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er parents are ardent aficionados of
music. Their passion and the musically
charged environment at home kindled a spark for music in their little daughter since
the age of three. It was like imbibing music
passively. Today young Mahalaxmi Shenoy
is a name to reckon with in the field of Hindustani classical music. The prodigy from a small town Karkala is
scaling new heights with the music that has its roots in the north. She is literally going places.
Her
parents recognized her inclination early in her childhood and let her pursue her
passion wholeheartedly. Little Mahalaxmi
began her musical journey by learning Carnatic genre. However, a concert by
Mohan Veena exponent Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt at Karkala under the aegis of the
local Shastreeya Sangeet Sabha in 1997, the driving force of which is her
father Dr Prakash Shenoy, a cardiologist, held her in awe about Hindustani
music. Then itself as an 11-year-old, she
had found her calling. Hence she
switched to Hindustani music.
After
the initial training at her hometown, she came under the tutelage of Pt. Vishwa
Mohan Bhatt, a recipient of Padma Bhushan and the Grammy Award. She used to travel as far as Jaipur during
her vacations and her learning with him still continues. The nuances learnt from him made her what she
is today - one of the most sough-after young artiste. She is also a Sangeet Visharad from Akhil Bharatiya
Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. “Impressed by a Bhajan sung by me as a three-and-a
half-year-old little girl, my spiritual guru the late Sri Sudheendra Theertha
of Kashi Math had foreseen a bright future for me in the field “, reminisces
the devout vocalist. She believes it is his blessing that has led her so far.
A
kirana gharana singer, she is open to
the positive aspects of all gharanas.
Listening to the exponents in the field has
helped her perfect the skill. She is a
great admirer of Begum Parveen Sultana of Patiala gharana, the queen of classical vocal. Mahalaxmi’s blemish-free voice, intonation
and agile rendition catapulted her to different platforms, they being higher
every time.
The
child prodigy’s concert odyssey started with a performance in 1999 and she has
given more than 1500 concerts since. Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh and Guru Shishya Utsav at Varanasi, Pt. Jithendra Abhisheki Sangeet Utsav, Panaji,
Salt Lake Festival, Kolkata, Late Panchakshari Gavayi Music Festival, Baba Hariwallabh Sangeet Sammelan, Jalandhar, Sa Ma
Pa Sangeet Sammelan New Delhi, Sawai
Gandharv Sangeet Samaroh and Nadgir Waade Sangeet Mahotsav, Kundagol, Ananya, Arohi and Saptak in Bangalore, are
just a few prestigious events from her long list of concerts. Not only she has
widely travelled in the country but also performed in Dubai, UAE, Germany and
gave a series of concerts in the USA.
Equally
proficient in light and devotional music, she sings Kannada, Konkani songs with
élan apart from Meera Bhajans and Marathi Abhangs. She has composed music for over 1000 songs.
Proficiency laced with devotion is the hall mark of her renditions. Her rendition of a Konkani song of light music
genre, Yore pora amgele ghara … penned
by R D Kamath and composed by Pt. Vasanth Kanakapure has turned out to be her
USP over
the years, albeit inadvertently.
Mahalaxmi’s music is synonymous with this song on child Krishna set in
the raag Ahir Bhairav. “Many
memories keep gushing when I think of the song. It has a spellbinding impact on
all, be it toddler, young children or mothers,” she chuckles.
Sitar
maestro Pt. Ravishankar, the guru of Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt had attended one of
her 20 concerts in the USA. Despite wheelchair-bound
then, he wanted to listen to the disciple of his disciple. “I had the huge
responsibility of upholding the reputation of my guru. It was a real test for
me. Panditji’s words of encouragement, however, had put me in ease,” says Mahalaxmi recalling the
incident.
Her
performance at Kundagol, at the Wade of Sawai Gandharva, an all time doyen of
Hindustani music, to a gathering of seasoned artistes and connoisseurs of music
was a “divine experience beyond words”.
But she does not forget to add that each performance is unique and an
experience in itself.
She
has, to her credit, many albums in Konkani, Kannada, Hindi and Marathi such as Anagha,
Guru guna gana, Eddu
baro Ranga, Krishnarpana, Yore Badarayana, Meera, Vasudeva ganamala and Guru namana. For some she has composed and sung also, and
in some she has lent voice. In Vivekanand
ko Sangeetanjali she has joined other artistes.
Though
firmly rooted in the classical tradition, Mahalaxmi is not averse to
experiments. Recently she came up with a presentation with an ensemble of young
instrumental artistes of both Hindustani and Carnatic genres with her vocal
rendition. It’s going from the higher altar of classical music to patriotic
song with many variations like light music, folk song, movie song in between.
Several prestigious honours like Surmani, from Sur Singar Samsad,
Mumbai, Abhinav Kala Sanman, Bhopal, Bhaktidhara from Bhajanamruta, Chennai, Malhar
Manishi from Malhar for Rains, Ajmer and many more are in her kitty. With so
much of achievement and recognition, doesn’t she feel complacent? A humble
Mahalaxmi admits, “My achievement is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so
much to fathom into.” Music is a life time commitment for the performer.
It’s nothing but music which
is the heart and soul of this double postgraduate in Social Work as well as
Counselling and Psychotherapy. “Once you are into a creative field like music
you would find every other profession a bit monotonous. With music you are at
peace with yourself,” she opines.
The singer who has
transformed into a seasoned artiste over the years is completely in agreement
with what her guru says that music is the gift of god for the benefit of
mankind. Bestowed with that gift, Mahalaxmi’s is working to touch the soul of
people. She has chosen music as her medium. Yes, it’s a kind of therapy.
