The ethos of the classical

Pantula Rama’s musical calibre rests on her chaste classicism as much as it does on her richly melodious voice and a refined expository technique.

Performing since the age of eight, Dr Pantula Rama now has over 3,000 concerts to her credit. Along the way she has impressed connoisseurs, critics and laymen alike and now enjoys the reputation of being among the finest Carnatic vocalists in the country today. She is also a violinist and a viola player. Her calibre as a classical musician rests on her chaste classicism, immense creativity, richly melodious voice and a refined expository technique that marks her performances. Even in her innovations or collaborations, she keeps intact the essence of the classical idiom.

As a three-pronged musician — vocalist, violinist and viola player, how does she view the three and their inter-relationships? The knowledge in each contributes to and enriches the other, she says and adds: “I am mainly a vocalist. I occasionally perform on the violin and viola. In my case, because I practise and perform vocal music more regularly, I experience absolute freedom while singing. The violin is a very expressive instrument and instantly touches a chord within. The viola is a majestic string instrument and creates an intense ambience with its deep sound.”

Upgrading her art

It was a long journey though, full of relentless sadhana and numerous challenges. “In my formative years, I was not in south India, so the Carnatic music ambience was not readily available. My family, of course, did their best to create a conducive atmosphere at home.” In fact, her musician parents, Pantula Gopala Rao and Padmavathi were her first teachers and motivators. She had advanced training under the eminent musician Ivaturi Vijayeswara Rao. “My belief in constant, uncompromising hard work, faith in God and blessings of elders and gurus have brought me to where I am.”

The rasika too is important, she says. “I have also grown through the support of rasikas who have appreciated my music and also challenged me to upgrade my art constantly.”

Indeed, she has performed to acclaim at prestigious venues. She says: “Whether, in India or abroad, the connect with the rasika is the same since they inspire the performer and sometimes even define the direction of the concert.”

Dr Rama, who is married to violinist M S N Murthy with whom she often co-performs, (they exchange roles as main performer and accompanist respectively), also has other interests like swimming, biking, and weight training. She was recently invited by photographer Bijay Kumar Agarwal, to pose for a photography session inspired by the art of Raja Ravi Verma which recreated the ambience of the legend’s artwork with music as the theme. “When music, photography and painting came together, it was like poetry,” she recounts.

Ready reckoner

Rama has begun, in mid-January, a new initiative that she calls Silhouettes. These are a series of one-minute (or a little more) videos featuring the core structural outline or raga chhaayaakruti of some ragas in Carnatic music. “I am presenting one raga per week. It is meant to be educational and entertaining. It will be a ready reckoner to understand the essence of a raga, for students and music aspirants. Connoisseurs can enjoy it as a raga in a nutshell.”

What are the criteria for selecting the ragas? “I have chosen core Carnatic ragas, which are not scalar but have a very distinct shape, colour and identity of their own. Unless this shape is understood well and internalised, the raga remains scattered and wandering. The raga can be expanded and explored further, based on this core structure. Hence the title Silhouettes.”

Another one in the pipeline is Raga Rides. This will be a music-travel vlog featuring Pantula Rama riding her motorcycle to various interesting places in and around Visakhapatnam (her hometown) and having inspired musical moments, interactions, etc., on the way. What will she be singing? She replies: “Oh! That would be impossible to say now. I will be singing whatever the journey inspires me to. It might be an alapana, a song, javali, padam, poetic verse or something else. Completely impromptu. The beaches might suggest something or the mountains yet another. A thunder somewhere might prompt me to burst out into a ghanam (tanam). Who knows?”

We agree. Most artists, when asked to explain the contours of their forthcoming projects, cannot do so in detail. After all, art is a creative field and hence what the mind is inspired to do at that moment is difficult to predict. Is it somewhat like the manodharma of a concert? She laughs: “Yes, you could say that too!”