Aparna S in conversation with this talented and versatile flautist making waves in the Indian music zone.
Her ability to stride many challenging musical worlds all at once with ease and panache is what strikes me the most when I spoke to her, recently. A bundle of energy, an unabashed and fearless spirit to take up new projects and assignments, a great family support system and a list of wonderful projects in hand, is what nearly makes Ashwini Koushik Varaghur. A quirk of fate might have just got her in as a flautist, for this track or path is not something that she planned right from the beginning. Ashwini perhaps belongs to the category of people, for whom, life paved way with the most promising choices and offered good luck on a silver platter, combined of course with a huge treasure trove of talent!
As a child, she chose flute nearly as an excuse to stay away from the demanding vocations of music that her parents ushered her into. But then it was meant to be, that years later, she has become one of our most loved and successful flautists playing multiple genres of music – Carnatic classical, film and entertainment, light music, live orchestra and so on…the list is big and endless. It is important to note that she has nearly grown and blossomed in the lap of music with her parents and sister all being accomplished musicians in their own right. She has imbibed music unknowingly and unconsciously as a young child with years of music, rhythm, harmony and beats in her very system, at home!
Over years she trained in flute but somewhere had an inner calling and voice which kept telling her that she needs to train, learn and practice more to develop her professional playing skills…her dissatisfaction tool her to the great legend Dr N Ramani in Chennai where she perfected her art, playing hours and improvising her style, her rendition, clarity of delivery and quality of performance. This gave her learning and performances a new impetus, a strong foundation and a new enriched confidence in the new school of thought.
There are many people Ashwini would like to sincerely thank for the teaching, learning, success and accomplishments she has made possible so far. They include her parents (both musicians)– Sri Kadaba Subramanya who was with the C V Raman Institute, her mother – Smt Bhagyalakshmi – administrative office, LIC , sister – Jyotsna Manjunath, an inspector at Income Tax Dept and a violinist , parents- in-law for all the unconditional support, her sincere thanks to her Gurus for the knowledge they have imparted, a special mention to Smt Shanta Gopalakrishnamurthy and family who supported her like their daughter during her stay and learning years at Chennai. All musician friends, accompanists who have accompanied till date and the film music fraternity. Last but not the least Ananya for giving me such an amazing opportunity to look back and reflect upon my career path that I have come through. In addition to this list, she mentions her special thanks and gratitude to her husband Koushik Varaghur, an entrepreneur (MD at Chariot World Tours). After hearing Ashwini, I believe, the support that Koushik Varaghur has given his wife is far beyond just encouragement and kind words!!! He has challenging her potential, pushed her beyond the her own imagined ‘limits’ of performances, initiated her into many other zones of performances and music, beyond her comfort levels and encouraged her to take up new assignments, begin composing, performing in new platforms and traverse new worlds. I would say this is perhaps one of the ideal support and development models for any talented partner….as today,
She is very thankful to Ananya and has fond memories of being associated with the organization since many years, where she played a critical role in developing the music archives. There are many serious concerns upcoming and contemporary musicians face today while trying to develop as a professional. It is the need of hour for the musicians to be compensated well.
Ashwini’s achievements speak for itself. She says, “Koushik helped me expand my horizons and showed me new possibilities and accomplishments, something that would have been difficult and unachievable for me, alone.” Kudos to Koushik and Ashwini for that! Ashwini encourages our talented youth and upcoming musicians to do the same…initial resistance will give way to an opportunity to explore new worlds and all helps the same cause – development and increased number of music lovers and connoisseurs! Since then, there has been no looking back for this young and talented performer. She got a platform and opportunity to interact with many musicians, enter the entertainment and film world, the world of orchestra, composing for jingles and film music and also learned Hindustani music…she also regularly features in the popular television program, Madura Madurave Manjula Gaana, she has performed with rock and fusion bands, DJs and so on..the list got endless…truly life changing and truly versatile, I must say. One of the most satisfying aspects of playing is the ability to give happiness to audiences, she says.
You get connected to people all over the world, if you are a good performer and if you perform sincerely. Many people have walked up to her with tears and thanked her for making them happy. A good musical performance is beyond all barriers, she says. A good musical performance is one where a person’s ego breaks down and a person becomes equal with all in their love and passion for experiencing good music, great words, indeed!
After I spoke to Ashwini, I took back images of this wonderfully versatile artist, a very capable young woman who is straddling many worlds and home responsibilities with grace, elegance and confidence. Her ability to play the flute, compose and create qualitative music for audiences all over speaks a lot about her talent and abilities. She has been playing for twenty years and this is just the beginning, I would say, hearing her out on her new plans, projects and a bundle of energy packed together!
Ashwini says she feels truly blessed and lucky. We believe too and wish her the very best for her future endeavors.
PROFILE
Ashwini Koushik Varaghur is a Bangalore based flautist in the film industry. Her primary instrument is the Indian bamboo flute. She plays on the western key flute as well as the electronic midi flute and recorders in recordings sessions. Ashwini has over 1500 hours of combined recording time lending her flute to many productions. Ashwni gained popularity among the public due to her regular TV appearances as a flutist in many music based reality and other music shows on a variety of TV channels. She also is a popular live flautist lending complete woodwind support to many music shows. Ashwini’s ability to compose music came to light when she first composed for a live stage production called Viswaroopa for her husband and music producer Koushik Varaghur. Viswaroopa was a synchronised projection of the paintings of the world famous Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhatta at Ananya in Bangalore. Subsequently she successfully bagged various composing assignments ranging from ad jingles to composing theme music for international events.
With more than 20 years of lessons in Indian classical music and over 4 years of training in western classical music and flute techniques, Ashwini comes with a solid foundation in the nuances of music. Trained by Late Vid C.V Rajan , Vid M.S Srinivasa Murthy , late Vid M.R Doreswamy, Vid Nagamani Srinath and Dr N. Ramani for more than 9 years in Chennai . Ashwini was awarded the central government CCRT and HRD scholarship to cover all her tuition expenses for nearly 18 years. She was trained by western key flute trainer Mrs. Paulette from Holland for over 4 years. Ashwini also has a deep understanding of the subtle adaptations required to record in sophisticated recording environments that widely vary in requirements and between studios, equipment and engineers.
Ashwini founded her company, the audioSree Recording Company with the core aim of developing creative music content, specialized music products for various applications, on-demand music for the Indian music connoisseurs and creative rights management. Her personal musical ambition is to carefully repackage, rejuvenate and develop the usage of Indian cultural music in the mainstream world market along with all performing music forms available.
Aparna S in conversation with this talented and versatile flautist making waves in the Indian music zone.
Her ability to stride many challenging musical worlds all at once with ease and panache is what strikes me the most when I spoke to her, recently. A bundle of energy, an unabashed and fearless spirit to take up new projects and assignments, a great family support system and a list of wonderful projects in hand, is what nearly makes Ashwini Koushik Varaghur. A quirk of fate might have just got her in as a flautist, for this track or path is not something that she planned right from the beginning. Ashwini perhaps belongs to the category of people, for whom, life paved way with the most promising choices and offered good luck on a silver platter, combined of course with a huge treasure trove of talent!
As a child, she chose flute nearly as an excuse to stay away from the demanding vocations of music that her parents ushered her into. But then it was meant to be, that years later, she has become one of our most loved and successful flautists playing multiple genres of music – Carnatic classical, film and entertainment, light music, live orchestra and so on…the list is big and endless. It is important to note that she has nearly grown and blossomed in the lap of music with her parents and sister all being accomplished musicians in their own right. She has imbibed music unknowingly and unconsciously as a young child with years of music, rhythm, harmony and beats in her very system, at home!
Over years she trained in flute but somewhere had an inner calling and voice which kept telling her that she needs to train, learn and practice more to develop her professional playing skills…her dissatisfaction tool her to the great legend Dr N Ramani in Chennai where she perfected her art, playing hours and improvising her style, her rendition, clarity of delivery and quality of performance. This gave her learning and performances a new impetus, a strong foundation and a new enriched confidence in the new school of thought.
There are many people Ashwini would like to sincerely thank for the teaching, learning, success and accomplishments she has made possible so far. They include her parents (both musicians)– Sri Kadaba Subramanya who was with the C V Raman Institute, her mother – Smt Bhagyalakshmi – administrative office, LIC , sister – Jyotsna Manjunath, an inspector at Income Tax Dept and a violinist , parents- in-law for all the unconditional support, her sincere thanks to her Gurus for the knowledge they have imparted, a special mention to Smt Shanta Gopalakrishnamurthy and family who supported her like their daughter during her stay and learning years at Chennai. All musician friends, accompanists who have accompanied till date and the film music fraternity. Last but not the least Ananya for giving me such an amazing opportunity to look back and reflect upon my career path that I have come through. In addition to this list, she mentions her special thanks and gratitude to her husband Koushik Varaghur, an entrepreneur (MD at Chariot World Tours). After hearing Ashwini, I believe, the support that Koushik Varaghur has given his wife is far beyond just encouragement and kind words!!! He has challenging her potential, pushed her beyond the her own imagined ‘limits’ of performances, initiated her into many other zones of performances and music, beyond her comfort levels and encouraged her to take up new assignments, begin composing, performing in new platforms and traverse new worlds. I would say this is perhaps one of the ideal support and development models for any talented partner….as today,
She is very thankful to Ananya and has fond memories of being associated with the organization since many years, where she played a critical role in developing the music archives. There are many serious concerns upcoming and contemporary musicians face today while trying to develop as a professional. It is the need of hour for the musicians to be compensated well.
Ashwini’s achievements speak for itself. She says, “Koushik helped me expand my horizons and showed me new possibilities and accomplishments, something that would have been difficult and unachievable for me, alone.” Kudos to Koushik and Ashwini for that! Ashwini encourages our talented youth and upcoming musicians to do the same…initial resistance will give way to an opportunity to explore new worlds and all helps the same cause – development and increased number of music lovers and connoisseurs! Since then, there has been no looking back for this young and talented performer. She got a platform and opportunity to interact with many musicians, enter the entertainment and film world, the world of orchestra, composing for jingles and film music and also learned Hindustani music…she also regularly features in the popular television program, Madura Madurave Manjula Gaana, she has performed with rock and fusion bands, DJs and so on..the list got endless…truly life changing and truly versatile, I must say. One of the most satisfying aspects of playing is the ability to give happiness to audiences, she says.
You get connected to people all over the world, if you are a good performer and if you perform sincerely. Many people have walked up to her with tears and thanked her for making them happy. A good musical performance is beyond all barriers, she says. A good musical performance is one where a person’s ego breaks down and a person becomes equal with all in their love and passion for experiencing good music, great words, indeed!
After I spoke to Ashwini, I took back images of this wonderfully versatile artist, a very capable young woman who is straddling many worlds and home responsibilities with grace, elegance and confidence. Her ability to play the flute, compose and create qualitative music for audiences all over speaks a lot about her talent and abilities. She has been playing for twenty years and this is just the beginning, I would say, hearing her out on her new plans, projects and a bundle of energy packed together!
Ashwini says she feels truly blessed and lucky. We believe too and wish her the very best for her future endeavors.
PROFILE
Ashwini Koushik Varaghur is a Bangalore based flautist in the film industry. Her primary instrument is the Indian bamboo flute. She plays on the western key flute as well as the electronic midi flute and recorders in recordings sessions. Ashwini has over 1500 hours of combined recording time lending her flute to many productions. Ashwni gained popularity among the public due to her regular TV appearances as a flutist in many music based reality and other music shows on a variety of TV channels. She also is a popular live flautist lending complete woodwind support to many music shows. Ashwini’s ability to compose music came to light when she first composed for a live stage production called Viswaroopa for her husband and music producer Koushik Varaghur. Viswaroopa was a synchronised projection of the paintings of the world famous Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhatta at Ananya in Bangalore. Subsequently she successfully bagged various composing assignments ranging from ad jingles to composing theme music for international events.
With more than 20 years of lessons in Indian classical music and over 4 years of training in western classical music and flute techniques, Ashwini comes with a solid foundation in the nuances of music. Trained by Late Vid C.V Rajan , Vid M.S Srinivasa Murthy , late Vid M.R Doreswamy, Vid Nagamani Srinath and Dr N. Ramani for more than 9 years in Chennai . Ashwini was awarded the central government CCRT and HRD scholarship to cover all her tuition expenses for nearly 18 years. She was trained by western key flute trainer Mrs. Paulette from Holland for over 4 years. Ashwini also has a deep understanding of the subtle adaptations required to record in sophisticated recording environments that widely vary in requirements and between studios, equipment and engineers.
Ashwini founded her company, the audioSree Recording Company with the core aim of developing creative music content, specialized music products for various applications, on-demand music for the Indian music connoisseurs and creative rights management. Her personal musical ambition is to carefully repackage, rejuvenate and develop the usage of Indian cultural music in the mainstream world market along with all performing music forms available.