Trichur Brothers — Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Barkha Ritu, Banyan Tree’s 23rd edition of its Annual Monsoon Music Festival will feature the Trichur Brothers — Srikrishna Mohan and Ramkumar Mohan (Carnatic) and Sanjeev Abhyankar (Hindustani). They will present classical ragas dedicated to monsoon, and a jugalbandi.
“Indian classical music is related to nature — internal and external,” says Srikrishna. “There are ragas that can invoke rains. The great composer, Muthuswami Dikshitar is said to have invoked rains through his raga, ‘Ananda Amrutavarshini’. Music is also said to control emotions with ragas that can help you sleep, calm down and so on.”
Speaking over the phone from his residence in Chennai, Srikrishna says he does not want share what he will be presenting to the Bengaluru crowd. “That will take away the surprise element.” Having dedicated himself to music from a young age, Srikrishna believes rendering classical music in its pristine form is one of the greatest ways to connect with the audience, irrespective of their age.
“We connect with youngsters through our social media platforms ahead of our concerts and their response and presence at our concerts shows that the youth are listening to classical music.”
To make the concerts more interesting, Srikrishna says, over the past three years, they have been involving the audience in a sing-along for at least one song. “We hum a few phrases of a raga, and ask the audience to follow. The audience sings quite well.”
Bengaluru has their biggest fan base and largest social media following, says Srikrishna. “Bluntly put, our love affair with Bengaluru is a well-spoken topic in the world of Carnatic music. Plus, we believe Bengaluru is one place where you will find a fantastic mixed audience. Be it a Carnatic, Hindustani, jazz or a rock and roll concert, the crowd will be there to enjoy it.”
Bengaluru is moving towards becoming a centre of classical music, Srikrishna says. “Bangaloreans are a super educated lot and are aware of most aspects of fine arts. A four-hour concert, which is a rarity today, will work in Bengaluru.”
Despite knowing each other for years, this is the first time the brothers are collaborating with Sanjeev. “Thanks to the way in which the Indian classical system works, three to four artistes can gather on stage with barely a few hours of preparation and perform seamlessly. Ninety percent of what happens on stage after the initial few minutes is all improvisations.”
Singing with his sibling, Srikrishna says, has turned out well. “I do not think there is a personal or professional bifurcation here. What you see on stage is just an extension of how we behave at home. Though we have different personalities, when we come together as singers, music becomes the driving force. We communicate without even looking at each other.
Sanjeev Abhyankar
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Srikrishna, gave up his job as a chartered accountant to become a full time musician and gives credit to their father, a renowned mridangam vidwan, Trichur R Mohan for encouraging him to pursue his passion as a profession.
Sanjeev, who is thrilled to perform in Bengaluru, praises the city’s receptive audience. “I have been coming to Bengaluru since 1982, when I had my first concert as a child prodigy.” He adds that he will provide the audience with a wide variety of music including monsoon melodies, a jugalbandi and a bhajan.
The singers will be accompanied by Trichur R Mohan (mridangam), Ajinkya Joshi (tabla) and Abhishek Shinkar (harmonium).
Barkha Ritu is on July 20, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall at 6.30pm. Tickets on BookMyShow