Gayatri,the playback singer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP7JsGVfUu0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls5xwbhR_XY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRbUpO3UQKg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ra30EBb2M0

http://gayatriasokan.info/

Gayatri Asokan  started her playback career with the song "Deena Dayalo Rama" for the film "Arayannagalude Veedu" under music director Raveendran. "Enthe Nee Kanna" for "Sasneham Sumitra" won her the Kerala State award for the best female playback singer in 2003. Her memorable hits include "Chanjadi Adi" from "Makalkku", & "Thumbikkinnaram" from "Naran" the Mohanlal starrer. She has also sung a song in the V. K Prakash Movie "Moonnamathoral" which was released recently.

Gayathri was first trained in Carnatic music by Sri Mangat Natesan and Sri Vamanan Namboodiri at Trichur. Later she started training in Hindustani Music under "Dr. Alka Deo Marulkar" in Pune and later under "Pandit Vinayaka Torvi" in Bangalore which she is continuing. A person who has influenced Gayatri a lot is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. She is an active member of the Art of living foundation.
She is also a Hindustani classical music singer, a Bhajan singer and has given Hindustani concerts and programs based on film songs abroad. She has sung in many Albums and has also sung and given music for a new Album for the Art of Living foundation which is to be released in September 2006 by HMV worldwide. She has also shared the stage with eminent singers like Yesudas, Jayachandran, SP Balasubramanyam, S. Janaki, Shankar Mahadevan, Madhu Balakrishnan and Pradip Somasundaran. She recently sang for a music album of music maestro Ilayaraja, Thiruvasagam which was released by Sony Music.

Gayathri and Vidhu Pratap on music and More
`Work hard, be happy'

It is a euphonious duet when two award winning playback singers get together. There is not a single discordant note in their conversation. As Gayathri Ashokan and Vidhu Pratap get together for a Take Two interview, there is fun, banter and above all music. Gayathri, who hit the limelight with her soulful song `Deenadayalo Rama... ' in `Arayanagalude Veedu' won the Kerala State Award for her song `Endee Nee Kannaa' in the movie `Sasneham Sumithra.'
Vidhu, who was selected as the first `Voice of the Year' award in a music competition conducted by a private channel in 1997-98 made waves with his songs in `Meesa Madhavan,' `Swapnakoodu' and the song `Sukamanee Nilavu' in `Nammal.' He won the State award for the best male playback singer in 2000. Saraswathy Nagarajan and Bimal Sivaji record.
Two lines of an impromptu `oppana' sung by Vidhu welcome Gayathri to Vidhu's house in Kaithumukku. Gayathri is getting married to Sai, a dentist in Kozhikode, on January 4.
Vidhu: So, you are going to lose all you fans.
Gayathri: My fans enjoy my songs. Getting married has nothing to do with it. How about you?
Vidhu: I am not old enough to get married. I am only 24 (laughs).
Gayathri: Let us talk about music.
Vidhu: I am just back after a recording in Kochi for a movie. It began at 12.30 a.m. After the first recording was over at 3.00 a.m., I went back, slept and returned to the studio at 6 a.m. But I did not feel tired. It was quite alright. However, on the way back, I was feeling very sleepy.
Gayathri: Rehman also does most of his work at night. I had been to see the rushes of Jairaj's film `Makalku.' Quite a few singers have sung for the movie. Hariharan, Adnan Sami, Jassie Gift and Manjari have also sung for the movie.
Vidhu: Will you continue as a playback singer after your marriage.
Gayathri: Yes. My fiancée does not have a problem about that.
Vidhu: Is it an arranged marriage?
Gayathri: Yes. The horoscopes were matched...
Vidhu: I believe in horoscopes too. But difficult to predict what kind of a marriage I will have...
Gayathri: Let us talk about you. When did you decide to be a singer? You sing a number of Tamil songs and your diction and pronunciation are pucca. What I like about your songs is that you have an individual style and never try to mimic anyone.
Vidhu: Well, my mother Laila hails from Amaravila. A lot of people there speak Tamil. Perhaps that is why my Tamil is good. As a student, I was not into music alone. During my school days in Christ Nagar, I used to participate in monoacts, mimicry and singing. So, I was not exposed to too much of songs. Like many kids, I was also learning Carnatic music. My first teacher was Sreekanteswaram Saraswathy Ambal. Now my guru is B. Sasikumar. It was after I won the Voice of the Year Award that I seriously thought about becoming a singer.
Father's pride
Gayathri: I have heard that your father, Prathapan, is the person who really motivated you to become a singer.
Vidhu: Yes. Ninety per cent of the effort was my father's. He backed me and encouraged and, most importantly, supported me financially. After I won the `Voice of the Year' award, I got some offers to sing for concerts. I first sang for a movie called `Paadamudra' when I was in Class IV. My first real break was `Devadasi.' I have a song in `Rasikan.' When did you decide to become a singer. You come from a family of musicians.
Gayathri: But I was not focussed like you people. I used to enjoy music a great deal and was learning Carnatic music. My grandmother, Ammukutty, was a good singer and my Valliamma (mother's sister) used to play the veena beautifully. She was a professor at Stella Marris in Chennai. Then, when I was doing my BA, I became a great fan of Hariharan and that is when I decided that I had to learn Hindustani music. I went to Pune as my guru Alka Marulkar was staying there. I stayed there to learn Hindustani.
Vidhu: Don't you think that Hariharan's ghazals and songs had a great influence in making Hindustani music so popular in Kerala?
Gayathri: Absolutely. He has a great voice and moreover since he is a South Indian, a lot of people were able to relate to him better. How did you take care of your voice? I have heard that male singers go through a difficult phase when their voice breaks.
Vidhu: It is very difficult and frustrating. You not sure whether to begin on a high or low note. Suddenly, in the middle, your voice lets you down. That was a difficult period.
Gayathri: During that time, doing the wrong riyaz could damage your voice.
Vidhu: During that time Vazhuthacaud Sunil, who had passed his Ghanabhooshanam was not too busy then. He used to come at 5 a.m. and I had to get up and practise. Sometimes I used to get angry as I had to get up early. But now I feel that was good for my voice.
Gayathri chechi, you have a younger brother?
Gayathri: His name is Ganesh and he is an engineer.
Vidhu: Ask Gayathri chechi what she calls her father? Neshu. And do you know what they call their mother? Nunia (Gayathri laughs out loud). That is the language in their house. Her father's real name is Ashokan.
Gayathri: From Ashokan it first became `Ashu' then it became Neshu.
Vidhu: They have such short forms for many such things. I was able to decipher her language only after working with her for four or five years.
Gayathri: We have done a number of stage shows together and they are usually a hit. Is it not Vidhu? Vidhu dances... Vidhu: She will not ...
Gayathri: I don't dance to impress anybody.
Vidhu: When we do a show it is for the audience.
Gayathri: But that does not mean you `work out' on the stage. He even tried to moon walk.
Vidhu: I try to entertain the audience.
Gayathri: Have you learnt dancing?
Favourite songs
Vidhu: For some time. The audience enjoy our concerts. I like Gayathri chechi's songs such as `Deendayalo' and `Endee Nee Kanna.' The song that won her the award...
Gayathri: As soon as I heard `Sukamanee... ' during a stage show, I was attracted to that song. It is a very romantic one and the song creates a mood. Vidhu: Gayathri, don't you sing fast numbers?
Gayathri: Only if I get fast numbers.
Vidhu: There is one thing. One is lucky to get to sing melodies.
Gayathri: Have you planned your career?
Vidhu: Mine is a not a planned life at all.
Gayathri: But you should have planned something in secret?
Vidhu: That has to remain a secret. There is nothing like that. I don't know how long I will be able to stay on in this field. I wish to be in the field for a long time. Then there is enough competition in this field. Work hard and be happy.
Vidhu: If the husband and wife are from the same profession, there would be problems. I would prefer her to be in some other profession. So what is your ambition?
Gayathri: Talking about my ambition, well, I have spent time and energy to go to Bangalore and learn Hindustani music. My guru is Pandit Vinayak Torvi. Right now, I want to be a singer. Maybe later, when I mature as a singer I may set up a school.

Gayathri’s Mantra 

Playback singer Gayathri Asokan’s interests go beyond music. But she tells Saraswathy Nagarajan that her goal is to become a Hindustani vocalist.

"Yes, films have given me a great deal of exposure and I do enjoy my assignments. But in another six or seven years, I want to become a competent Hindustani vocalist,” asserts the student of Bangalore-based Hindustani vocalist Vinayak Torve and Alka Marulakar. She adds that she furthers her learning by tuning in to all kinds of music on youtube. “I think the Net is a fantastic place for any serious student of music. Indian classical, Western, Jazz , ghazals, rock, instrumental… there is so much that is easily available,” smiles Gayathri.

Avid reader 

 Gayathri’s taste in literature is equally Catholic. “I enjoy a wide range of books and authors. I am a fan of Milan Kundera. But my all-time favourites are Latin American authors, particularly Mario Vargas Llosa, Jose Saramago, Marques… Of Llosa’s books, ‘Way to Paradise,’ which delves into the life of artist Paul Gauguin, is a particular favourite. It is about the angst, elation and intensity of being an artist; a little like Somerset Maugham’s ‘The Moon and the Sixpence,’ but I find this much deeper,” says Gayathri with the passion and enthusiasm of a true bibliophile. 

The literature postgraduate says airports are a great place to pick up books. “Some of them turn out be trash but I have also discovered some gems,” adds Gayathri, an avid traveller thanks to her concerts and stage programmes. Her sojourns to different places on the globe have also whetted the foodie in her. 

“A vegetarian foodie who did not know how to cook,” laughs Gayathri. She says she used to feel “very unfeminine” as she equated cooking as something all women did and to her dismay she could not cook even a single dish. 

“Usually, it a shishya who looks after the guru. But in my case, it was my gurus, both excellent cooks, who kept feeding me all kinds of goodies. Recently, my parents built a traditional house near Mulamkunnathukavu and I go there for a break. I do riyaz, go for long walks in the countryside, watch the grass grow and cook simple dishes. I enjoy cooking now,” says Gayathri with all the zeal of the newly initiated. 

However she adds that the kitchen is not where she hangs out in Thrissur. “Jyotsna (playback singer) and I are great pals and cine buffs. We love watching all the latest Bollywood flicks. I have another group of friends in Bangalore. We hangout in restaurants, play snooker… I try to spend a few days in Bangalore every month as both my gurus are there,” says Gayathri, a disciple of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. 
Musical journey 


Tracing her evolution as a singer, Gayathri says although music is in her genes with two trained Carnatic musicians (her grandmother Ammukutty and aunt Thulasi) in her family, she used to see it as a hobby and not a vocation. 

“I used to win several prizes for music during my student days. My plan was to do a post graduation in management or mass communication and perhaps take up a job after that,” recounts Gayathri. “But,” she adds laughing, “while still in college I joined a band that used to belt out film songs for various stage programmes in and around Thrissur. It was considered pretty scandalous then.” 

It was during the same time that the late Philip Francis, a ghazal singer and tabla player, introduced her to Hindustani music and that “made me yearn to learn Hindustani.” Gayathri remembers meeting Alka Marulkar after a concert in Kochi. “I requested her to make me her student. She told me to sing a bhajan and that must have given her hope for she told me to come to Pune to learn in the gurukul tradition.”

Philip was again the one who introduced her to music director Raveendran Master during a short vacation in Thrissur, her home town. That led the way to filmdom. “After that I began to get many assignments in Kerala and found it difficult to continue in Pune. Luckily, I found Vinayak Torve and so I was able go on with my lessons,” explains Gayathri. 

The singer has already composed the song in her album ‘Vishuddhi.’ Her ambition is make a mark in world music and as a classical singer. And a role on the silver screen?

“Well, there is a shot of me singing in ‘Madhavenal’ and I have also dubbed for a short film ‘Chaulatayude Baaki.’ But, as an actor, well, I have not made up my mind. My focus is all on my music,” says Gayathri