Since before I could talk in full sentences, I was singing. When I was a wee little girl of 3 (in Houston, Texas), my older brother had started music lessons with a local Carnatic musician. Anuradha Subramanium was our “auntie”– a member of the ethnic community we were associated with by virtue of our birth into a particular family lineage.
One day, Anu auntie was generally mentioned that if she had a few more students, she would arrange for a small performance at the local temple. My brother eagerly volunteered me, saying that I was anyway free (as a 3 year old should be), and it wasn’t fair that he had to sit through music class while I was playing.
And so it began, my journey with music. I learned Carnatic music for more than 20 years, with different teachers in the cities we lived in. I even pursued performance, entered competitions, and won prizes. When I moved to California, I also learned Carnatic violin.
Then sometime around age 25, I began teaching. It just happened. A family friend told me that her daughter’s music teacher was leaving the area, and she wanted her kids to have a connection to their cultural roots. She convinced me to teach. I started out with 3 or 4 children, one every day of the week after work. A saint known to our family, Sri Mathioli Saraswathi, told my family that I should continue this, and it would become bigger than I could dream. Indeed, in a few months, there were 20 children sitting during Vijayadasami Puja, ready to start their music lessons with me! The next year, there were 40; plus I had a small group of adults learning specialized bhajans such as Tirupughal. I also had a violin group that performed on occasion. I got invited to perform as a violinist and vocalist for events such as dance school annual days, weddings, and so forth. I was really enjoying the music world.
Fast forward to 2011: I moved to India, began teaching yoga to children with special needs. My music life had taken a back seat for a few years while I found my footing. Through yoga, I began composing little songs for asana practices. My team at Prafull Oorja kept asking me to record and make videos. I’ve done a little, with the help of interns and friends. YouTube channels were a little complicated then: it would take hours to upload a video file of 4 minutes, with several hoops to jump through before it would go live.
Cut to today:
I’ve launched my channel!
Today, it took me less than a minute to upload each of these videos. I’ve started with a few pieces I recorded while in Gwalior, including a self-composed Varnam in Behag, my favorite ragam since the last 30 years.
I will continue to post my music, my travels, my speeches, and other items here. Please subscribe to hear more!
