A FAMILY SYMPHONY
Three generations of violinists are all set to enthrall guests with their music
It is not every day that you see three generations of a family of musicians performing together — singing violinist, Dr N. Rajam, a professor of music at Banaras Hindu University for nearly forty years, her daughter Sangeeta Shankar and granddaughters Ragini and Nandini Shankar.
“Music was always in the family and I was trained in Carnatic style before I thought of taking up Hindustani music. I was inspired by Omkarnath Thakur for bringing out vocal lyrics on the violin,” says Rajam while adding, “I have very fond memories of Hyderabad as I have been coming here for long. It is also a home to musical stalwarts like Malini Rajurkar.”
With three generations coming together on one stage to perform in the city, Rajam says, “For me, a solo performance has its own joy, but a show with my daughter and granddaughters brings in different colours, it is a unique experience.” When you ask Sangeeta and her daughters how it is to perform on stage with their mother and grandmother they can’t stop smiling. Sangeeta says, “It’s fun on stage... I feel very nice playing with my mother and at times I’m very surprised by the efforts that my daughters put in.” Talking about the kind of music she plays, Sangeeta whose husband Shankar Devraj was in Hyderabad for a long time says, “I do a lot of fusion and experimental music, but I know that my mother does not mind it as long as we have the basic traditional melodies in place.” Both the granddaughters, Ragini and Nandini love performing with their grandmother and mother. Ragini says, “Music is a common love for all of us. It’s a great bonding factor for the family and it definitely feels great to be in the same profession where our grandmother has carved a unique space for herself.”
Her sister, Nandini Shankar adds, “I was too young to understand much about music when I started learning and it was more like following the instructions of my parents. But today, I understand the responsibility and the legacy that we have to take it forward.” The writer is a musician and the creator of ‘Jaywant Guitar’
A solo performance has its own joy, but a show with my daughter and granddaughters is a unique experience DR N. RAJAM, VIOLINIST