to person ‘life’ and the instrumentalist invests their affectional being into each infinitesimal of its creation. There is thing intensely selfless astir this act. This is the reflector that Shriram shows america all.

His euphony is each astir the heart, yet grounded successful a heavy knowing of Carnatic music. Here is simply a superior student who is mislaid successful music, but not bound by correctness. While playing a raga, Shriram knows precisely wherever helium is wrong its grammatical and humanities features, but these factors bash not dictate what oregon however helium plays. It is the raga’s being that helium seeks to stock with each of us. If this means determination volition beryllium philharmonic manoeuvres, deviations and extensions beyond what is acceptable, helium volition fto it happen. The greatness of his caput lies successful intuitively having an nonstop measurement of these liberties. What helium seems to person internalised is the sonic palate of each raga. Hence nary of his affectional outpourings volition ever transverse that invisible raga bounds beyond which the raga is either mislaid oregon reduced to conscionable a acceptable of swaras. Shriram volition besides ne'er let freewill to extremity implicit and go self-indulgence.

Shriram has, successful an unexpected way, besides questioned our obsession with method virtuosity. Virtuosity has ever been intimately tied with velocity and dexterity. No 1 volition ever inquire a supremely nimble instrumentalist — adjacent if his mastery implicit the instrumentality destroys the basal tenets of the euphony — whether each that was worthy it. Instead, the instrumentalist volition beryllium lauded. Shriram’s precedence has ne'er been this benignant of an ability. Instead, it lies successful presenting Carnatic euphony successful the mode wherever raga euphony is the focus, not the instrumentality oregon the individual. Fingering and bowing techniques are meant lone to execute that end. The subtlety progressive successful sharing phraseologically raga-rich euphony is not oculus catching oregon applause generating. But it requires a precise precocious level of philharmonic maturity, restraint, and technique. Bhava does not autumn from the sky; it lies successful method that is not astir accelerated oregon close question of the fingers but successful acute listening and knowing those in-between positions connected the digit committee from which an affectional coefficient that is hard to picture successful words blossoms. Shriram uses method to stock a raga’s deepest secrets.

For each his brushed and malleable persona, musically, Shriram has implicit clarity of thought, and that comes done successful his music. If determination was 1 happening I would inquire him to deliberation about, that would beryllium his negation of Shriram the individual. In his request to guarantee that the large musicians of the past who person taught and influenced him are acknowledged, helium often ignores himself. Every procreation needs an idiosyncratic who stands connected their own. If not, successful the desperation to beryllium to a continuum, creativity volition dice and euphony itself volition go fossilised successful an imaginary past. R.K. Shriramkumar is simply a stalwart of his procreation who remains steadfast successful his philharmonic beliefs and continues to aquatics against the tide. This is admirable and rare. Such an idiosyncratic needs to beryllium celebrated for who helium is.