Carnatic runs in his blood

Neha Kirpal

Abhishek Raghuram’s earliest memories are of his grandfather, Palghat Raghu, giving music lessons to his students. The mridangam maestro is not just his biggest influence, but also his first teacher, followed by his mother, who hails from the Lalgudi family. It is easy to cash in on this legacy, but Abhishek has proven his worth. The Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar winner has performed at various national and international festivals and is said to be “one of the most heard Carnatic vocalists”.

Abhishek derives inspiration from the rich compositions in Carnatic music. He says that the way the legendary musicians have handled the compositions has left a deep impact on him.

Touring is an integral part of his idea of propogating music and Abhishek has been performing at premier music festivals across India, including the Tyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyaru, Mummoorthy festival at Tiruvarur, Chembai Sangeetholsavam at Guruvayur and Sri Rama Seva Mandali Rama Navami Festival at Bangalore among others. He recently sang for a dance production, Anjaneyam, at the Esplanade concert hall in Singapore. A two and a half hour ballet on Lord Anjaneya with music by Rajkumar Bharathi was a huge production involving over 100 dancers and 25 musicians. “It was amazing to sing live to the ballet with Bharathi’s magical music,” says Abhishek about the experience.

Abhishek has also sung for two upcoming movies, one having music  by Ilaiyaraaja and the other by Bharathi again. “It will be an interesting experience to listen to myself for the first time in a movie theatre,” he says. Later this month, he performs at the Parampara series’ National Festival of Music and Dance, Natyatarigini, by Radha Raja Reddy, in the Capital. Further, he will be collaborating with Shovana Narayan’s experimental production combining dance and music.

Abhishek feels the future of Carnatic is bright. “It is in an ever-expanding state because, with time, the boundaries of any music will grow,” he says. “With so many new concepts and collaborations taking place and advent of technology, it is reaching wider audiences.” He feels the most important thing is to be aware of our roots. “This music is deeply entwined with the culture and tradition that we hail from. It is important that people remember that. It is only with these values and the awareness of the culture that the music will continue to thrive and evolve,” he adds.