BOY WONDER
A young and highly accomplished Carnatic musician, K.S. Abhiram has already carved out a name for himself
City boy K.S. Abhiram is a bundle of talent. An Intermediate 1st year student of Sri Gayatri Junior College, he has successfully made a mark in the Carnatic music field in Hyderabad. He was all of 7 when he started learning Carnatic music.
“Even as a kid, I was attracted to the melodies which my mother used to sing. She is a folk artist and sings with All India Radio. I think I got the knack of singing from her and now it has doubled into what I really love and want to pursue as my career,” he says.
He has won many accolades for his singing capabilities in both Carnatic and film music and recently won a music reality show. Apart from making a mark in the realitybased music shows held on various channels, he is also the recipient of the Bala Ratna award 2015 from the Telangana Government for his contribution to Carnatic music. “I was also felicitated by the then Andhra Pradesh Government at the ‘International Children’s Film Festival’ in 2011, 2012 and 2013 for my work in Carnatic music,” he shares. Singing and performing live are two different things, and talking about his first on stage experience, he says, “My first concert was in Vijaywada in 2011, it was a wonderful experience.”
Since then, the list of Abhiram’s achievements has grown by leaps and bounds. The Centre of Culture and Research Training, under the Cultural Talent Search Scheme has even given him a 20 year scholarship in 2012 to pursue Carnatic music without any hindrance. “At present, I am learning Carnatic music online from Subbulakshmi Muthuswamy in Chennai to perfect the nuances,” says Abhiram. Apart from practicing every day to perfect his tunes, in his leisure, Abhiram likes to play badminton with his friends. In due course, he is planning to do his MBA and venture into playback singing. “When I was participating in one of the reality shows where Dr S. P. Balasubrah maniam was a host, he told me that I have a good voice for playback singing. For now, I am not planning to venture into it as my voice is changing. After I am done with my studies, I will start focusing on it. Will try to balance both Carnatic and film music,” he says.
Abhiram is the recipient of the Bala Ratna award 2015 from the Telangana Government for his contribution to Carnatic music During a music reality show, Dr S. P. Balasubra hmaniam told me that I have a good voice for playback singing