A feeling of continuity in a diverse pattern of music in sync with your thoughts makes you want to listen to more of Sikkil Gurucharan’s renditions. Known to be one of the upcoming artistes of Carnatic music, Gurucharan has set new dimensions to the srutis and kritis with his interpretations. He has already carved a niche for himself when it comes to contemporary Carnatic music bringing about much thought and experimentation.
Gurucharan will be presenting a Carnatic music recital on the concept of Shakti: Devi on Thursday at the NCPA. The idea of feminism and divinity together is something that Gurucharan will explore with various compositions taken from ancient Carnatic compositions.
“The kritis and the mantras exude a very powerful and divine feeling and revolve around various forms of the devi. Durga gives us the mental ability and shakti to deal with different kinds of trouble in life. She stands for power and likewise Lakshmi and Saraswati are known to bless,” says Gurucharan.
He adds, “A woman is synonymous with love and power at the same time. Her warmth is endearing and we can see it various forms of life in nature. Her warmth has the power to conquer and emerge victorious. She isn’t overbearing but multifaceted at the same time.”
In spite of hailing from a family of musicians, it wasn’t thrust upon him to take up music. It was at five when he sung a piece flawlessly that his family realised his musical talent. With an almost perfect rendition, his grandparents felt that he should take training in music. Coming from a Tamilian Brahmin family, it is almost sort of tradition to learn some form of performing arts along with academics. With most of the family members being flautists, Gurucharan started his training under Vaigal Sri S. Gnanakandan. “Gurus have certainly played an instrumental role in shaping my life and I was fortunate enough to not undergo the pressure to pursue music. With musicians in the family, I was groomed spontaneously and didn’t have to take it upon myself as something extra in life,” says Gurucharan.
He says that every concert has been a learning experience for him. “I evolve and learn with every performance. It is challenging and professional in many ways actually,” says Gurucharan. As a performer he still undergoes jitters and a gamut of emotions before and during a performance. He, however, confesses that once he is on stage, he becomes oblivious to everything except the music.
Carnatic music as Gurucharan says has reached an eminent position as a genre and is counted among the mainstream forms of world music. There is an audience that comes to his shows with seriousness. As regards to experimentation, Gurucharan believes that he does not go about looking for experimentation. “It is again a natural process and if an idea strikes you with much conviction and as one goes about exploring it, the process of experimentation starts there,” he says.
Collaborating with a fellow musician and friend Anil Srinivasan who is a pianist, was an exciting venture with apprehensions, explorations, applause and happiness, he says. He takes a cue from the some of the celebrated senior vocalists in the field and derives inspiration from their individuality and the stance they take while rendering their compositions.