Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
She sings another tune
|
After her splendid success as a playback singer, C.S. Nanditha has taken to the veena. And she has done well here too.
|
Nanditha: exploring new musical possibilities
PLAYBACK SINGER C. S. Nanditha held a press meet last week to announce the release of her audio cassette, Vathapi. That the content was Carnatic classical music, was not unexpected. She has had years of training in vocal, and has many cassettes to her credit where the mainstay has been devotional songs and light music. It is her sound grounding in Carnatic music that has perhaps given her an edge as a playback singer in Kannada and Telugu films, which she entered just three years ago, but has already sung in over 250 films.
What was a revelation at the meet was that Vathapi has Nanditha on the veena, and that too with the ease of a seasoned player, and where the melody rings in one's ears long after one has stopped listening to the tape. What merits writing about this young singer is not merely her debut as a professional veena player, but her multi-faceted talent and her academic background.
One met up with Nanditha for a long chat, which revealed her to be full of ideas and plans for providing varied musical experiences. She is a qualified software engineer, a merit student who has passed out of the R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore. Yet, she gave up a promising career with Cisco Systems to concentrate on music.
``I do miss my other profession. I would like to do my post-graduation sometime, but right now I am fully into music,'' she says. Habba, in 2000, marked her debut as a playback singer, and her success has been that the music of many of the films that she has sung for has had little to do with the success of the film itself. Yajamana, Matadaana, Nanna Preetiya Hudugi, Paris Pranaya, Kutumba, and Munnudi are only some of the films noteworthy for her singing.
Her well-received outings in Telugu include Sri Manjunatha, Yuvaraju, Mounamelanoyi, Jhonny and Dum. As far as classical music is concerned, she says she is more into veena these days. Music seems to have been an integral part of Nanditha's family. Her grandfather, late N. Krishnamurthy, was a ward of Veena Venkatagiriappa. Nanditha was initiated into classical music by her mother, a veena player herself, when she was four years old.
Trying to blend her academic qualifications with her heart's calling, Nanditha is now into developing a data base software for the 72 melakarta ragas, incorporating all details including the known compositions in the janya ragas too, with audio inputs. "I compose tunes when I am free. So, I am planning to bring out an album of love songs in Kannada. I am also working on fusion music where Carnatic vocal and veena and western music will be used,'' she says.
The many prizes that Nanditha has won in school and college-level competitions speak of her talent. She was a recipient of the national scholarship of the CCERT, the cultural wing of the NCERT, for pursuing her training in veena. A first-rank holder in veena in the Vidwat Examination conducted by the State Government, she has also passed her Senior Examination in vocal, with distinction.
At 24, she has already accrued many recognitions and awards including the State award for best playback singer, a similar recognition from the Kannada Chitrapremigala Sangha, "Singer of the year'' award by the Hombale Prathibharanga, and "Best promising singer in Kannada films'' award from Kala Sangam, New Delhi.
What is appealing about this enthusiastic artiste is that she wears her success lightly; it is heartening that she continues to be deeply immersed in classical music despite her "star status'' in cinema.
JYOTHI RAGHURAM
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
|
