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I t was a particularly cold winter evening in Pilani. A young boy, dressed in a pair of jeans, four sweaters and a pullover, had the audience spellbound with his narration of Seetha Kalyanam. It was Dushyanth Sridhar's first discourse, while he was still a student at BITS Pilani; he has come a long way since then, and at 26, is among the youngest Harikatha artistes in the country. "Even as a kid, I would listen to a lot of Carnatic music and Upanyasas with my grandparents and I was, in fact, grooming to be a public speaker," he says, "I learnt Sanskrit and Tamil hymns from illustrious teachers, and later, learnt a rare Tamil scripture called Thirunedunthandagam from the pontiff of Ahobila Mutt. I started learning the higher Vedantic scriptures and I spent at least three to four hours everyday trying to interpret old scriptures." Dushyanth, who continues to work in a software company, is a regular on TV channels and has many albums and performances to his credit. Artistes like him have generated renewed interest in Harikathas, and the tradition of using music and speech to unveil a story seems to have appealed to youngsters as well. As Vishaka Hari, a well-known Harikatha exponent and Carnatic vocalist, notes, "Over the last ten years or so, there has been a growing interest in this art form, particularly from the younger generation, who are keen to study more about Indian culture. Besides, the history of Harikatha is inspiring, and the format – a combination of music and speech – provides the right dose of education and entertainment." Vishaka, whose sessions run to packed auditoriums, gave up her practice as a Chartered Accountant to answer her true calling. "If I had continued to be a Chartered Accountant, I wouldn't have been privileged enough to have this blissful experience," she adds. Like Vishaka, Suchithra Balasubramanian, also comes from a Carnatic music background. Her grandmother, Kalaimamani Thanjavur TR Kamalamurthy, a renowned Harikatha exponent, got her interested in the art form. "I come from a family of musicians and my grandmother is my first Guru. While performing as a vocalist, many senior artistes advised me to take up Harikatha as well, since I have a rich lineage, thanks to my grandmother. That's how I started performing Sangeetha Upanyasas," she says. Armed with a gold medal from the University of Madras, and an MBA degree, Suchithra continues to work as a HR professional, even as she juggles Carnatic concerts and CMYK ADVERTORIAL AND PROMOTIONAL FEATURE *SPAC11211//01/K/1* *SPAC11211//01/K/1* SPAC11211/1R1/01/K/1 *SPAC11211//01/Y/1* *SPAC11211//01/Y/1* SPAC11211/1R1/01/Y/1 *SPAC11211//01/M/1* *SPAC11211//01/M/1* SPAC11211/1R1/01/M/1 *SPAC11211//01/C/1* *SPAC11211//01/C/1* SPAC11211/1R1/01/C/1 TALE SPINNING A THERE HAS BEEN A RENEWED INTEREST IN HARIKATHAS AND UPANYASAS, THANKS TO A NEW BREED OF QUALIFIED YOUNG ARTISTES WHO ARE BALANCING A CORPORATE CAREER WHILE KEEPING THIS UNIQUE TRADITION ALIVE. HARINI SRIRAM TALKS TO A FEW SUCH ARTISTES WHO HAVE PROGRAMMES LINED UP THIS SEASON… PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY >> Sikkil C Gurucharan performing at the Narada Gana Sabha Main Hall for a concert organised by Kartik Fine Arts PLAY SOME MUSIC Hint: All these are names of ragas in Carnatic music THE NOTES FROM TAVANCORE Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma has over 400 compositions to his credit. He was a polyglot and his palace was home to the famous Thanjavur Quartret brothers.The Padmanabhashataka, arguably the best literary work of Swathi Thirunal, is a stotra addressed to Sri Padmanabha in one hundred verses and it is recited by devotees inside the Padmanabhaswamy temple even today. Trivia ee Harikatha sessions. Sabhas have also realised the importance of hosting Harikatha sessions in Margazhi, and this season will see a number of Upanyasas across venues in the city. S Ravichandran, Secretary, Brahma Gana Sabha, says, "Our 10am slot every day is reserved for Upanyasas. With a number of young artistes in the world of Upanyasas, the average age of the audience has also dropped marginally." These young artistes have ensured that they study the art form extensively, do their research, and make their sessions more interactive. Sindhujha Chandramouli is one such artiste. She attributes her interest in Harikatha to her mother, Usha Ekambaram, who would spend hours listening to discourses by Balakrishna Sastrigal, a scholar and Harikatha exponent. "I started learning music when I was eight, and my first Upanyasam was the Sri Vinayaka Prabhavam. I was around 12 then. Since then, I have done a number of Upanyasas on a variety of topics including one on Kanchi Maha Periyava," she says. Sindhujha, has performed as a Carnatic vocalist and a Harikatha artiste across the country. An MCom graduate from the University of Madras, she believes that Harikatha depicts our culture, in its truest sense. "Even a layman can be enlightened and entertained, while listening to an Upanyasa," she adds. Harikathas not only enlighten the listener, but also help enrich the lives of the artistes. Dushyanth, for instance, looks upon ancient scriptures for inspiration, whenever he is confronted with a problem at work. "I am very thankful to discourses for not only making me a better human being, but also making me a better professional in the corporate world," he says, "When I have to make decisions at work, the beautiful decision-making scene from Ramayana – such as the one where Rama contemplates accepting Vibhishana's help – strikes me instantly. When I have to decide whether to listen to my mother's words, Sumitra's words to Lakshmana comes to my rescue. Sanatana Dharma is no religion, it is a way of life.” harini.sriram@ timesgroup.com While performing as a vocalist, many senior artistes advised me to take up Harikatha as well, since I have a rich lineage, thanks to my grandmother. That's how I started performing Sangeetha Upanyasas - Suchithra Balasubramanian, VOCALIST ANRJIIN AVSREI APVNAI EMHAVAHIT
