A string of successes

A chat with the violin duo Ganesh-Kumaresh who tell us why artistes do not have a destination but are always on a journey.

Being the legends that they are, one would expect a chat with violinists Ganesh and Kumaresh Rajagopalan to be a highly formal affair. Far from it. The camaraderie between the brothers is infectious and an interaction with the two is sure to send one into peals of laughter. Over the interview call, when we want to clarify who’s giving the answers, they jokingly pull our leg and say, “To the left of the phone is Ganesh and to the right is Kumaresh” in addition to “it’s good to keep you guessing!” Would one ever think that the two recently completed 50 years in the music industry?

The stalwarts of Carnatic music, who presented their first concert decades ago at the Asia ‘72 Pavillion at Pragati Maidan, Delhi, have surely come a long way. However, they don’t think much about their highly successful run. “It has been beautiful and fulfilling and we have made some great memories. But artistes don’t have a destination, they have a journey. We don’t want to predict what’s going to happen. We just want to enjoy the path that music is taking us on. Music keeps unravelling itself to us in different forms. We just analyse it and present it in a form that we think is different and enjoyable,” says Kumaresh.

Ganesh feels that the two have been extremely fortunate. “At every point, one needs a leap or an impetus to go after something. But for us, it all happened on its own. Till the 80s, we didn’t even know whether we wanted to pursue music seriously. We were taking it one day at a time with our dad keeping our schedules. It was only in the late 80s that we took the decision of pursuing it as our profession. Later, we were appointed by the Government of Tamil Nadu as State Artistes and entered the film industry where we had the chance to work with people like NTR Senior and K Balachander.” To this, Kumaresh adds, “Now when we look back, we feel we have been extremely fortunate to have received all the opportunities and are grateful to our gracious seniors.”

Music without baggage

They have adapted themselves to the changing face of technology too, whether it’s by giving the best sound and special effects to their audiences during live shows or Kumaresh donning the hat of a teacher and launching his own music portal during the lockdown. “Technology helps us reach a large number of people. I learnt this especially during the pandemic when I had so much time that I started playing music for myself. It was just music without any baggage and I just loved it. This led me to make a portal, create music for everyone and guide them into becoming decent violinists,” he explains. The classes got a great response back then and continue to do so.

Coming to their shows, ask them what their routine is like before any concert and they say they distract themselves by talking about anything but the show. And of course, over the years, they have had their share of memorable concerts too, like the one in the United States where they lost their luggage and had to perform in ill-fitting clothes! But as Ganesh likes to jokingly put it, “Every concert is the same when you close your eyes!” Do they have their share of conflicts? Pat comes another joke from Ganesh, “His likes are my dislikes and my likes are his dislikes!” But with the two living on different continents (Ganesh in the United States and Kumaresh in Bengaluru), how do they manage to coordinate and effortlessly mesmerise fans across the planet? “After playing together for 50 years, that’s the least we can do. We are always in touch digitally and practise through digital platforms,” quips Kumaresh.

The duo has many recordings and concerts lined up in 2023 including a USA-Canada tour in March-April. Ganesh is also touring with the legendary Indo-jazz group ‘Shakti’, which also completes 50 years. Ask them about their advice for budding musicians and they say, “Don’t be in a hurry. Do what you are doing, work hard and let the music decide your goals for you.” Kumaresh further adds, “The current lot of musicians are expressive, daring and impressive. The best part is that they don’t have to depend on anyone to move forward. With social media being so strong and deep, they can connect with the audiences independently.”

In their free time, the two love to drive, travel and watch movies. “A movie a day keeps the doctor away,” says Ganesh to which Kumaresh adds, “I haven’t even watched the latest ‘Avatar’!” Well, we sure do look forward to seeing their many avatars in the years to come!