As iconic singer M.S.Subbulakshmi’s daughter and her vocal accompanist for decades, one would have thought Radha Viswanathan would not have had an identity of her own.

But, an interview with the Carnatic musician is an eye opener as she still tries to keep alive her years of training as a Bharatanatyam dancer. But MS was the major influence in her life. B. Vijayalakshmi catches up with Radha Viswanathan on the eve of her being honoured at Brahma Gana Sabha…

Q: You have been an accomplished dancer. What made you prefer singing to Bharatanatyam?
Anandhi Ramachandran and I were the first disciples of guru Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai. In those days, we were an extremely popular dance duo with Amma singing for us! I learnt under guru Ramaiah Pillai for almost 14 years. I used to practise dance for hours together, drenched in sweat. Along with my dance programmes, I used to provide vocal support to Amma for kutcheris.

As the number of concerts began to increase, I decided to concentrate fully on singing. My father, too, agreed with my decision. Though I gave up dancing for music, in reality, this art, which I practised with such intensity in my young days, can never leave me. For the Surdas Panachashati festival in Kolkata in 1977, I learnt abhinaya for the song ‘Bhujata Shyama’ in Jonpuri from the legendary Balamma and danced on stage while Amma sang. Last year, at Cleveland, I performed abhinaya for ‘Malai Pozhudhinilaye’ in front of a group of dance teachers and students.

Q: How was it practising with your mother? How many hours would both of you spend on practising?
A little flashback, perhaps, on those good old days, on sharing the dais with a stalwart musician for decades.
Countless hours of practice. Akara sadhanai followed by practice sessions. Musiri, Semmangudi, Tiruvalangadu Sundaresa Iyer, K.S. Narayanaswamy and many other vidwans would also come.
Before we sang a song on stage, we would polish the song 100 times in practise. Diction and meaning were very important.

Amma was a stickler for perfection. Amma had great respect for the audience. All concerts would be on the dot of schedule. She would say that it is disrespectful to make the audience wait.

Q: You have performed in several countries. Any unforgettable incident?
The UN concert in 1966, undoubtedly. One day, before the concert, Amma could not even speak let alone sing. She had a severe throat infection. We had a dress rehearsal the previous day and Amma asked me to sing instead.

She was continuously meditating in front of the picture of Kanchi Mahaperiyal. The sage had blessed us before we left the Indian shores. ‘Jayam odu thirumbi varuvel’ (you will return victoriously). How could his words not come true? On the day of the concert as she sat on the stage and began singing, the voice was like honey. The concert was a remarkable success.

Q: Any quality in MS Amma which you think is remarkable and cannot be emulated?
She was a captivating singer and could sing to any type of audience and hold their attention. Whether in Mylapore, Bangalore, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Calcutta, Udaipur, or in an interior village like Bhavani or an international audience, she would mesmerise the audience.

Q: Your views on GenX musicians and the Carnatic music scenario.

A lot of young musicians are there and are very talented. Opportunities are more. But we need to develop a good rasika base so that more people attend concerts. Music should be part of the school curriculum until class VI.