|
A Conversation with Sujatha Vijayaraghavan
Introduction
It is rare to come across a person who has not only explored various arenas in the performings arts field but also been successful in them. Mrs. Sujatha Vijayaraghavan is once such artist - and activist. Would you classify her as an author, a dancer, a singer, a composer, a choreographer, or an environmental activist? Listen to her interview and decide for yourself.
I became aware of Mrs. Vijayaraghavan's contributions to the domain of Saraswati, in 2002. I was attending the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana's 25th celebration and remember seeing this woman chatting with several prominent artists including Vyjayanthimala Bali. My first exposure to her background came when I saw her receiving one of the coveted Aradhana awards. Her short, focused, and eloquent speech was impressive. This aroused my curiosity and gave me the courage to approach her for an interview. She was very accommodating. So the interview was an alaap - literally and figuratively. I have since learnt a great deal more about tamil literature, the performing arts, musicians - and a variety of other topics, from her. We keep in touch - and she continues to be a subliminal inspiration to me. I hope the conversation is sufficient to give you insight into this remarkable multi-faceted woman as well as the creative process.
Audio Interview
The conversation took place at the temporary home of the artists (and rasikas) participating in the Cleveland Aradhana, namely the Comfort Inn on Euclid. We sat in the lobby and talked for an hour or so. Since I had not prepared for the interview, the topics jumped from one to another, like a bee enticed by flowers. However, we managed to keep focus and cover considerable ground. Note: you will get more out of the conversation is you are somewhat familiar with the Carnatic arts scene.
After the initial introductions,
Mrs. Vijayaraghavan provided a brief overview of her association
with the Cleveland Aradhana Committee. This led to a short
discussion of some of her works
and approaches
to creativity. We then delved into her childhood
upbringing and training
in the performing arts. Education
details led to, circumstances that started her
literary career, which was followed by an interesting overview of her novel
on carnatic music. The topic jumped to the artistic
background of her children and their impact on her creativity.
This was followed by a conversation on her earlier
dance works, leading to projects
with renowned dancer-choreographer Rhadha. Her
current role
as an activist in the performing arts came next, transitioning
to an interesting discussion on the Jaya
Jaya Devi project. Mrs. Vijayaraghavan's upcoming
book on Pada Varnams was the focus next, with a short review
of some facets
of varanams. Other collaborators
who have worked with her, lead to the story
behind Lakshmi Prabhavam with some good anecdotes. Mrs.
Vijayaraghavan's active role in improving
the environment ended the interesting interview. Click here to listen
to the complete interview.
For more interesting topics on classical music, visit SAWF's extensive archive of articles on raagas, interviews with artists, and musical links. For a list of past and future interviews/articles, click here. Credits:
Mrs. Sujatha Vijayaraghavan for the photos from her personal collection, and for authoring the captions.
Anita Thakur for assisting with the logistics of the publication.
 Start a discussion on this article
The contents of this interview are Copyright © of Amitava Sarkar and may not be reproduced in any form without his prior written permission.
|
