They inspired in me a passion for the pursuit of music coupled with a rigorous schooling in the practical aspects of Carnatic music. Some of my fondest memories are of sitting cross-legged in my my gurus' homes, listening to their experiences of learning from legends such as Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Thanjavur Kalyanaraman watching them lovingly make a note of a tricky saahithyam in my music notebook, and marvelling at their breadth of knowledge about this ancient art form. Since then, I have had the privilege of learning from stalwart gurus such as AIR A-Grade artiste Smt Prema Hariharan, Sangeetha Kala Acharya Sulochana Pattabhiraman and most recently Kalaimamani Shyamala Venkateswaran who continues to mentor me. My mother wasn't sure whether I was serious - so I begged and pleaded all day until No turned to Yes! That was the start of a lifelong journey. One morning in Madras, as a pigtailed bookworm child of six years old, I overheard a couple of girls learning to sing the basic swaravali varisais (first lessons) and asked my mother to enroll me in music lessons. Once upon a time, there was an bright, curious little girl who fell in love with stories and music.
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