Layatharanga consisting of young Karnatic percussionists have raised their heads above the layer of senior artists by popularizing the native music at international venues
The first ever Solo Indian team to perform at Krakow Percussion International Festival, Poland, which was held May in 2007 was none other than our very own ‘Bangalore Boys Band’ called Layatharanga. The troupe consisting of percussionist artists came out with flying colours in Krakow by bringing in new set of tunes in Karnatic music to audience who were present at the Music Festival. The artists of percussion in Layatharanga are supported by their rich traditional music backgrounds from their family heritage. Their fathers are one way or the other have contributed masterity to the empire called Karnatic music. Jayachandra Rao, the Mridangam artist in the band of Layatharanga has a background of playing in well-known music platforms held at Europe, US and Germany. Ghatam Giridhar Udupa, the Ghatam Player too not less than anybody in the band. He is a winner of All India Radio National Music Festival award held in 1998. Since then he hasn’t look backward of his career but kept winning at various festivals to mark a footstep of Indian contribution to music. Pramath Kiran, the third in number in the percussion group is a musician-cum-singer has been through with the troupe in all the music festivals. The drummer in the troupe Arun Kumar is not less than the rest of the group as he brings the right rhythm and balance to the whole composition of tunes produced by an individual artists.
Speaking on their debut venture in a music festival held in Karnataka during 1997 coming under one name called ‘Layatharanga’, Arun Kumar, the drummer said, ‘We didn’t had any plans to colloborate our music instruments under one platform. But, soon we realized that the rhythm of expression through our instruments was sounded similar and matchable. In one of the music concerts held in Gulf brought us together to share our views whether are we really interested in working in the future projects. During that time not even our title to the collaboration was finalized. When we got green signal from our hearts we sat together and named it as Layatharanga.’ Truly the time in which they sat and exuberated their emotions through their instruments then began a new era of young generation who took part at various concerts crossing seven seas and nations, literally. Now to speak with these same people is like a miracle. They are find not in those enclaves where they used to spend time together but at rich and famous venues where the maestros of music have showcased their original performances to become gurus of music forever.
Ghatam Giridhar Udupa, the Ghatam artist, the brain behind inspiration to the Layatharanga by giving much focus to the troupe by introducing it to various international music festivities said, ‘Before our conglomeration into one I used to go alone to international music festivals and got some rave reviews from the foreign music enthusiasts. But after I realized that without a team the achievement of any sort by an individual is like bubble because it vanishes early. So I was offered by the troupe to join them soon to make it a perfect team of real performers.’ The team then went on playing different tunes through the medium of fusion to get rave accolades from the Indian gurus of music and maestros. Today, hardly the team members find time to spend some good amount of time with their family and friends because they find busy with one or the other music festivals held at international conferences. The problem of finance used to scare them earlier for attending any of the international music festivals is no more making them to venture into new countries and continents. ‘The conscious among the corporate sector has grown immense from the past as they are eager to come with funding our troupe with any amount of finance that we require,’ says Udupa.
Jayachandra Rao, the Mridangam artist in Layatharanga has too share similar opinion. Rao was working with Pt Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro, in all his music festivals as a supportive Mridangam artist. Feeling the sense of widening his scope individually he joined ‘Layatharanga’ to particpate in various music festivals popularizing his masterity over his instrument. ‘I never really wanted to leave the akada of Pt Ravi Shankarji because he was my ace guru and everything to me. Probably my belonging was with somewhere else so met up with ‘Layatharanga’ to begin a young and energetic band fusionists as soon we met in a music festival in Karnataka.’
Pramath Kiran, the musician and vocalist, is playing a role of back support to the entire troupe in music festivals. Associating himself with the troupe throughout from the first day of music festival to till to this day he says, ‘We are bonded by our music and we just can’t let to this go anyway. We have commitment with our music to not leave it in the half way. We built this platform of youngsters so will it be no matter whatsoever may come. With the grace of the God we are getting adequate finance from all quarter in due support of the troupe. Hope we will continue till the end of our lives.’
The troupe began with a dream of making it as the most successful percussionist team of youngsters and today it has proved by their sheer hard work to withstood among the competition from the senior Karnatic artists. The tradition of youngsters getting to the root is being sowed hope it will yield good fruit in coming days.
The first ever Solo Indian team to perform at Krakow Percussion International Festival, Poland, which was held May in 2007 was none other than our very own ‘Bangalore Boys Band’ called Layatharanga. The troupe consisting of percussionist artists came out with flying colours in Krakow by bringing in new set of tunes in Karnatic music to audience who were present at the Music Festival. The artists of percussion in Layatharanga are supported by their rich traditional music backgrounds from their family heritage. Their fathers are one way or the other have contributed masterity to the empire called Karnatic music. Jayachandra Rao, the Mridangam artist in the band of Layatharanga has a background of playing in well-known music platforms held at Europe, US and Germany. Ghatam Giridhar Udupa, the Ghatam Player too not less than anybody in the band. He is a winner of All India Radio National Music Festival award held in 1998. Since then he hasn’t look backward of his career but kept winning at various festivals to mark a footstep of Indian contribution to music. Pramath Kiran, the third in number in the percussion group is a musician-cum-singer has been through with the troupe in all the music festivals. The drummer in the troupe Arun Kumar is not less than the rest of the group as he brings the right rhythm and balance to the whole composition of tunes produced by an individual artists.
Speaking on their debut venture in a music festival held in Karnataka during 1997 coming under one name called ‘Layatharanga’, Arun Kumar, the drummer said, ‘We didn’t had any plans to colloborate our music instruments under one platform. But, soon we realized that the rhythm of expression through our instruments was sounded similar and matchable. In one of the music concerts held in Gulf brought us together to share our views whether are we really interested in working in the future projects. During that time not even our title to the collaboration was finalized. When we got green signal from our hearts we sat together and named it as Layatharanga.’ Truly the time in which they sat and exuberated their emotions through their instruments then began a new era of young generation who took part at various concerts crossing seven seas and nations, literally. Now to speak with these same people is like a miracle. They are find not in those enclaves where they used to spend time together but at rich and famous venues where the maestros of music have showcased their original performances to become gurus of music forever.
Ghatam Giridhar Udupa, the Ghatam artist, the brain behind inspiration to the Layatharanga by giving much focus to the troupe by introducing it to various international music festivities said, ‘Before our conglomeration into one I used to go alone to international music festivals and got some rave reviews from the foreign music enthusiasts. But after I realized that without a team the achievement of any sort by an individual is like bubble because it vanishes early. So I was offered by the troupe to join them soon to make it a perfect team of real performers.’ The team then went on playing different tunes through the medium of fusion to get rave accolades from the Indian gurus of music and maestros. Today, hardly the team members find time to spend some good amount of time with their family and friends because they find busy with one or the other music festivals held at international conferences. The problem of finance used to scare them earlier for attending any of the international music festivals is no more making them to venture into new countries and continents. ‘The conscious among the corporate sector has grown immense from the past as they are eager to come with funding our troupe with any amount of finance that we require,’ says Udupa.
Jayachandra Rao, the Mridangam artist in Layatharanga has too share similar opinion. Rao was working with Pt Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro, in all his music festivals as a supportive Mridangam artist. Feeling the sense of widening his scope individually he joined ‘Layatharanga’ to particpate in various music festivals popularizing his masterity over his instrument. ‘I never really wanted to leave the akada of Pt Ravi Shankarji because he was my ace guru and everything to me. Probably my belonging was with somewhere else so met up with ‘Layatharanga’ to begin a young and energetic band fusionists as soon we met in a music festival in Karnataka.’
Pramath Kiran, the musician and vocalist, is playing a role of back support to the entire troupe in music festivals. Associating himself with the troupe throughout from the first day of music festival to till to this day he says, ‘We are bonded by our music and we just can’t let to this go anyway. We have commitment with our music to not leave it in the half way. We built this platform of youngsters so will it be no matter whatsoever may come. With the grace of the God we are getting adequate finance from all quarter in due support of the troupe. Hope we will continue till the end of our lives.’
The troupe began with a dream of making it as the most successful percussionist team of youngsters and today it has proved by their sheer hard work to withstood among the competition from the senior Karnatic artists. The tradition of youngsters getting to the root is being sowed hope it will yield good fruit in coming days.
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