Whistling Ragas
Niveditha Shyam Sunder (18) is a second year
engineering (ECE) student. Her speciality is to whistle sweet Carnatic music into the receptive ears of rasikas of all shades and hues. She calls her ‘whistle music’ as a wind-instrumental music, "like the flute, you can say". Well, the whistling does resemble flute music.
Her audio cassette and
CD, ‘Whistling Ragas’, were released by Dhvani Audios at the Srinivasa Sastri Hall,
Mylapore, December 8. Mridangam maestro, bearded Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani, released the CD and cassette. Guru Suguna Purushothaman (Niveditha’s guru for vocal music) received the first copies.
Niveditha has been ‘whistling’ at rasikas for the last six years. The initial response was so "overwhelming" that she decided to pursue this ‘art form’ with diligence and dedication. Possibly, she is the only teenaged girl to practise this art of whistling through public concerts for over two-and-a-half hours.
She has performed public concerts in many leading sabhas in Chennai,
Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Kuwait (SIARA-sponsored concept tour) and has been hailed ‘Whistle Queen’! The Jaycees Club, Chennai, gave her the ‘Outstanding Junior
Citizen Award' in 1999 for her special talents. The press and TV channels have given her rave reviews. She has also performed in the
Kanchi Sankara Mutt and earned a certificate of merit. Sakatapuram Acharya conferred his blessings on her when she ‘whistled’ for him.
In the ‘Whistling Ragas’ CD/cassette, she has whistled very sweetly 10 Carnatic compositions – Mahaganapathim (Nattai-Ekam), Paraathpara (Vachaspathi – Adi), Subramanyena (Suddha Danyasi – Adi; this is particularly sweet), Manasa Sancharare (Sama – Adi), Shobillu (Jaganmohini – Rupakam), Swararagasudha, Bho Shambo (Revathi – Adi), Niraimadhi (Hamsanandhi – Adi) and Rajaji’s Kurai Ondrum Illai (Ragamalika). The selection evidences her well-cultivated familiarity with Carnatic music.
Assiduously-practised ‘whistling’ can be as appealing as any other wind-instrument music, with gamakas, kalpana swaras, swara prastharas, alapanas et al incorporated in it.
T Hemamalini (violin), father Shyam Sunder (mridangam), A S Sankar (ghatam) and mother Nikhila (tampura) are her accompanists in the cassette, moderately priced at Rs 40. (Tel: 24996963).
The next time you see a pretty teenager seemingly whistling at you, please remember Niveditha is practising ‘whistling music’. It is her magnificent obsession, it is in her blood.
