PREAMBLE
People have different opinions and perspectives about Awards. Some believe that it is a lobbied affair, others believe it goes to the less deserving, few others believe it is a commercial business. But Awards are important, they play a significant role in the life of the winner, it has a motivating and uplifting ability beyond the cynics and above, is a tribute to the very deserving individual and group as a recognition of their work and passion. Government of Karnataka through the Sangeetha Natak Academy announced its 2018 winners with great aplomb. ANANYA celebrates the achievements and accomplishments of every artist, is humbled by their perseverance and commitment to art. We wish many more milestones and success to Shri Dr Nagaraj Rao Havaldar, Shri H S Venugopal and Shri Anoor Anantha Krishna Sharma.
VIDWAN SHRI H S VENUGOPAL
Aparna Shivapura in conversation with renowned flautist, classical music connoisseur, winner Karnataka Kalashree Award and a perseverant musician.
MUSIC IN THE FAMILY
As you read this piece, many of you are aware that Vidwan H S Venugopal has lent his musical genius already to his accomplished musician daughter Varijashree. This is a family which believes in music, is working very hard to get the musical waves across the globe and is determined to achieve its vision, with perseverance and passion. Hemmige Srinivasa Murthy Venugopal has been a musician and a teacher for over thirty years and the decades have only made his musical journey younger with far greater heights to reach!
GOKULAM SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Perhaps, as musicians yourselves or as patronizes, you will understand if I say that one of Shri Venugopal’s biggest achievements is the creation of GOKULAM SCHOOL OF MUSIC. This is because, as a musician you operate as an individual, but as a teacher of music and as a connoisseur, you strive to teach what you know and beyond yourself to students and seekers. The Gokulam School has over the years created many more accomplished musicians and in his own words, “My students today are there across the globe, they are sincere students of music and above all, they are performing artists and they are spreading the word themselves.” Truly satisfying, I would say.
AUDIENCE CONNECT
One of the most encouraging aspects of a musician and a performer is the audience response. As an artist, Shri Venugopal says, one should never go with an ulterior motive of impressing the audiences, one must perform with the purity and passion of the artform and give it the best. However, when the audience connects with the performance, with the rendering, their appreciation, their happiness is an encouragement to keep up the art forever. This is a feeling that will never die!
NEWER DIMENSIONS OF ART EMERGING
Over the years, the dimensions, representation and experience of art and artforms have also evolved. Today, digitization has enabled multiple opportunities for Classical Music – created newer audiences beyond a stage-limited audience, has created the ability to connect to artists and audience across the globe with the power of technology and above all, created the enormous power of storage, recording and re-usability. As artists, we also have to adapt ourselves to this new medium and explore its strengths and opportunities than find faults! Very adaptive, and encouraging this musician, I must say.
EARLY INFLUENCES
Venugopal credits his maternal grandmother for taking him into the world of music and performing arts. Many decades ago, she herself was very interested in harikatha, theatre and music and she herself had a splendid memory of old songs. She was the one to initiate him into vocal music at a very young age. While he was learning vocal, he had a deep desire to learn to play the flute and that began his musical journey and the rest as they say is history. While he was learning vocal, he had a deep desire to learn to play the flute In fact, he says with utmost humility that since was Kathe Rukminiamma’s grandson, he perhaps got wonderful opportunities to learn vocal music and the flute from stalwart musicians. Today over 120 students learn from him and he believes, “the power of art is great.”
THE POSITIVE POWER OF AWARDS
While, at times, we find the music industry filled with artists flaunting awards and superficial glitter, this flautist thinks entirely differently and what he says, is literally music to my ears! Awards are good and important. Yet they must not get to the head of the artist and make him complacent. Awards are required because at one level, they celebrate serious musicians and talent, thereby, removing the real deserving artist from the clutter. At another level, an award plays a great role in deeply inspiring and encouraging the artist to take his musical dreams, higher and deeper.
MANTRA FOR SERIOUS MUSICIANS
Perseverance, Practice and Patience form the crux and foundation of a serious musician, he says. “There is absolutely no shortcut in music, no shorter or quicker path other than the three listed here. And above all, there is no end, there is no time when you can stand and say, I know it all.”
RANGE, FLEXIBILITY AND DIMENSIONS
As an artist, Venugopal has performed the length and breadth of the music fore right from composing and performing for cinema, theatre, television, light music and much more. It is important, he says, to throw yourself with utmost humility to the depths of the music-ocean. One can see oneself emerging each time with an ability to do more, dive deeper and get precious gems. He says, his musical vision has been possible only with the deepest support of his family.
CHALLENGES FACED TOWARDS THE GROWTH OF CLASSIC MUSIC AND ART FORMS
Shri Venugopal firmly believes that classical music must reach far greater number of people, across the world. It is also important that it must be adaptive and collaborative to serve in innovative formats to appeal to next-generations. Unlike commonly held beliefs, innovation and adaptation does not necessarily mean dilution or compromise at any levels. An artist should be responsible enough to retain the classical elements while taking it to newer audiences. Venugopal is amongst the artists who believe that art in its traditional and pure form cannot be diluted or lost. Artists change over time, they bring in their own styles, innovation and newer dimensions. But the classics will always remain the classics.
Shri Venugopal is a musician, a teacher and a passionate music lover. It is evident in his works. The awards and citations he has won are but a small testimony to that. Above all, he has created many more musicians, engendered many musical journeys in younger minds which will take Classical Music much farther and ahead. Yet he retains his old-world charm, his simplicity and of course, his perseverance. I am a true fan of you Sir, for saying and believing that.
PROFILE
Hemmige Srinivasa Murthy Venugopal had his initial training under Vid. A V Prakash in Mysore and later under Vid. M S Srinivasa Murthy in Bangalore. He has the very rare recognition of a performer as both a solo performer and as an accompanying artist for over 45 years now. As a solo performer, he has performed extensively in many of the major sabhas of the state, country and abroad.
To name a few - The Durbar hall in the Mysore palace in 1991, the Raj Bhavan (in a concert witnessed by her excellency Dr RamaDevi – Ex Governor of Karnataka), Ugadi music festival, Unity concerts for National integration in New Delhi organized by Madras Telugu Academy, concert organized by Dept of Kannada and Culture, Govt of Karnataka and Indian Council for cultural relations for national integration, Ramakrishna Math Colombo, Hyderabad and many other centres, Rama Seva Mandali, Chamarajpet, Bangalore, Indira Nagar Sangeetha Sabha etc.
He has also performed for AIR, Doordarshan and other popular TV channels like Udaya TV, E TV, Kaveri TV etc.
And as an accompanying artist, he has accompanied most of the reputed artists in various dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Mohini Attam, Kathakali, Kuchupudi, Yakshagana, Kavyavachana etc.
He has composed music for many dance ballets, devotional music albums. He has also composed and organized music for many dramas including the ‘Mandhra’. (A drama based on the novel by Dr S L Bairappa), 'Yegdagella aithe', 'Santha saakshaathkaara' to name a few. He has toured various countries like the USA, New Zealand, Germany, Srilanka, Kuwait, Europe, Australia etc. He has taken part in the Musica Sacra international, a musical meeting of major world religions in MarktoBerdorf, Germany and in the Rituelen festival in Tongeren, Belgium.
He has many awards and titles to his credit, including :
- ‘Hamsa Puraskar’ by ‘Hamsa Jyothi’
- ‘Sunada Vinoda’ by Sri Shiridi Sai Baba Mandir, Ulsoor
- ‘Madhuramrutha Murali GaanaPraveena’ by Devi Bhakta Gaana Sabha, Ulsoor
- 'Ananya Puraskaar' lifetime achievement award by Ananya Bengaluru
- 'Kaladeepti' by Thyagaraja Gana Sabha, Mysore
- 'Naada nrutya koLalu kovida' by Sadhana Sangama
- ‘Karnataka Kalashree’ by Karnataka Sangeetha Nrutya Academy.
He has also been felicitated by many organizations like Shantala Academy, Rasika academy, Ananya cultural academy, Ramakrishna Mission, etc. He has released albums like ‘Aamoda’ and ‘Chandana’, 'Krishnaamrutham' which have won the appreciation of many music critics and the hearts of many rasikas. Venugopal runs a music school called ‘Gokulam School of Music’ in Bangalore and has the credit of having been training numerous disciples, some of them who are leading performing artists today. The annual dawn to dusk cultural extravaganza 'KALAARNAVA' organized by HSV has won the hearts of many art lovers and has become one of the most celebrated music festivals in town.