THE QUIET MAESTRA
BBombay Jayashri-Ramnath, a Carnatic classical vocalist who has dabbled and experimented with genres aplenty, was awarded the Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna Puraskaram in August. A few days later, she was invited to hoist the flag on Independence Day at the Government Vigilance Home and Stri Sadana, a centre in Chennai that rehabilitates women and young girls who have been victims of trafficking. “The experience made me value the freedom of choice I often take for granted,” says Ramnath. The remark was marked by conscience and generosity, yes, but also by quiet.
For the last six years, Chennai-based Ramnath, born and bred in Mumbai, has been taking an overnight train once a month to Manjakkudi, a village in Tamil Nadu’s Kumbakkonam district and the birthplace of Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Here, she spends her afternoon in a school with two of her favourite things—music and children. “It’s like my dose of energy for the month,” says Ramnath. The village got a new lease of life—in terms of education, infrastructure and culture—thanks to Aim for Seva, a charitable trust. “These children—five years and above—haven’t heard these songs before and it’s beautiful to see how they respond,” she adds. “It’s the sound that appeals to them, the way the swaras move. Their music comes from a place of nothingness. I have never seen a child here refer to a book while singing.”
Down the road from where she lives, in a large empty space, under the banner of her own trust, Hitham—a Sanskrit word that literally means ‘being sensitive’—Ramnath and her students teach music to a large group of special needs children. “I don’t think ‘teach’ is the right word. We share the space of music with them,” Ramnath clarifies. “They are like gifts,” she adds, referring to children with autism. “They teach me something and, more often than not, the roles are reversed each time.”
Like her music, which has a quiet, pristine quality, Ramnath has crafted a path that stems from the very core of her musical identity. “I feel that I’ve learnt now to pick and choose my concerts,” she says. “In the next six months, I’m keen to sing compositions I’ve never sung before. My interest is to explore new ragams. I want to see how my audience and I connect with ragams differently.”
A few months ago, shedding her shy persona on social media, Ramnath created an Instagram account where she has been sharing posts—some about her journey in music and some about her career as a musician. “I felt I wanted to share a bit more and didn’t want to stay quiet about some things.” ■
RAMNATH WANTS TO EXPLORE HOW SHE CONNECTS WITH NEW RAGAMS DIFFERENTLY
—Akhila Krishnamurthy