Subbalaxmi, sax player in karnatak music, fought odds

After an enthralling performance on November 3 at the ‘We The Women’ event at The Lalit Ashok, Saxophone Subbalaxmi is thrilled shares her journey of struggles with Metrolife.

Subbalaxmi’s grandfather was an ‘Asthana Vidwan’ in the royal court of Mysuru, and her father was an All India Radio staff artist. She was introduced to Karnatak classical music early, when she was just five.

Her father took her to Kadri Gopalnath, the saxophone legend, and his work inspired her to begin learning the instrument when she was 13.

The saxophone is not one that many girls have taken up. Being the only girl in a class of 16, the boys made fun of her when she started out. She didn’t lose hope because neither her guru nor her family gave up on her.

But that was just the beginning. Being a woman saxophonist playing south Indian classical music was going to be a struggle at every turn.

When she started out, no one would give her any opportunities; no music organisation extended invitations.

“Nobody believed in the talent of a female saxophonist. It took me years to get a chance. I would get a 10 to 15 minute slot, whereas my male colleagues got more time. They would slot me for a 2 pm show when the audience would start coming in only by 6 pm,” she says.

Finally, it was support from the audience that helped her kick-start her career. But other challenges came up. Organisers did not take kindly to her marriage and her pregnancy, and she ended up losing opportunities to perform. She had to prove herself, and skip many things connected with being a young mother, to convince those who doubted her. “Each concert felt like an exam where I had to prove my mettle in this male-dominated world of music.”

“I like experimenting with Western songs and collaborating with Hindustani artistes. I am open to trying other genres as well,” she says. Apart from her guru, she draws inspiration from Ustad Bismillah Khan, the shehnai maestro. Subbalaxmi has been awarded the Padma Bharathi and Yuvakala Bharathi for her work. She is in the Limca Book of Records as a female professional artiste playing the saxophone and mastering raga music. Things are better today, she says. She feels happy to see more young women learning the instrument.