Miles to go for Chinmayi | Interview Chinmayi Sripada had a dream that’s as common as it is (almost) impossible to realise. Even as a kid, she wanted to sing with ‘Rahman Sir’. And when she did, the song became the biggest hit of the year.
She feels blessed for that. As well as for having inherited her talent from her mother, T Padmhasini, who also has been her guru. The level-headed singer, whose first Bollywood song was ‘Tere Bina’ from Guru, spoke to her about her music and passion, her desire to cross many more milestones over the years, and her love for blogging. When did your musical journey begin? I belong to a family of classical musicians, and hence started training in music since my childhood. I was a holder of the CCRT scholarship, won the All India Radio competitions for Hindustani Classical Music and ghazals in 2000 and 2003 respectively. Tell us about your debut as a singer. I took part, quite by accident, in Saptaswarangal, a talent hunt on Sun TV. Singer Srinivas was the judge there. After listening to me, he took me across to Rahman Sir shortly thereafter. I had my first recording experience in Kannathil Muthamittal. What has been your experience in music since your childhood? My mother, T Padmhasini, is my guru in Indian classical music. I continue to learn to play the piano and the sarangi now. Neither learning nor the quest for the same shall come to a pause in my lifetime. Any recollection of your first stage performance? That would have been at the Music Academy Madras during the December Music Festival; I was 16 then. But I aren't too sure, it could have been earlier. We were not into documenting everything that I did because my mother did not consider first steps in the path of music as an achievement; I definitely do not regret it. There is so much to do and learn, and so less time. Which of the two do you prefer: Playback singing or live concerts? Both experiences are valuable and important for a performer. One does not have a preference over the other. Can you single out one song which you think has changed your career? ‘Oru Deivam Thandha Poove’ from Kannathil Muthamittal and ‘Tere Bina’ in Guru. That makes it two, but they are significant for me. What made you start blogging? Which topics do you generally blog about? A friend of mine, Kiruba Shankar, suggested that I explore the medium as it would be a good tool for me to connect with people. It took him a couple of years to convince me but then I eventually started. I usually need only a small trigger, mainly social issues, or it could even be anything that crosses my mind. It is also a log of what I do, especially with regard to work. Sometimes it’s a mirror that I need, for reflecting on what I am made of and for soul-searching. That said, I do not write about everything that happens in my life on the blog. ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’ took the industry by storm. Can you tell us your experiences while rendering this song? I was in school then and my dream of singing for Rahman Sir was becoming a reality. I had decided as a child that I would sing for Rahman Sir, though at that time there was no way of realising that dream. My dream eventually did come true in the best possible way. I could not have asked for anything better as it was a Mani Ratnam movie and Vairamuthu Sir's lyrics. All I remember was that not too much was spoken during the recording session. Rahman Sir was extremely kind. Working with him is always an inspirational, enlightening and a humbling session. Vairamuthu Sir had said that 'Kannathil Muthamittal' would be the biggest song of the year. When the movie released, his words turned out to be prophetic, to say the least. To this day, he refers to me as "Deivam Thandha Poo", meaning the flower given by God. That is the first line of the song. The song won me several awards including the Tamil Nadu State Government Award for best female playback singer. Thereafter, when I could work again in Mani Ratnam Sir's movie on ‘Tere Bina’ and ‘Mayya Mayya’, I remember he was quite glad about my growth and advancement in terms of expression and singing. http://www.planetradiocity.com/musicreporter/interview.php?interviewid=317 Rahman fever His Music ~ My Mother Tongue Yahoo! recommends that you upgrade to the new and safer Internet Explorer 8. http://downloads.yahoo.com/in/internetexplorer/
