MUSICAL HIGH

"Talent is a gift from God. That is something that you are born with. To be able to be born with singing talent is just a gift. You can learn how to sing better, but you cannot learn to sing with certain quality. It is just something you are born with."Perfect words of Sharon Osbourne especially when you meet & listen to artistes like Mrs. Aruna Sairam. A very popular Carnatic singer Padma Sri Aruna Sairam is a pleasure to listen to mainly because she enjoys what she does. Her concerts are always a success & her ability to keep her audience hooked phenomenal. I have been a big fan for years & this is one of my favourites.

Got to watch her live a few days ago . She was the chief guest at a musical event I emceed & what a fan moment for me! Unforgettable:-) Felt grateful for being there to soak in the moment & learnt a lot from her talk where she shared around what made her successful. Some of the important reasons she believes that are important for success are interesting , tried & tested.

Humility: A quality she believes that allows you to accept that you are good but keeps you grounded to take feedback to keep improving yourself & staying situationally alive. Very similar to the quote that says,"True humility is staying teachable, regardless of how much you already know."

Flexibility: Any artiste has to be flexible to make a mark. Flexibility brings in the attitude to experiment, which in turn keeps one open to take risks. Humility definitely brings in this ability to be flexible. Michael McGriffy M.D was spot on when he said,"Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape."

Connection: "The idea of MUSIC is to liberate the listener & lead him to a frame where he feels he is elevated". This quote of A.R.Rahman is what Arunaji stressed when she spoke on music & connecting to the audience.Many of the popular songs in classical mode are in languages that not everyone understands . She believes in explaining the meaning of the lyrics & then going into the performance thus making it easy on the listeners. The nuances then are better understood & the modulations enjoyed. This makes her classical music concerts not only cater to the connoisseurs but also to those who listen for the sheer pleasure of appreciating music. After all if there is no audience, there is no performance. Another important point of connect she says is including a song from the language of the city she is performing in & this brings in that many more connections with her local audience:-)

Passion: Love for singing, encouragement at home & the teacher made her enter the world of singing. Inborn talent only got honed with time to bring out the artiste who the world had to meet & vice versa. Never ever thinking of making this her profession she got into it because she enjoyed herself. Soon her performances & appreciation gave her the energy to give back to the art. She realised she was good & the audience reaction propelled her further to enjoy it. Soon it became her passion which went on to be her purpose & eventually her profession. She lives the quote, "When your passion & purpose are greater than your fears & excuses, you will find a way."

U.S.P: Coco Chanel said,"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." Explaining that exclusivity about her concerts she says that she always has a special segment which is the soul of her concert. This segment she takes from the exclusive treasure of her Guru's collection. Before any concert she works on this segment & plans a lot around it. It is this that makes her concerts exclusive. For every concert of hers she first identifies her USP & then builds her song list. This makes all the difference to her audience as they have something new to look forward to each time.

Gratitude: This is extremely important if one wants to move forward. "Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." Melody Beattie. The rejections of her audience initially made her take a step back to analyse herself & see what was wrong with her performance & work on herself . She is grateful for her journey from disappointments to complete acceptance. It has been a huge learning on how to connect with her audience.

Involvement: An attitude of ownership brings out the best in a person. When completely involved, there is a personal touch & focus on great quality of work. Both of these have been Arunaji's forte. Though every artiste sings almost similar songs there are these interesting nuances which she is well known for which makes her concerts a pleasure to sit through. While the purity of the art remains intact it is the surprise elements in the songs like a new presentation through a note or a connect to another song that is more popular that makes her audience listen intently such that they do not miss the beat or the connect. This makes it divine! Her quote aptly sums this up, "I have been taught and given the legacy of a high quality of music. I like to express it. If I am singing for God, and if the music evokes divinity in the listeners, I see God in the listeners".

Arunaji, it is a well known fact that ,"Your talent is God's gift to you , what you do with it is your gift to God." God surely would love your return gift . Stay blessed.