Spotlight

In Tune Together: Kruthi Bhat and Vittal Rangan

Vittal Rangan and Kruthi Bhat are talented young artists in Carnatic music, each carrying forward a rich musical heritage with dedication and excellence. Vittal, an “A” Grade Artist of AIR and Doordarshan, was born into a family steeped in music and began his initial training in vocal music with his mother, Chitra Bilvam, an alumna of Tiruvaiyaru Raja’s Music College. He soon expanded his musical skills, teaching himself the harmonium to play in family bhajan sessions. Encouraged by his mother, he began studying the violin under the late R.R. Keshavamurthy. Vittal’s passion deepened after witnessing a mesmerising ensemble led by vidushi A. Kanyakumari, which inspired him to become her disciple in 2003. Today, Vittal has become a favourite accompanist for senior musicians and a well-regarded solo violinist. Similarly, Kruthi was born into a family of musicians and displayed an early love for music. An A-Grade artist of the AIR with a double promotion directly to A Grade, Kruthi is a disciple of Abhishek Raghuram and Kalyani Sharma.

                                                      

She was initiated into Carnatic music by her grandmother Krishnaveni and soon started training under her mother, Rajarajeshwary Bhat, and her uncle, Vittal Ramamurthy. Kruthi has had the honour of learning from legendary artists such as Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and T.R. Subrahmanyan, and continues to receive guidance from vidwan Neyveli Santhanagopalan and vidushi S. Sowmya. Vittal and Kruthi exemplify the next generation of classical artists dedicated to preserving and evolving the tradition with depth and devotion.

When did you decide to pursue music professionally?

Vittal: I believe it’s a choice that we don’t consciously make but rather one that occurs to us at the spur of the moment when the time is right and opportunities present themselves. At the 'right' time, I found myself playing solo and accompanying various artists. And because it brought so much joy, it didn’t feel like work, it continued as love.

Kruthi: I grew up in the U.S., visiting India twice a year— once during summer and once during the season. My first visit during the season was in 2013, and since then, I’ve been coming to Chennai every December. The short duration of my visits during the Margazhi season sparked my interest in music. At that time, there were limited opportunities in the USA, so as I began performing more in Chennai, it seemed that passion intersected with profession. I felt a calling toward this path, realising that it’s what I genuinely wanted to pursue and enjoy. Since then, that has been my journey.

What were your gurus’ teaching styles, and how was your learning process?

Vittal: Kanyakumari Amma’s teaching technique is rooted in the gayaki (vocal) style presentation. The emphasis is on reproducing the nuances of the human voice, which greatly appeals to the listener. There is also a significant focus on sahityam (lyrics) and bhavam (emotion). She insists on practising tristhayi, covering all the octaves, and exploring arohanam and avarohanam, which helps master bowing techniques and achieve swara shuddha (pure notes). Once we achieve technical versatility and feel satisfied with our practice, our presentation or composition is enhanced. One of her most significant pieces of advice was to accompany and collaborate with other artists. This exposed me to various styles of music and their approaches to creativity and composition, broadening my horizons significantly. Playing with her on stage was a tremendous blessing, and I am ever grateful. Each class feels like an unforgettable masterclass. With just one glance from her. I knew. I’d go home reflecting on it, determined to improve. I would make an effort to learn and familiarise myself with any composition that was new to me. These experiences, over time, have been pivotal in shaping my career. I owe all my progress to the blessings and guidance of my gurus.

Kruthi: My mother has been my guru for most of my life. Growing up in the U.S., as online classes weren’t an option then, I learned entirely from her. Our lessons weren’t formal or one-on-one; instead, I’d sit by her as she taught her students daily before and after school, absorbing music by being present. Early on, I lacked discipline in practice, so she had me assist with younger students, teaching them the basics. This teaching experience helped me strengthen my own fundamentals. Her teaching style relied on repetition rather than reprimanding. We would sing together with her unique approach of practising 40 varnams in three speeds. Every weekend, her students gathered for group practice, competitions, and lessons in discipline. These sessions kept me focused, especially as my mother was my guru. Later, during my breaks in India, I trained with Lalgudi Sir, T.R. Subramaniam Sir, Neyveli Sir, Sowmya Akka, learning compositions and manodharmam. I also learned group kritis from Trivandrum G. Seethalakshmi Mami, a disciple of Semmangudi Sir. My mother also initiated Gruha Sangeetham, a monthly concert series for her students to perform one-hour concerts for friends and family, gaining stage experience. I would accompany each one of them on the violin, which doubled my practice.

What was your first significant concert break? Where and when did it happen?

Kruthi: My first major breakthrough occurred in the U.S., when I won competitions in the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana and Carnatic Music Idol series. My debut concerts during the Margazhi season in 2013 in Chennai, played a significant role as I shared the stage with esteemed musicians at a young age.

Vittal: My initial breakthrough was when I had the opportunity to accompany my guru, Kanyakumari Amma. I never imagined I would perform alongside her. The concert was both exhilarating and humbling. Also, it was a huge blessing to accompany her on my maiden USA tour. Another significant instance was sharing the stage with vidwan T.V. Sankaranarayanan Sir, a legend I grew up listening to. It was a dream come true. The experience was magical as I witnessed his extraordinary music while being a part of it.

What are the challenges that you face as performing musicians?

I think the very first challenge is the travel.As a couple, this is a considerable challenge. There are both sides to it. We perform concerts together and as individual musicians. So we sometimes travel in different directions and often even bump into each other at the airport. But this is also an interesting aspect as when we travel together to different places, we explore those places together. If we perform together, we try to combine trips.

                         

How did you both come together?

Vittal: We performed together before our wedding, and I was drawn to her humility and music. In 2016, during a concert outside Chennai, I met her family and was inspired by their strong cultural values.

Kruthi: It was an arranged marriage. We’d known each other since 2014, and I was already a fan. Everything just fell into place.

How does music shape your daily lives and relationships?

Vittal: Our respect for each other naturally extends to our music. We constantly reflect on how to grow and improve, both individually and as a duo. We attend each other’s concerts and go to other performances together, gaining new insights and experiences along the way. Our families and gurus are also deeply invested in our journey; they often call after each concert to share their thoughts, which means a lot to us.

Kruthi: Music is such a fundamental part of our lives that it’s hard to separate one from the other. We spend a lot of time listening to music together, discussing styles, and exploring each other’s interpretations. There’s always a sense of appreciation for the nuances in each other’s music and whatever we listen to. These post-concert discussions have become a tradition, whether it’s one of our concerts or someone else’s. We break down the performance and explore every detail. And since both of our families are so connected to music, it feels like a big musical circle where everyone is involved.

So is there always music going on in the house?

Vittal: Yes, it’s either listening or one of us practicing. If I am accompanying a concert, I don’t practice a specific raga on the concert day. I try to pick some melakarta ragas and play it without the shadjam and panchamam. This results in a challenging scale to explore. I play different exercises and try to make them as random as possible. That sort of prepares me to face different situations in the concert.

On the day of the concert, do you have any particular routine or rituals before you get on stage?

Kruthi: Yes, we have warm-up routines for practice. He usually starts with tristhayi in various ragas. Since our wedding, we’ve made it more challenging and fun. While he’s practicing tristhayi, I’ll call out a raga, and he’ll play it for 30 seconds before I switch to another one. This way, he ends up playing 50 to 60 ragas in a row! Sometimes, I’ll even ask him to switch to a tanam in a specific raga. It fills our home with music, creating such a lively, musical atmosphere. On concert days, I usually avoid speaking, and Vittal is considerate about giving me space. I tend to feel quite tense. But even outside of concert days, we share all our daily tasks. As part of our pre-concert rituals, we spend time with our instruments, and I sit with the tambura for about an hour. The atmosphere is quiet and filled with prayers, as I stay anxious until that first song is done. How do you approach teaching? Vittal: I teach my students vocally initially. I do keep my violin ready; in case they are stuck with a particular line, I demonstrate it on my violin to make it easier. I also make them sing so that they can easily visualise the gamakas.

How do you prepare to accompany different artists with unique styles?

Vittal: I mainly focus on technical practice on the day of the concert. As I said earlier, once we achieve that to our satisfaction, we will be confident enough to present on stage. As with regard to styles, over these years of collaborating with several artists we draw certain patterns. It’s not always predictable. There is an element of surprise in each concert and there are several things to learn. A lot of listening helps. Especially listening to yesteryear musicians. Implementing traditional sangatis and phrases preserves the rich heritage carried by them and our gurus, which is more than sufficient.

Whom do you enjoy accompanying the most?

Vittal: It’s hard to single out. Firstly, with my guru. She always keeps me on the edge while sharing the stage with her. Each style has its own challenges. One isn’t harder or easier than the other. It’s just how we choose to interpret the style and how comfortable they are with us on stage. That’s the most crucial part.

Other than vocal exercises and practice, what do you do for your voice?

Kruthi: Routine includes basic practice of akarams and sustaining notes. I am conscious of the way my voice sounds for a particular song and even when I sustain or sing brighas. And even shruti shuddham, I work on it and am conscious of my lower range. On diet, I try and avoid dairy. But not entirely, as I love ice-creams and have it once a week! I don’t have white rice. I think that’s been helping my voice, we only have brown rice. But ultimately it’s just more of practice.

Vittal: She also loves to sing into the mic, with all the effects. It gives her the feeling of a live concert.

Kruthi: When I was around 14 my mom got me a karaoke set with a mic, and that really changed things for me—it brought a new level of discipline to my practice routine and got me hooked to music. I often share this with my students’ parents, especially when they’re looking for ways to spark their kids’ interest in music. Having a mic lets children hear themselves as if they’re performing on stage. It’s a great way to get kids excited about music, especially with effects like reverb to enhance the experience.

Where do you get the inspiration for your unique social media projects? Do you handle all aspects of these projects yourselves, or do you bring in outside help?

Kruthi: So far, we’ve been handling everything on our own. The pandemic taught us a lot about managing audio, editing, recording, and programming independently, so we don’t have to rely on external studios. Now, whenever we have free time, we work on recordings and videos as a way to recharge creatively. The ‘Mandala Series’, for example, came about quite spontaneously—I simply decided to try something new for Rama Navami. The concept of a mandala felt fresh, so I set a 48-day deadline and just went with it, without any particular preparation. For us, social media projects like these are very different from the usual concerts; they let us explore and experiment in ways that rejuvenate us. I didn’t record all the songs before deciding to post them. On the first day of the 48 days, I posted and then recorded each song day by day. So it was a nice challenge for me to keep up with the recordings everyday even though we had a lot of travel. We had to plan. It taught me that nothing is impossible. This year we also did a navaratri mandala.

Vittal: In fact, the only video we didn’t do together was Seeta Kalyanam as I was in the U.S. and she was in India. And for the second Seeta Kalyanam, it was the reverse. Both videos became viral and that was unexpected.

Do you have any specifications with respect to your violin? How do you choose it?

Vittal: When I visit the violin store, I choose based on the feel of the violin and how comfortable my fingers are. As a personal preference I prefer to maintain a warm tone coupled with a projected sound, rather than a vibrant sound. I like to maintain identical fingerboards. Even a millimeter difference can greatly affect my sruti suddham. I choose my violin based on the artist I am accompanying. Different artists have different pitches. So I need to maintain the consistency of fingerboards and their spacing. I get a sense of that when I visit the violin makers and I have to sit with them for a few hours and tweak things.

Do you want to continue as an accompanist or aspire to also be a soloist like your guru?

Vittal: I aspire to balance both roles, as each brings something unique to my musical journey. Accompanying other artists allows me to immerse myself in diverse styles and approaches, sharpening my spontaneity and responsiveness. At the same time, I feel a strong desire to explore solo performances, as they allow me to express my style and give me the freedom to experiment creatively with the instrument. Both paths are fulfilling in their own ways, and I’m excited to continue growing in each.

                                     

Any message to music students?

Vittal: I think a consistent practice routine with depth of focus and analysis of what we practice plays a huge role. Kruthi: Another thing we do is record each concert, and later listen to it. I sometimes take notes of what I could have done better.

know you both have family and gurus who are critical of your music, but do you receive constructive criticism from the audience?

Kruthi: We do. We get emails or messages from rasikas sharing their feedback. It’s always great to hear from someone else. It might hurt us at the moment, but it helps us in the long run.

                           

Vittal: We also indirectly find feedback in social media forums where people reviews of concerts and newspaper articles. We gather all those inputs, sit down and analyse.

Do you find younger audiences at your concerts? What are your plans to engage them?

Absolutely! Seeing so many young people genuinely interested in Carnatic music is inspiring. We focus on engaging with younger audiences through social media to connect with them further. This motivates us to develop creative concepts that truly resonate with their interests.

Can you also tell us something about Karunbithil Shibira?

Kruthi: Karunbithil Shibira is a music workshop our family has conducted since 1999 near Dharmastala in Karnataka. My mom started it with about 15 students in our house from the area. It was mainly started for students around the village who did not have access to music. My mom taught the first year for about five to seven days. After she moved to the US, my uncle Vittal Ramamurthy and grandmother started teaching. Then, we began calling musicians and professionals from around Chennai and other cities. Then, it grew to welcoming students from other states and now even from other countries. We have 250- 300 students every year who come and stay at our village. The facilities are basic, but it’s an organic setting where we focus solely on music for five days. You don’t get towers for your cell phones. It’s music from dawn to dusk in a cosy house nestled among stunning hills. Here, students rise at 3 a.m. to practice. Our group Sadhaka, starts at 8 a.m. with a workshop led by a visiting artist, followed by inspiring concerts to motivate the students. We also host lectures and demonstrations. We enjoy a trek in the evening before returning to freshen up for another concert featuring a guest artist. Plus, we indulge in delicious Mangalore cuisine from organic ingredients sourced from local farms. It’s a wholesome experience. And there are some unexpected events in the late night where people randomly start jamming with all the lights off.

                                                                           (The author is a freelance writer and a student of Carnatic music)


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