Inspired by her father, Bhagyalakshmi took tomorsing and is going places

Women percussion instrument players are few and far between. Rarer are women playing a percussion-twang instrument like morsing. Vijayanagar resident Bhagyalakshmi M. Krishna is, perhaps, the only woman performer of morsing in Karnataka.

Renowned vocalist M. Balamuralikrishna, when he met her in 2006 in Chennai, had told her that she was the first woman morsing player he had met in his long musical career.

Father’s legacy

Bhagyalakshmi taking to the art is no surprise, considering that she is the daughter of the legendary morsing player Bheemachar. She recalls with fondness that her father was a big source of inspiration with a progressive attitude at a time when percussion playing was not regarded a woman’s forte.

He was happy to bring Bhagyalakshmi too into the world of laya , just as he had trained both his sons Dhruvaraj and Rajashekar, both well-known percussionists today.

“When renowned percussionist H.P. Ramachar’s revolutionary experimentation, Karnataka Mahila Laya Madhuri ensemble, had brought in women for mridanga, khanjira, ghata, thavil and konakkol, only morsing was missing. Ramachar’s plea to teach me the art of morsing not just saw my father start the lessons almost immediately, but his conscientious effort enabled me to absorb the nuances like a blotting paper. I was on the dais even as I was a sixth standard student,” she recalls. Thirty-eight-year-old Bhagyalakshmi, a resident of Govindarajnagar in Vijayanagar area, holds a B.Sc. in Electronics.

She is happy that her father brought in some radical changes in his morsing schooling as the “sol-kattu” or percussion syllables he used was stretched with precision and lucidity.

“He believed that clear verbal expressions of laya (the art of konakkol) helped transform the beats onto morsing more effectively. To the lyrical flow of the instrument sheltered in the traditional Pudukottai styling, my father brought in innovative embellishments. What gave it the true ‘Bheemachar stamp’ was the ‘kirra’ sound generally heard from the dhol that was infused into morsing to bring in a dramatic effect,” she explains.

Travels abroad

Bhagyalakshmi, through Mahila Laya Madhuri, travelled to Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia on a concert tour through the ICCR. If that was the starting point, today, as a member of the popular Stree Taal Tarang steered by ghata artiste Sukanya Ramgopal, she has toured extensively through the length and breadth of the nation and globe, and has participated in more than 1,000 concerts and accompanied star performers of the Carnatic genre.

Bheemachar’s Morsing Tarang also had the entire family of four percussionists travel to Amsterdam to take part in the global Jew’s Harp Fest.

“It’s a treat to represent India and present the Indian harp,” she says. Morsing, used in Rajasthan folk music, is called ‘murchang’ there, while the same instrument exists in Germany, Hungary, Japan, Vietnam and Russia under different names that come together during international harp fests.

Says Bhagyalakshmi: “Only when we go abroad and participate in percussion ensembles do we realise the importance this small instrument enjoys. It’s comforting that our own Laya Vadya ensembles have helped morsing to gain more importance. Gender bias is also fading out.”

A knack

On the question of whether morsing can seriously hurt the tongue, she says: “It’s an art you get used to. There is a knack in making music by holding this instrument made of mild steel between your tongue and lips.”

Bhagyalakshmi is now a regular at the Music Academy, Chennai, concerts. This year, during the December season concerts, she will be beside Bangalore’s renowned music guru Neela Ramgopal.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Ranjani Govind / November 12th, 2013

Sukkanya Ramgopal is India’s first woman ghatam artiste.She learnt from the legendary Vikku Vinayakaram who gave India its first ‘Ghatam Grammy’.She’s the first to create the unique concept of Ghata Tharang playing six ghatams at the same time.And the first to set up Bangalore’s all-woman Carnatic ensemble.

Sukkanya,who has been invited to perform at the prestigious Madras Music Academy festival with the ensemble the ultimate accolade in the Carnatic domain shares her thoughts on women,ghatam and Carnatic music.Excerpts from an interview: 

Tell us about the place of the ghatam in Carnatic music today.

Things changed for the ghatam after Vikku Vinayakaram.He has given it a place no one has,got it the right attention.Vikku has also made the ghatam internationally popular he’s played with an African ensemble that won him the Grammy,the only ghatam artiste to do so.Thanks to him,ghatam artistes can travel abroad today,which was once unthinkable.Ghatam is number five in Carnatic music vocals,violin,mridangan,khanjira and then ghatam.But,if it is taken more seriously than it was a decade or two ago,it means Vikku made the difference.

Why are there so few women ghatam artistes

It is very difficult to produce sounds from the ghatam.Even men find it difficult! It’s still seen as a ‘masculine’ instrument.Parents have to be convinced there is a future in the ghatam and that women and ghatam go together.

How did you get into it

I started on the violin,then learnt the mridangam.I then heard of Vikku and began to go to his concerts.I was awestruck.I asked him to take me as his student.He said,It is difficult for a girl to produce sounds on the ghatam.You are playing mridangam nicely,why not continue with that At that point,his father intervened.There is no difference between a boy and a girl for the ghatam.Teach her.She’s very hardworking. Vikku’s magic and his father’s perception of me made me his student.

And your family’s reaction

My mother was very encouraging.My father didn’t like it.He didn’t come for the first few concerts.A while later,he got interested and began accompanying me.Gradually,my entire family liked it and backed me all the way.

How do other musicians perceive you,a woman as a ghatam artiste

Generally,musicians are not very happy with women accompanists.It’s a long-held feeling and it’s still there.Even organizers are careful in engaging artistes.That’s why it becomes difficult for me to play with a stalwart like U Srinivas.And where musicians allow me to accompany them,I find the mike won’t be set right! It’s strange there is accommodation but not accommodation in entirety on stage.Shouldn’t all of us be one in a concert 

How accepted do you feel in the music world

I do feel accepted.I have the highest ranking on All India Radio and musicians are comfortable with me.I perform at the Ramaseva Mandali at Chamarajpet and Seshadripuram every year.I go abroad too.This apart,I am saying the comfort factor for the woman ghatam artiste in a concert should be complete,no different from the comfort factor other artistes enjoy within the ensemble.

Is that why the all-women ensemble came about

Partly.The stage just had to be more accommodative or I had to find a way out.I found it an allwomen ensemble,the Stree Taal Tharang,was born.We found women for everything mridangam,veena,violin,morching and ghatam.While we do perform in Bangalore,performing at the forthcoming Madras Music Academy festival will be an honour.

How else did you innovate to ensure that ghatam’s up front

The most difficult thing in a Carnatic concert is to make people sit and listen to laya vinayasam.When it is the turn of the mridangam and ghatam,people walk out.I had to find a way out to make them stay,had to innovate.I brought six ghatams together and started playing melody on them at one go.Ghata Tharang is what I call it.It made a difference.People began to sit and listen.It is a first in percussion.No one plays melody on the ghatam.I had promised myself to move the ghatam from number five to number one.I am on the way to do that.Ghatam cannot and will not remain on the margins.

You are a Mathematics degree holder.How does it figure in music

Lekkachara is always fun even if it’s integral to music.What’s better than indulging in permutations and combinations to make phrases I enjoy making korvais thoroughly.

What’s your advice to students

Work hard.There is no alternative.

Do you have a woman student

Interesting you should ask.Very recently,I got my first woman student,the first in my 30 years of playing the ghatam.

Does it say something about women and ghatam

I am happy she has taken up the ghatam.But I’m aware there are very few women who do it.That’s precisely the odds.Braving that speaks for character and conviction.The impression that ghatam is masculine is very fundamental and changing it will be the challenge.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com

source: http://www.mobiletoi.timesofindia.com / E-Paper / The Times of India / Home> Times of India / Prashanth G. N, TNN / August 03rd, 2009