Bhavana Reddy tells Utpal K Banerjee how she continued learning Kuchipudi under her mother’s strict guidance while nurturing her passion for Western music
A person professionally trained and qualified in management and information technology can also develop a passion for art and culture. Albert Einstein, whose equation of E=MC2 revolutionised the fundamental notions of matter and energy in the physical world, was an accomplished violin player. Atomic scientist Dr Raja Ramanna, who pioneered India’s nuclear explosion, was an accredited pianist who played music to packed houses in Delhi and Mumbai.
The little girl, who used to twirl her dance costume and follow the role model of her elder sibling, later on used to hide her libretto sheets in the notebooks of double-entry book-keeping in her lSR days of graduation studies. Her mother — an accomplished classical dancer herself — was not exactly amused and rebuked the teenager Bhavana Reddy against her penchant for Western music, leading to what the mother discovered as ‘sad songs.’ While Bhavana’s own Kuchipudi practice under guru’s care went on with classical purity, the parental admonition only steeled her determination to press on with singing and songwriting, regardless. Hereafter is the complete story of an artiste-in-the-making, in own words:
“I was always passionate about music but I never thought about venturing into the field professionally, until the second year, while pursuing Commerce Honours. I finally had a chance to sing in the Western music choir, form a band and consequently do various college-competitions in and out of Delhi. Mom was very strict, she said: “You may sing only if you can do all the Kuchipudi tours with us and get good grades. I didn’t want to stop, so I worked very hard that year to prove to her that I could juggle the three and I did extremely well that year. That made me realise how much I enjoyed singing and how I could and would like to take it up as a profession. So I decided to learn more of it and do an in-depth study. My primary focus was Western contemporary music and I sought out contemporary music schools. I came across Musicians Institute, lA, best-of-its-kind in California. Over there, I did a dual-emphasis Associates degree in Vocal and Independent Artist programmes. I learnt a lot about my voice, the different voicing I can use, head-mask-chest, leading a band etc, as well as the skills of an independent artist, such as recording, DIY (do-it-yourself) marketing, songwriting, production, visual media. It was a very fulfilling experience that made me evolve as an artist. My next step is to do a study on music composition and arrangement.”
The finale of Parampara: National Festival of Dance and Music, featured this artiste extraordinaire for the full evening in Kuchipudi dance as well as Indo-Western rock music. First segment on dance recital was scintillating, set off by the Hindi poet Nirala’s invocatory composition: Varade Vina-Vadini Varade… Composed in raga Sindhu Vairabhi, the lyrics gave full scope for Bhavana’s solo for angaharas (head-torso postures) and karanas (standard sculpturesque patterns) with myriad depictions of vina-playing, hastamudras (hand gestures) and charis (gracious movements). Next came an interpretative item on adulating lord Venkateswara in raga Karaharapriya with ample opportunity for abhinaya (facial expressions). The concluding item was Pt Ravi Shankar’s composition on Tillana in raga Natabhairavi. The beauty of the music, blended with the grace of Bhavana’s dance, created a spell.
Her second segment could not be more different — in terms of all the paraphernalia of a rock band — but for Bhavana’s continued presence as the solo soprano singer, this time, dressed in a striking yellow maxi by Ritu Kumar. She began with indie-rock: Snails like Rain…followed by experimental rock: She and the blues-rock: Quitting You… In rapid succession came the experimental: Through Your Eyes, Why Do We loveIJ Why Does It HurtIJ and from her first album: Tangled In Emotion… The latter was accompanied by a lover-duo dancing in elevated cyclorama-shadow. After another experimental: Ace Of Heart was the colourful finale: Stuck In A Valley… with four classical dancers girdling her in mournful yearning to cross over the mountains.
About her Kuchipudi dance performance, she revealed: “In my classical Indian dance, I am a purist. I don’t permit any compromise. Although I’ve been exposed to Western dance, especially Jazz variety, I have not allowed them to colour my Kuchipudi. In classical dance, I draw from both Hindustani and Carnatic music-styles.”
She said that when it comes to music, she sings songs of love and suffering. “To me, heartburn is a live phenomenon and has full impact on my music. My lyrics are melancholy and the inner emptiness comes out. I don’t conceal myself. I do songwriting first, then put my lyrics on the key board. My songs are a blend of Indian concept of melodies, mixed with Western harmonies held together by a string of poetry. My performances are visually in sync with the theatrical storytelling nature of my dance form,” she ended.