Eyebrows were raised and sneers were exchanged in Kumaresh Gopal's family when he broke tradition by choosing to pursue Hindustani classical music over Carnatic. "My parents were skeptical. Thanks to the misconception surrounding the classical tradition, they thought Hindustani music was all about singing ghazals and taranas. But during my daily riyaz (practice) they heard me practise a range of ragas and associated variations like gamaks, birkas and taans. After a few days, they could identify ragas and started comparing them with Carnatic ragams," he says.

There are hundreds of learners like Kumaresh who are embracing Hindustani music in Chennai, the heartland of Carnatic music. Their aims vary — while some pursue it as a hobby, others consider it as a passport to playback singing in regional cinema.................Read more

Source: The Times Of India