A Rendezvous with Mrs. Malini Vishwanath - For a musician there is absolutely no scope of arrogance |
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Posted on 4/22/2012 |
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Mrs. Mailini Viswanath, is a Civil Engineer but by passion and her deep love and respect for Carnatic music in its true form chose to devote her life to spread this sublime art among all members of society. She is doing a yeomen service to both the music and to the society by spreading oneness and unity among all human beings. A simple and a humble Smt Malini Vishwanath was more than eager to share her views on music, life in spite of very tight schedule. The reader will gain an insight into the sublime things of life like humility, devotion, dedication to anything a person wants do.
IIK: Tell us about your rendezvous with Carnatic music world? –when and how did you get interested in Carnatic music?
M V: As is found in typical south Indian families, I too went through process of getting initiated in Carnatic music early in Ahmedabad, Gujarat where my father an IA&AS Officer was posted as a bureaucrat in the Govt. My mother a post graduate in chemistry was a good violinist and a leather research scientist. My father was a thorough intellectual with keen interest in sciences and academics and a great fan of MS Subbulakshmi, Madurai Mani Iyer, a maestro of yesteryears. So my sister who is an eye-surgeon in Hyderabad and me were under some stellar teachers like Guru Shri Purushottaman of Darpana Academy of PERFORMING ARTS,RUN BY THE FAMED DANSEUSE MRINALINI SARABHAI IN AHMEDABAD.We used to participate in many competitions in music and also alongside Sanskrit speaking (my father was a Sanskrit scholar too) and were often called the `Ahmedabad sisters’, We continued our tutelage in music without any gaps even during our 10th,12th boards and got into professional courses .During my engineering too I used to perform for the Radio, in sabhas in Ahmedabad, organize spic-macay concerts across colleges!
IIK: Who is your role model?
M.V.: Undoubtedly Ms Subbulakshmi. I had the opportunity to learn from her daughter Smt Radha Viswanath. Very firmly etched in my mind is my first visit to their house, Paintings and sketches of MS Amma all around it was like sitting in front of a living legend yet everything around was absolute simplicity humility, and divine. That was a lesson - the more a musician learns and evolves there is more to learn and hence there is no scope absolutely for any arrogance in `Art’. For a musician like me has a long way to go. Today my tutelage under Sangeetha Mahamahopadhyaya Shri Kollegal subramanyam of Hyderabad, a great composer philosopher himself has opened my eyes towards the immense contribution of our trinity `sri thyagarja,shri dikshitar and shri syama sastri towards music by their ideologies on society through their spirituality, synergy, musical prowess. Present day Performers like Smt Aruna Sairam,Shri T M Krishna, Smt Jayashri have inspired me for their dignity towards this sublime art form! For me music is an inward journey, hence discipline comes naturally as one evolves with time, but what comes along is, we get into our shells and sometimes or most times are away from the world and it's happenings and perhaps spend lesser time for socializing too. So a balance is required.
IIK: You have gained a certain standard of recognition especially in Kuwait. How did it all start in Kuwait?
M.V. Due to the impressions I have gained from my gurus, my objective in Kuwait got defined. I thought it absolutely fitting to organize the Aaradhanas for the trinity and let the people get more aware of their contributions to music and society at large.
Actually when I first came to Kuwait, I had never intentioned to teach music. I was wishing to continue learning under my gurus in India. When I was first invited to perform at the Indian Embassy in 2000, the concert was very well received and made me realize that I should spread this art.
IIK: In Kuwait you are running classes for the genuinely interested students to train them in Carnatic music. How can one join your classes? How do you decide which student to take?
M.V. I take students who are just keen to learn Carnatic music in its purest form and also those who would balance academics with music over the long run and not give it up for the burden of academics, for I truly feel, a student good at academics would be good at the Arts too and vice versa holds to.
IIK: The forum Ragg N Rhythm is your brain child. What are its functions?
Raag `N’Rhythm is a forum where the students evince genuine interest in keeping this art alive in times to come and the parents too support this thought, which makes teaching very gratifying. Students have been performing in India and abroad. Many studenst who learn earlier in Kuwait and are all over the world still continue learning over the net and continue to perform in Calgary,Toronto,MEL BOURNE,North America.
IIK: Tell us more about your research on fusion music. How did that interest you?
M.V. In early 2001/2002, I had the opportunity to interact with very learned Arab musicians who were keen students of the Indian percussion – mridangam and Tabla and felt Carnatic music was very soulful and my memorable experience was addressing a total European and Arab audience about Carnatic classical music, introducing to them Raaga like BOWLI, a morning raga, Raaga like Subha panthuvarali, a melancholic raga.thillanas,to mention a few and the response was immense,
Thus began my association with Arab musicians and in april 2011,we could put together a unique jugal bandhi between Carnatic and Arab music at the prestigious Al maidan cultural center on the occasion of 50 years of Kuwait’s independence.
IIK: Raag n Rhythm conducts regular music shows. Name a few of them
M.V. Over the years we have had sterling performances by leading artists from India like Mridangam maestro Shri Kamalakar Rao, Vidushi Smt Bombay Jayashri, Shri Ashok Ramani, Sarod players Like SHRI Amitava to mention a few.
Mrs. Malini Vishwanath lives in Kuwait where her husband Mr. Vishwanath a CA, AMP from Wharton, DCFO works in the Finance Department in KGL group. They have a daughter Raghavi, who is in 12th grade in dps. Raghavi, a keen debater, a keen musician herself giving performances in India. She plays the tabla. They have a son Raghavesh grade 7 DPS, He loves to listen to music, tries his hand at whistling melodies,
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Report: Suryaprakash
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