 Welcome back to yet another episode of our series, Fargo People which profiles the hussos of the music industry and today on this episode we have with us Kala Ramnath who is an Indian classical violinist. We welcome your hair today. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me on the show. My first question to you is that how has been your musical journey so far and what inspired you to pursue the violin and what drew your attention towards this classical Indian classical music? So I started music when I was two years old. I come from a musical family and my grandfather started me on the violin at the age of two because predominantly a family with a legacy of violinists, my family. So yeah, so I'm the seventh generation in my family. First four generations were vocal and then the next three generations have been violin. So how is that? I mean how has the journey, how it has transformed you as a person also and for your career also? See my grandfather taught me music not because he wanted me to make me a famous violinist or there was never any such goal. The reason for teaching me music was because I hail from a music family and that is what my ancestors had done. My grandfather always felt having music in hand like you'd be good at it. In case of difficulties in life, you have something to survive upon. I could teach properly, I could teach students, right, or if career is what I envisaged then I would take it up as a career too. So how is it that my grandfather taught me music? So he taught me in a way that I started loving music and I cannot think of music apart from me. You understand? If it's me, there has to be music. I cannot separate it and there is not one day I can think of there. I have stayed without music. My childhood there was one day which passed by without me touching the violin or practicing violin. The only one day I got was on Saraswati Pooja and the instrument had to be kept in front of God for the Pooja, the next day you take it out in your place, that was the only day I got when I didn't have to do anything. I could sleep late, I could do anything. It became a way of my life for me and like going to school, eating breakfast, eating lunch, having a shower, I didn't become one I had to do. I'm what, that was one chore I had to do every day but he made it so nice that I started loving what I was doing. It was not a chore for me. So how do you feel about the global recognition of the violin as a western instrument? I would say despite its roots in Indian classical music. Today let me tell you, I just was with Dr. El Subramaniam. So I was telling him the same thing. You know the, I mean it was not called the violin but there was an instrument which looked similar to the violin and which is there in sculpture, in sculptures in the south even today, even today. You know that Chidambaram temple, the Chidambaram temple was built in the 10th century, right? 10th century that sculpture is there of a person playing the violin holding it and playing like this. And in the 8th century there is a temple in Mysore where there is a lady playing the violin, sitting and playing the violin. And then you know in the temple, the Shiva temple that Lord Ram, when he was going to Lanka, you know at the Kanyakumari at the point he created as what is that figure of Lord Shiva and Deepuja there, right? That became Rameshwaram temple. In Rameshwaram temple, the panel above on the temple, what is that called? Gopuram? You will find a person playing the violin there along with other instruments. And when was the Rameshwaram temple created? If Ram was 5,000 years before Christ, so it's 5,124 years. So that temple happened at that time and in the Vedas there is an instrument called Dhanur Veena where Anu means a bow. That Veena which was played with a bow and in Pythologically they say this was played by the Shiva gun for Lord Shiva to reach out him. He used to play this instrument because he was very fond and Ravana was a great master of this instrument. So it came to be called Ravana Astra and it is today also colloquially it's called Ravana Hatha. You go to Rajasthan, you will find it in Rajasthan. There is a hollow body with a string, some people play with the bow. You know why it is in Rajasthan and not in any other place? Because Ravana's wife Madodari hailed from Rajasthan because she was from Rajasthan. So this instrument is something like which is 7,000 years old. The first picture of the violin that you see in the west is from 15th century. Yes, so it's an Indian instrument only. Because we don't know what it was called. This is an Indian invention which was taken to Europe and it is said I do not have concrete proof about it. But the other things that I am talking about, the sculptures I have proof with me. Yeah, definitely. But the thing I am talking about, it is said that during the 6th, 7th centuries India came into India for trade. They took our instrument and that became the Rababey. Okay. Not Rababey. And from there it went to Spain in the 10th century. During the Moors in Asia. It went there and then it became the Viola. Then Viola, it moved into Europe and then the violin. It became the violin in Europe. Actually it returned back to India as the violin. So people who think that this is a western instrument, it's not a western instrument. Because when I play the instrument, Dr. Subramaniam El Subramaniam plays the violin. So when we all play the violin, we play it better than the western counterparts. Why is it? Because there has been news of this instrument from before. And many of us are amazed at our ability and the technique that we have to play this instrument which they don't have. So it is our own instrument. So there is no way it can be a western instrument if we modify it. Today they send it to us as our violin but this was there earlier. I have so many pictures to show. One can go to those temples and see them today. Definitely. So you have graced the stages of numerous prestigious music festivals worldwide. Including the Sydney Opera House, London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and New York. And how is the experience for you? Tell us about it. See, it doesn't matter where I play. I am not thinking, I am playing at the Royal Albert Hall. I am playing at the Trump Making Hall at Sydney Opera House when I am going on stage. Going on stage I am going to play my best. And not looking at the audiences and thinking, for this audience I need to play differently. But as soon as you go into that sacred space, you are going to perform. There is something there which works which neither me nor any other artist can figure out how this happens. Kind of, no, you can gauge the audience. One look at the audience and you know what you have got in front of you. This is something which has no answer as to how this happens. This is just the Almighty's grace. When you pick up your instrument and you play, you are heard and your music is able to reach their hearts. How? We don't know. So you recently performed at the Itham Bani Mukesh Cultural Centre. I am not thinking about the audiences or anything. That's what I say. I do what I do. But how it reaches the audiences and how they receive it and accept it and how it touches their hearts or whether they like it or not. In my case, they've always loved it. So it is the Almighty's total grace. And they always feel that can the violin be played like this? Because I play a totally different style. And I do things that the Westerners cannot think of the instrument. But then it is like, oh my God, can the violin sound like this? And they always have questions as to how can I do this, how can I do that? And so flawlessly, after the concert they come up with questions, yes. So how do you... They also believe that the instrument is a singing instrument. So they hear that when they listen to it and they say, this is really the singing violin. So any of your favourite collaborations and performances you cannot... That was unforgettable for you. Many. I just... last year I did something... I did a concert in the Royal Albert Hall with Rida Kahlo's paintings. I was interpreting her paintings through music. Oh wow. Last year? Last year? No, year before last. I did that. Then I did... I interpreted composers of the 19th and 20th century. Oh wow. PVC Festival again in Royal Albert Hall with the PVC concert orchestra. Oh wow. That's great. So that was the unforgettable moment. Yeah. And then I wrote a violin concerto on climate which appeared with the Seattle Symphony. And now I'm playing that with many, many more orchestras like played with the Long Beach Symphony. Then I'm going to be working with the National Orchestra in Ottawa. Canadian government, they have their own National Orchestra. And then there are some concerts in Europe and with the orchestras there. Okay. Yeah. That's something which I feel was... it's something very, very beautiful. Special. Yeah. So Kalamam, how do you imagine the future of the violin in India? I mean both in terms of preserving its traditional roots and embracing its contemporary innovations. So I just want to say that I feel... I was just talking to Dr. El Subramaniam and he started a new, you know, course of, you know, with Diggies and everything, I got with UGC and stuff. So he wants to teach music, get good musicians, good violin players, expressing me taking over the North Indian tradition, which is what I play. So he was saying, this is what we need to do. So all the universities which have programs in music, they are all theory oriented. They're not practical oriented. We create more performing violinists. Violinists going to be... First of all, violin is a very hard instrument. The hardest of all instruments to play. And then because it doesn't have frets. It's very hard to play. Seven, eight years for the... You need about 16 to 20 years for the violin. So no instrument is as difficult as the violin. I would consider voice the easiest. So basically we need to... For the violin, in particular, we need to create more violinists, you know, not oriented towards theory. Practicals that they can play. They can teach proper technique. You don't have proper technique. Will you be interested in taking up the instrument? So that is what we need to do. And as far as music is concerned, Indian music has been evolving with the times. So you have to be relevant to your audiences. For example, whatever was sung 50 years ago, sound good today. Is it relevant with the audiences? Take a composition like... That's a beautiful film song. Or I don't know, 40s or 50s. But today will it be relevant with the audiences? No. It's a good composition. But today's taste of the audience is one has to be. But one has to understand that and know how to tailor your music to cater to that audience. So far as one can do that, I think this music will be alive, always. Because this music is over 7,000, 8,000 years old. I don't know because from Vedic times, so maybe 10,000 years old. From then on, this music has evolved. When Muslims came into the Persians and people from the West came into India, they destroyed our heritage, our temples and everything. But then people came back, they tried to destroy our culture. But our culture remained, our music remained. And this is when we have not located our music. You understand? This music is something which is passed on from the teacher to the student. It's still alive. Yeah, definitely. So as being an independent artist, do you have a struggle and challenges in the industry? See, everybody has to go through those challenges. Yeah, definitely. Don't become a musician. If you have to become a good musician, you need to face those struggles, those rejections, the successes. That makes you into a musician. The disappointment and the sadness you experience is through the music. The happiness, the sadness, the frustration, everything comes out through your music. So if you do not experience those moments, your music is going to be very dry and technical. You are going to reach the listener. That's the heart of the listener. So it is very much necessary. And let me tell you, Zakir Bhai is the only exception. He has come from his father's lineage. His father was a big man. And he also did it very big. Why did that happen? Because he was exposed to music from all around the world. Just not playing the play. He got that exposure. So he understood and you think he is not faced... I mean, he is not struggled. Every musician who has made a name today, they have all struggled and they have taken... It is a hard path. But if you love music, then you will keep going on. From what you will keep going on. What do you say? Really disappointed and at times you may think, what am I doing here? But still, once you love music, and just playing the one good concert is enough to drive away all your blues and all your thoughts of, am I good? Is this good? All that goes away. Just one good concert. Definitely. You are right. So what we can expect in terms of classical music business in 2021 and what trends we can expect and challenges for the Gen Zs and stuff like that. So the music industry itself has changed from what it was before. Yeah, definitely. So one thing that will not change is your effort that you put into music to become a good musician. That is definitely you have to put it and then of course you have to be, you should know about social media and how to do it yourself. All these things are very much needed as a musician. Collaborating with musicians from different genres gives you an additional, what do you say, leverage I would say when you look for concerts and everything. And I think social media is the way to go for today's musicians because you never know one YouTube video or something. Gene. Yeah, going viral. You make your life and what else can I think of? Yeah, it's all with singles and not albums anymore. Definitely. Yeah. So can you share some of your upcoming projects or collaborations that are lined up in 2024? I have Triveni with Ustad Zakirosen and Jayanti Kumbreshi and Sydney Opera House and New Zealand and I have Global Musicians Workshop with Silk Road in Boston and then I have, of course, some concerts in England and I have another Global Musicians Workshop in Belgium. Wow. I am playing in, doing a residency in Hawaii University of Hawaii and also performing there. Then what do I have? I'm playing the World Music Institute in New York and then I'm playing my concerto, private concerto in Ottawa with the symphony orchestra there, their national symphony orchestra and what else? Yeah. So finally what message you would like to convey to the audience worldwide? I would like to say to upcoming musicians that, you know, be at it, don't give up. You know, most important thing is you need to be a good musician before everything comes up. Social media, all those things are there but nothing works if you are not a good musician. So that is the most important thing one has to remember because once you get into social media you do not have time to practice. So first make yourself into a good musician so that then you can, when you have to devote time for all this you are still good at it. Yeah. Start doing both together. Thank you so much Kala for your time. It was a pleasure to have you here. Thank you so much. Thank you.