History of my association with music!

Every one of us operates in a certain context of space and time. From that perspective, I believe my musical journey was destined well before I was born.  

My maternal grandfather worked in the South Indian Railways. From all that I recall of him, his two passions in life were trains and Carnatic music....both take the traveler on fascinating journeys! He always carried a radio transistor around and rarely missed a music program broadcast on it. He could discuss its complexities and technicalities with such ease. It used to be quite intimidating for me to sing in front of him, I always felt I wasn't measuring up! 

My paternal grandfather worked as an Engineer with the Indian Government but beyond that, he was an expert in the Samskrutam (Sanskrit) language. He taught me many Samskrutam verses with clear emphasis on correct diction and pronunciation, which has stuck with me till today and been tremendously useful in my singing. Dinner table conversations centered around topics in spirituality which helped me learn to appreciate the deeper meaning behind the lyrics in Carnatic music. Those will always remain cherished memories.  

Adding to this ecosystem, my father was a huge connoisseur of classical music as well as himself a Veena player. He had knowledge of both Hindustani and Carnatic flavors and a lovely singing voice as well! He also used to enjoy Hindi film music a great deal. He owned an amazing collection of gramophone records and during the 80's and early 90's, I used to listen to some of them on the gramophone he owned. It was the coolest device to be around. Just setting it up to play, placing the needle on the record and watching it go, was a fascinating experience! Writing about it takes me back to a different era. 

Given this background, I believe my parents were motivated to sign me up for formal music lessons when I was very young. My musical journey was a winding road but this is where it all started....