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Music without a generation gap
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Yesudas belongs to a group of artistes, who have been able to pursue their career simultaneously both in the classical music and film industry. ``It is not so difficult. Essentially, you have to condition your voice to suit the purpose of different mediums.''
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K.J. Yesudas' prominence and accomplishments as a playback singer or a Carnatic musician cast no shadow over his guests. He is simple and modest. ``Every day, I learn a new lesson in music or life,'' he says. And, Yesudas is a person who has definite views on various matters. Yet, he is also keen that he should not offend anyone's sentiment. He talks to T. Ramakrishnan on attracting students to classical music, his experiences under various `gurus' and Chennai's special qualities.
THE RECENT conferment of `Padma Bhushan' on the 62-year-old Yesudas has evoked feelings of happiness, that his services have been recognised. But, he is not one to bask in it. ``This has, instead, given me a signal that I should improve further.''
His main concern is, however, on drawing young students to classical music. ``The present system of formal school education places students under such an amount of stress that they are not able to pay focussed attention to the learning of music. To give an example, they cannot continue the study of music when they prepare themselves for annual examinations,'' he says.
Moreover, in the existing system, the emphasis is not on tapping the talent of a boy or a girl and developing it. This has to be corrected. He suggests that changes in the school system be made so that they spot each student's aptitude and improve it. ``You may not get many students for each branch, but you will have keen students.''
The musician says he had made an attempt at translating his ideas into action but acknowledges that he was not successful. ``But, this does not mean that such a concept is not workable. I am confident there are people who can succeed where I didn't.''
Yesudas belongs to a group of artistes, who have been able to pursue their career simultaneously both in the classical music and film industry. ``It is not so difficult. Essentially, you have to condition your voice to suit the purpose of different mediums.''
He does not keep it a secret that his first love is Carnatic music. ``There is no doubt about the superiority of classical music. However, I am of the view that film music should not be decried. It has its own requirements and regimen. I have seen how some well-established Carnatic vocalists struggled to produce a perfect number, while singing for films. And, you cannot ignore that the cinema medium does give one greater visibility.''
Yesudas' father, Augustine Joseph, was himself a singer and an actor. It was on his advice and guidance that Yesudas took to classical music. ``My father told me that as he could not give a performance at the Thiruvaiyaru music festival, at least I should do it.'
He got trained by various `gurus' including K.R. Kumarasamy, former principal of the Music College in Kochi, Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer and, much later, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar. ``Each one of them is great in his own respect. But, I would say with all humility at my disposal that I have not compromised on my individuality.'
It is all right to draw inspiration from legends but one should not try to imitate them. ``Take the example of K.V. arayanaswamy. He was a `sishya' of Ariyakudi Ramanuja Aiyangar. But, he had his own style and it was distinctly different from Ariyakudi."
Yesudas' favourite film playback singer was `Rafi bhai'. He is sad that of late, the element of melancholy in film songs is missing. ``Even youngsters say they are not able to remember the present-day film songs and do feel that numbers of yesteryear were much superior.''
The musician came to Chennai for livelihood four decades ago, with Rs. 16, which he borrowed from others. ``Though I was born in Kerala, I consider this city my hometown. I grew up with the city and gained all name and fame.''
A widely-travelled person, Yesudas says there is one feature that keeps Chennai apart from other cities. ``It is here that people of extreme economic conditions live. I have not noticed this anywhere else.'' Another aspect is, of course, the `music season'. This does not happen everywhere. One may complain that there are too many `sabhas' and too many `kutcheris' during December. But, he does not see anything wrong. ``Such a scenario gives only greater exposure to artistes.''
The only problem for Chennai is water. ``If we are able to find a lasting solution, our city will be like heaven,'' he observes. Yesudas, who has implemented rainwater harvesting (RWH) at his home in Thiruvanmiyur, wants the Government to be proactive in promoting the concept and ensuring that every house in the city has a RWH facility.
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
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