I got a jolt when I received an email from a long lost school friend. Norma had read one of my columns and wrote to me. Subsequently, she surprised me by calling me up from far away Austria, where she now lives. I was happy to hear her voice, to have news of her and to catch up on three score years!
I remember Norma as she was in school. She was bold and unconventional and often got into trouble. I also remember Norma for her singing. She had a lovely voice and was in the forefront of the school choir, singing lessons and such other things.
I asked Norma if she still sang. While she now teaches English, she also enjoys sharing old-time songs at the school, and training the children in her long lost melodies that one seldom hears these days.
Speaking of long lost melodies, I listened to a group performing at the Trident in Mumbai. Natasha, a young singer, who happened to know me, instantly recognised me as I came in. While she sings at the Trident every evening, during the day, she teaches music at a school and enjoys it. Natasha has many new numbers up her sleeve.
She also sang some yesteryear melodies that included La Vie en Rose that was immortalised by French singer Edith Piaf. Natasha must truly love music to be a music teacher at school and a performer by night.
Singing along with her was George, who is in charge of the group. George must be 60, I guess.
While his fingers work at the piano, he sings with utmost joy and mesmerises the audience with his powerful voice.
It’s a pleasure to listen to George sing and invest himself fully into his music. Edith Piaf had a powerful voice too.
She could almost sound thunderous at some points, and yet utterly melodious. Indian listeners are still wary of voices with a difference. Piaf would have been doomed here. Imagine having a Carnatic Piaf!
Still, classical music is slowly but surely changing gear in many ways. I was reading an article about how musicians market themselves. Why ever not? The style definition is surely getting transformed. Whether it’s an Anoushka Shankar, who is the brand ambassador for a clothes label, or a Dhruba Ghosh, a Grammy nominee, the classical phenomenon is slowly hitting the signboards.
The days of the sedate cutcheri mama/mami look is slowly giving way to designer saris, fancy jewellery, make up and FabIndia kurtas. With social networking websites like Facebook and a Twitter in tow, techno-savvy classical musicians are much seen and heard now.
I was at Kaprada this weekend. A village in the hills, enveloped in serenity, would rightly describe this green haven in Gujarat. I visited a wonderful school nestling in the lap of nature amidst winding roads — Anand Niketan Eklavya School that provides quality residential education for under-privileged Adivasi children. With an impressive work culture, the school could well be a model for other educational establishments. Were there no music lessons though?
As I mused, I noticed a harmonium, some tablas, and other musical instruments. A music teacher lives on the campus as well. How really nice to have music breaking the monotony of bookish learning! My daughter remembers her school music teacher Benedict, who also doubled up as the physical training instructor.
He would get a guitar to class, and would generously allow the wonderstruck children to pluck at the strings. How many hours of sheer joy he must have provided to the curious little minds!

— The author is an eminent Carnatic vocalist based in Mumbai. She can be contacted on vasu@vasumathi.net