Kalyani Gowri Shankar- A genius musician

INTRODUCTION

Kalyani Gowri Shankar is a superstar from Tamil Smule who has been suggested for a feature by our peers. Thanks especially to B. Gopalakrishnan who worked behind the scene interviewing her initially. The content from his video interviews is tremendously useful in making this interview written out. Also thanks to many other super special friends from Tamil Nadu who had been pillars of support to the selection process, especially, Sangeetha Rajesh, Shanthi Sreeram, Karthik Jayaraman, and many many other singers from Tamil Smule who had helped in the past to screen quality singers that appeared here.

Kalyani Gowri Shankar

Kalyani is a very strong presence on the Tamil Smule scene; a multi-talented artist who had an illustrious past with a lot achieved by being a winner of many reality shows on Tamil cable TV. Her heart as you read through will reveal a deep-rooted love for music and her constant commitment to passing that wealth of experience to a new generation. That is one of the major reasons for choosing her profile for a feature in this esteemed line of Smule profiles. Without delay here is a short interview of her that tells more about her music and interests. 

Her social media links

On Smule 

https://www.smule.com/kalyani_gshankar

On Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/kalyanigshankar88/

Music School Vidyarthi Centre

https://www.facebook.com/vidyarthicoe/

https://vidyarthicoe.com/meet-our-gurus.html

Please tell us about yourself

“I am Kalyani Gowri Shankar, an academically qualified and trained professional singer. I am also the co-founder of the Vidyarthi Centre of Excellence for Arts and Fine Arts. I have been singing since the age of ten. My passion for music made me pursue a master’s degree in music from the University of Madras. My current focus is on music education and looking beyond Smule for opportunities to sing and perform.”

Please take us through your early stages of childhood, schooling, and college. How music was a part of your growing up?

“I grew up in a household that always appreciated music. My father is an ardent fan of Sri. T. M. Soundararajan and the whole family loved listening to old Tamil classic songs. I must say my family environment made that inclination to start singing. I used to sing during family functions, gatherings, etc. It was my brother’s violin teacher who noted my singing talent while I accompanied singing my brother in his violin classes. She recommended to my parents to have me properly trained.”

“I studied in G. K. Shetty Hindu Vidyalaya, Chennai. My school played a major role in cultivating an interest in singing, as my mentors always encouraged arts such as music and dance. In fact, It was mandatory at my school to learn an art form and that gave me the opportunity to take up music and hone my skills. I remember learning plenty of songs and bhajans at school which is evergreen in my memory even today. At school festivals, I won numerous prizes in the singing competitions. I consider this as the biggest blessing in my life to have studied there.”

“Even outside of school, I had this constant drive to learn various forms of arts, which made me join Bharatanatyam, learn music instruments Keyboard, Veena and learn Hindustani vocals as well.” 

Kalyani (seen from far left) -on stage dance performances

About your family and how did you end up living in Singapore?

“I was born in Chennai and spent all my childhood in Chennai. My parents are Sri. T. R. Nagarajan and Smt. T. N. Ramadevi. I have an elder brother, Mr.T. R. N. Kuppuraj who is an entrepreneur. It is a marriage that brought me out of India to Singapore in 2013. My husband’s name is Gowri Shankar. We have a beautiful daughter together, Samhita. For a few years, I spent all my time thoroughly enjoying motherhood and caring for my kid. I started getting back to singing in 2017. I must say Smule has played a major role in bringing me back to my best of singing. Since then, I have been singing on Smule regularly and have a following of about 21k people till date.”

“Before marriage, I was juggling multiple hats – as a music teacher, I taught both vocal lessons and keyboard to kids. I also had many opportunities as a singer who recorded songs and also was seriously learning music and Bharatanatyam while I was studying. It had been a hectic ride, but I enjoyed every bit of those challenges of teaching and educating myself.”

“I have done several stage shows, concerts and also got the opportunity to work in movies, sing jingles, and work with many commercials. I have had the privilege of sharing the stage and performing with south India’s legends like Sri. T. M. Soundararajan, Malaysia Vasudevan, Deepan Chakravarthy, and many professional singers.”

Kalyani’s once in a lifetime opportunity to sing on stage with Tamil’s legendary musician TMS

I have also been a part of many reality shows such as Super Singer, Ragamalika, Paadava duet Paadalai, Rajageetham, etc., which were aired on India’s popular satellite channels such as Sun TV, Vijay TV, Raj TV, Podhigai, Kalaingar TV, etc. 

Kalyani says this had been a very memorable moment on reality shows where she could sing and get appreciated before Late S. P. B.

A rare opportunity to sing in front of P. Susheela madam

Tell us all about your training in various art forms?

I totally loved learning the theory part of the music. I was amazed to learn the science behind music and enjoyed learning aspects of sound such as “Physics of music”, “Acoustics”, “Western theory”, “Comparison between Hindustani and Classical ragas”. These are a few subjects I studied extensively.

As I mentioned above, my interest in music made me choose music as my career. I completed my Masters’s in music and came out as a University topper from the University of Madras. I want to pay respects to my gurus who imparted their valuable knowledge to me during my musical journey: Smt. K. R. Seethalakshmi, Smt. R. Abiramasundari, Smt. M. A. Bhagirathi. 

For my Carnatic Vocals: Smt. Lalitha Seetharaman, Smt. Leelavathi Gopalakrishnan and Sri. Srikanth Gopalakrishnan. I am still learning Carnatic vocals from Smt. R. Lakshmi Priya.

My gurus have always had a positive influence on me and my music. It was because of my guru, Smt. K. R. Seethalakshmi, I got a lot of opportunities to perform Carnatic kutcheries during the December Marghazi season shows which were aired on satellite channels.

For Hindustani Vocals: “My esteemed guru Sri. Sanjay Natkarni for my initial stages of learning a different style of India’s classical music. I am currently learning Hindustani music from Smt. Aswathy Nair. 

Learning Hindustani helped me sharpen my shruti knowledge. It gave me a lot of grip on my voice and taught me the nuances of handling very tough songs. My guru, Sri. Sanjay Natkarni used to fly down from Mumbai to Chennai to take classes for established playback singers like V. V. Prasanna. I was very fortunate to have learned Hindustani music from him.”

I must remember all my teachers for my Keyboard lessons: Mr. David

For my Veena learning: Smt. Hema Veeraraghavan and Dr. R. S. Jayalakshmi aka “Veenai” Jayalakshmi.

I always wanted to learn Veena right from my childhood. I had an inexplicable attraction to Veena to date. Fortunately for me, the area I lived in was surrounded by eminent music teachers and my Veena guru lived close to my house. 

Kalayani on a Veena on-stage performance

My guru, Smt. Hema Veeraraghavan used to conduct an annual event called “Nadhavarsha” where hundreds of students perform. I had the rare opportunity to learn and perform a pancharatna kriti in veena in that event. *

According to me, Veena is the queen of all instruments. Since Veena has frets, (see reference 2 below), it is easier to perfect your singing when you practice in veena. I practice a song in veena before I practice singing as it has always helped me learn faster.”

What are your impressions about the Smule experience?

“Smule is a wonderful platform for enthusiastic singers. Even for professional singers; It has provided an opportunity to hone my skills and sharpen my basics. I have seen Smule evolve with tons of improvements and new features that complement the singing experience. Personally to me, Smule gave me the opportunity to get back in touch with regular singing after a break in my singing career.” 

What do you like about it most and dislike about it if any?

“The unconditional love and support I receive from people are heartwarming. Smule has not only helped me connect with some lovely people, but it has also unearthed a lot of talent. I have been amazed to see the kind of potential people have and have literally seen average Singers become good Singers after their continuous stint in Smule. 

There’s nothing I can really point out as dislikes in Smule. I see it as a niche social media platform, specially curated for music enthusiasts in order to bring out the hidden talent in people. I think Smule is already doing that very well.”

What are your take on India’s pop music and the new trends?

I have listened to a fair bit of pop during my school days, but personally, I have not much inclination to it. Unlike other countries, pop music isn’t hugely popular in this part of the world, especially in South India, and maybe that is the reason why we do not have a big following. I started listening to pop these days only because of my five-year-old daughter who listens to Katy Perry. “

Comment on the importance of classical music in this era? Yes or no why?

“I feel Carnatic music plays a very significant role in the music industry in this era. Most of the songs are composed based on ragas. If you take the Tamil cine industry in particular, legendary music composers, starting from MKT, MSV, Illayaraja, Rahman and all the music directors have composed beautiful songs based on Carnatic ragas, right?

Carnatic music is well received by even a non-Carnatic listener through movie songs. Carnatic music, for sure, has evolved and transformed for the better and has stayed relevant to this era.”

What is music to you?

Music is life to me. It might sound simple, but I couldn’t find better words to describe the importance of music to me as I have been associated very closely with music right from my childhood. Art has followed me right through my life. More than what I contributed to music, music has been giving me so much. 

Very recently, I along with my husband started a new venture called “Vidyarthi Centre of Excellence for Arts and Fine Arts”. We started this initiative to enhance artistic excellence in students through a structured training model. You can read more about the school at www.vidyarthicoe.com

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Do you think lyrics are important? Yes or no why?

“Lyrics are very important. The beauty of a song lies in how well the tune and the lyrics gels together. I believe it is also important for a singer to understand the lyrics in order to produce the right emotion while singing. I have had the experience of working very closely with lyricists in recordings. I have recorded a song in four languages which means, I had to work with four lyricists to get my pronunciation right. A small change in the pronunciation could alter the entire meaning of the line.”

Where do you want to go from here in five years?

“With God’s grace, I was able to realize my dream of starting my own music and dance school in Vidyarthi, but the job is only half done. With the pandemic situation, we are in, we are currently operating online but eventually, we are planning to open up a physical school in Chennai. I want to see Vidyarthi grow into a world-class institution and the students shine in the music and dance world.”

With T.M.S.

List all your achievements

I have won many accolades in my journey of pursuing various art forms. Below are a few:

Co-founded “Vidyarthi Centre of Excellence for Arts and Fine Arts”, an institution to impart music and dance skills to music and dance enthusiasts. 

Have extensive teaching and training experience for over 10 years and instructed students in music theory, harmony, and composition with advanced teaching techniques. In her journey as a teacher, she has received numerous letters of recommendation and appreciation from students, parents, and music lovers.

Leads orchestra and choral groups in regular and special performances for several programs and concerts.

Was invited to conduct a workshop on “Tamil Folk Music” for Ang Mo Kio Primary School, Singapore.

Won numerous awards, certificates, and prizes in music competitions.

Title winner of “Oliyin Kural Vettai”, a music competition conducted by Oli 96.8 FM, Singapore.

Have won a state-level prize in the Mehndi competition conducted by Kilpauk Medical College in 2007.

Have published a book on Mehndi designs named “The Exotic Art of Mehndi” (ISBN : 978-81-925459-1-2) 

People who influenced my musical journey 

Special Mention to my Mom Mrs. Rama Devi, Father Mr. Nagarajan, brother Mr. Kuppu Raj who helped me during recordings and shoots. Thanks to my in-laws, husband Mr. Gowri Shankar for extending their support. Special mention to my cousin Sri. Aaryann helped me get back on track with singing when I was on a break after my marriage. 

Finally thanks to my friends Madhumitha, Nancy, Mamtha, Balaji Ramanujam, Surya Kamalakannan, Lakshmi Palanisamy, and BG for their wishes and support. Special mention to my cousin Sri Aaryann who played a major role in getting me back to mainstream singing. He is a multi-faceted artist who is a very talented singer, composer, and also actor. He encouraged me to work on many music covers with him and helped me get back on track with singing.

Kalyani won several titles, here is a shortlist

Rajageetham 2011 runner up

Won state-level prize in the mehndi competition. Have also published a book called “The exotic art of Mehndi” (ISBN: 978-81-925459-1-2)

 Kural vettai (voice hunt program on a Singapore FM radio channel called Oli) winner 

Other creative work:

Mehndi Artist and Freestyle drawing

Stages shared with celebrities: 

Have had the privilege and honor of sharing the stage with legendary celebrities and singing along with them. Some of the celebrities who I have sung along Shri. T.M. Soundararajan, Shri. Deepan Chakravarthi, Shri. Malaysia Vasudevan.

Music Cover Works

with B. Gopalakrishnan

With her daughter

Noted Smule Performances 

With BG

Few of her performances from the reality shows that she could gather for this feature. Please forgive the bad video quality. One get to see Ganga (play back singer ) Subhashini Hassan (Tamil Actor) in these following videos along Kalayani’s reality shows.

END NOTES

Kalyani is a dedicated teacher with a mission to carry her commitment to spreading her love of music and other forms of arts through her music school. When we came across her profile on Smule right from the very first feature on these pages we knew her excellent singing. This had been a long wait to have her feature to finish. But very glad we did this for her.

Kalyani is a talent that is undeniable and who accomplished so much in a very short span of life. What strikes most is her ability to juggle a career along with her life chores and yet do so much justice to anything she keeps a mind on. Sheer genius and talent are what define Kalayani among many profiles on Smule. We are glad to bring attention to her music and want to support her efforts. Here is a link to her school. Follow her on other social media platforms and do visit her music school page.

Vidhyarthi School of Music Emblem

References :

1. How did the Pancharatna kritis originate? https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-origin-of-pancharatna-kritis/article30576547.ece
2. A fret as in musical instrument is defined as follows- as defined in wiki:

A fret is a raised element on the neck of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On most modern western fretted instruments, frets are metal strips inserted into the fingerboard. On some historical instruments and non-European instruments, frets are made of pieces of string tied around the neck.

Frets divide the neck into fixed segments at intervals related to a musical framework. On instruments such as guitars, each fret represents one semitone in the standard western system, in which one octave is divided into twelve semitones. Fret is often used as a verb, meaning simply “to press down the string behind a fret”. Fretting often refers to the frets and/or their system of placement.