Indian classical singer, Manjiri Kelkar, was born into a famous musical family. Her father, Anand Asanare, was a well-known tabla artist. Ms Kelkar has inherited the tradition of a North Indian school of music, called the Jaipur -Atrauli gharana. She is not only a vocalist, but also an accomplished exponent of a tradition of North Indian dance called Kathak.
Ms Kelkar is one of the most exciting young Hindustani (North Indian) singers in India today. As a result of the long years of rigorous training she received from her guru, receives invitations to the most prestigious music festivals across the globe and took time to chat with Cherian Philipose.
Cherian Philipose: Ms Kelkar, you have become very successful and have been invited to many important music festivals in India including the Sawai Gandharv in Pune and the Har Vallabh in Jallandhar. Could you talk a little bit about your early influences and training?
Manjiri Kelkar: Music was in family. My father was a tabla player. That was his passion. He had received the President's award at a very early age. So music was in my genes. Initially, I started Kathak dance. At the same time, I started learning vocal music. My basic training was in my hometown of Sangli, Maharashtra, India. My vocal lessons were with Pt. Madhusudan Kanetkar, who was my guru in the real sense. He groomed me in the style of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. I studied with him for 19 years. This is called /taleem/, or rigourous training. Now everything I sing is given by the guru.
CP: In India, classical musicians put a lot of emphasis on the Guru-shishya parampara. Could you talk a little bit about this tradition and how it has contributed to your development?
MK: In India, the guru is not for music only. In ancient days, the guru taught you every aspect of life. The guru does not teach only the technicalities of music, but helps you develop your own imaginative power. The perfect guru is a guru who develops the student's own thinking.
CP: You come from the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana (school/tradition). Readers in Australia would be interested to know what a 'gharana' is and how your gharana is different from other gharanas. Could you comment on this?
MK: There are many gharanas that developed in different parts of India. The artist who settled in a particular place developed his own style and his disciples followed that style. While the ragas that artists from different gharanas perform are the same, the style of presentation is different.
CP: You also perform semi-classical forms. Could you talk a little bit about that?
MK: I perform something called Tappa. This is a crisp form that imitates the movements of a camel. It is a /jumping/ type of music.
Manjiri Kelkar will perform at Womadelaide on Mar 8.
Clips from her music can be heard on her website
http:// www.manjiriasanare-kelkar.com/
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