 It is fascinating to see a person whose mother
tongue is Hindi, speaking Tamil better than our TV news readers and comperes. If you have not guessed the person by now, she is Anitha Kuppusamy, wife of
Pushpavanam Kuppusamy, who is famous for rendering ‘nattupura padalgal’
(Tamil folk music).
Anitha is the hostess of the programme ‘Malarum Mottukkal’, a children’s programme broadcast on
Sun TV. She interacts naturally with the tiny-tots and makes them feel comfortable with her while she sings for them and tells them cute tales.
Though Anitha is from Uttar Pradesh, she was born and brought up in
Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu.
“My ancestors lived in Lucknow. It was almost a daily affair in our locality to be attacked and looted by dacoits. One day, some dacoits ransacked our house, killed my grandfather, grandmother and some of my relatives. They spared the kids. Though my father was 14 years old then, he was already married to my mother who was 9 years old. Both of them ran away from the place and reached Tamil Nadu. They settled down in Mettupalayam, where I was born,” she says.
Anitha was the darling of a big family of six sisters and one brother. She had a good voice, but her family was an
orthodox one and so she was not able to train in
music in her young age. But her mother, Urmiladevi, was a good singer and secretly taught her whatever she knew.
But Anitha used to sing at the school functions and was prodded by her teachers. This motivated her to learn music systematically.
”After finishing school, I had to fight a battle in my family to join college. I got enrolled in B.A. music at Avinashilingam College,
Coimbatore.”
After completing B.A., she joined M.A. music at the
University of Madras, where she met her husband, Kuppusamy, which was a turning point in her life.
”When I was doing M.A. music, an organisation named ‘Brihadvani’ organised a music festival. Kuppuswamy participated in that festival. But since nobody was prepared to sing with him that day, I accepted to sing with him. It was my first meeting with him. I liked him, and he also liked me. But there was heavy opposition in my family to our love. What was amazing was that my grandfather, a very orthodox person, accepted our love after some deep thinking. I did not expect this pleasant
shock. Our marriage took place in 1992,” says a beaming
Anitha.
She dreamt of becoming a playback singer for films. But, after marriage, she took the mammoth task with her husband of spreading folk music to all places.
What is special about Anitha is that being a non-Tamil person by language, she conducts many Tamil folk shows with her husband at various places. Not only that, she has also sung and released many folk and devotional audio cassettes.
The way the couple host ‘Pazhamozhi Kathaigal’ during the ‘Vanakkam Tamizhagam’ programme on Sun TV is simply superb.
Apart from singing and hosting TV shows, Anitha has also written/writing books on various topics: three volumes of cooking are already on the stands and she is down to writing a book on ‘kolams’ and one on ‘vidukathais’ (puzzles) and stories related to proverbs.
She has given more than 2,000 performances all over the world and has spread the folk music of Tamil Nadu far and wide.
Anitha has also sung in films: her first song was in the movie ‘Karisal Poove’ (under Ilayaraja), with her husband. “I am scared of
Ilayaraja. Seeing my nervousness, he went out of the recording room, which amazed me!”
She has sung in other movies like ‘Nellai Seemayile’ and ‘Nee Ingu
Sugama’.
“There are very few who sing folk music. In that way, Tamil people have recognised me and my husband. I am happy with this and do not even seek recommendations to sing in movies,” says
Anitha.
Her future plan is to start a university for folk music and arts. Her husband has done research on village arts and won a Ph. D. for it.
“My daughter Pallavi, studying in class-IV, has sung more than 75 children’s songs. She has also sung in TV and radio. So, I would like to nurture talent like this.”
Famous music critic Subbudu had praised the Kuppuswamy couple about their programme ‘Pazhamozhi
Kathaigal’.
Apart from winning several hearts, Anitha has won several awards also: Vunarchi Thamizhisai Perarasi from the Delhi Tamil Sangam; Nattuppura Nallisai Nayagi; Gramiya Isaikuyil and Gramiya
Isaiyarasi.
K
T SRI
Translated by Radha N
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Breaking the sound
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