Dr Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna is a musical genius who refuses to conform to the norms, choosing instead to create new levels of excellence in the rendition and appreciation of music.
With more than 25,000 concerts to his credit, a mesmerising voice, flawless brilliance in his renditions of even the simplest compositions, a penchant for creation and an immense versatility in playing the kanjira, the mridangam, the viola and the violin, Dr Balamuralikrishna always raises the curiosity level in his rasikas when he performs.
Born in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and trained under the great composer saint Shri Thyagaraja, his collaborations with the top Hindustani musicians — Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar, Hariprasad Chaurasia — unravelled the similarity in both the Carnatic and Hindustani styles of singing while upholding the chiselled features of both.
He has been honoured with some of India's top-most awards, including the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan. He is credited with being the only Carnatic musician to have received three national awards — Best Playback Singer, Best Music Composer and Best Music Director.
Dr Balamuralikrishna's musical journey has been characterised by his non-conformism, spirit of experimentation and creativity. He has innovated the whole genre of Carnatic by keeping its rich tradition untouched. Ragas such as Ganapathi, Sarvashri, Mahati and Lavangi, which he is given credit for inventing, represent his quest for new frontiers.
Dr Balamuralikrishna's concerts combine sophisticated vocal skills and rhythmic patterns of classical music with the popular demand for entertainment value. His clear diction in several languages prompted an invitation to record Tagore's entire Rabindra Sangeet compositions in Bengali, preserving them for posterity. He has sung in French and even ventured into jazz fusion, collaborating with the top Carnatic percussion teacher T.H. Subash Chandran in a concert for Malaysian royalty.
Interviewing Dr Balamuralikrishna is a real pleasure. He describes the entire process of learning and appreciating music as a simple task, which makes one wonder whether there is a hidden singer within each and every one of us.
Speaking to Weekend Review, Dr Balamuralikrishna dispels the notion of a divide between Hindustani and Carnatic music and says he believes that music is universal and knows no boundaries, styles or formats. It is, he says, pleasure, learning and reaching closer to the Almighty.
How do you get the inspiration to create such unique ragas, keertans and ‘thillanas'?
The speciality of my compositions is more of poetic content. I don't just compose music based on religious figures directly. It is more about the description of the deity or person in question.
I feel prayers and meditation are a very personal affair and that each has a unique way of communicating with the Lord. My compositions focus on human qualities, the beauty of nature, the nuances of different languages, races, subsects and dialects. The connectivity of the common man to my music is instant.
When you create a new raga, how do the mechanics of ‘swara', tone, mood, ‘laya' and style blend?
Let me clarify a basic fact — I don't sit down with a single-minded pursuit to create a raga. It just comes spontaneously behind a backdrop of the combinations of sur, taal and laya.
Some humming starts and the words also begin to fill in the panorama of the tune. The first raga I created was Mahathi. The popularity of my creations lies in the fact that musicians sing my songs, thillanas and bhajans and dancers use my songs to interpret it with all the emotions and footsteps to weave an aesthetic element to the composition. Some of my ragas have just four to five notes, which is again in contradiction to the said norm of at least five notes being mandatory.
As a pioneer of the concept of ‘jugalbandis', how do you see it in today's scenario?
Jugalbandis have helped popularise many forms of music and have also paved the way to a new form of music that today is known as fusion music. Puritanism should not limit creativity and hinder the exponential growth of appreciative audiences to music. The divide between regional music is almost non-existent today, thanks to the efforts of jugalbandis in the earlier years. The reality shows on music and dance are proof that we have extraordinary talent in our youth all over India that conquers world music and makes headlines.
We heard about your music therapy some years ago but now it seems it is not in the news. Any specific reason?
Music therapy is an age-old practice that has validated proof of the healing power on the subject. I attempted to take it more seriously and started practising on individuals. One of the most charismatic personalities in Indian cinema and politics, M.G. Ramachandran, came out of a coma after my music therapy on him and then went to the United States for medical treatment. I gave the authorisation to establish "Academy of Performing Arts and Research" in Switzerland and founded "MBK Trust" with the objective of developing art and culture and music therapy. A dance and music school, "Vipanchee" is a part of this trust and is run by my managing trustee Kalaimamani Saraswati. Research in music therapy is a long-drawn process and involves huge amounts of funds. Industrialists want to see quick returns and that is the stumbling block to its further progress in healing therapy.
You have been described as a maverick musician, a non-conformist of tradition, a genius who can't be bent by rules. Are you affected by these allegations?
I believe in what I say and that is without doubt my greatest strength. Even when I create new thillanas, ragas, sons and sangathis, there is first criticism but ultimately appreciation from audience and followers of my style of music. That is the ultimate tribute to my efforts. Within the framework of classical music, creativity takes different hues and it is a divine feeling! When people don't understand, criticism is the sure-shot way to garner attention but I have always felt it works to my advantage! Music is something not to be compartmentalised; it is a way to enlightenment with one's body, emotions, soul and spirit.
Jyoti Easwaran is a writer based in Dubai.
