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Sowmya Arjun (nee Kumar) is your typical next-door girl, but with a difference. She sings, she dances; she has hosted TV shows, dabbles in pottery and has a full-time career as a software programmer. She comes as an inspiration to all those who try to juggle a career, home and artistic passions.

When I landed in the U.S. I surfed the net for a music teacher and in one of the directories found Sowmya's name. I called her and we tried to establish a time and day to meet, but it got postponed for some reason or the other, though she stayed just a train station away.

Finally, on a sunny afternoon in New Jersey, we met. She was visiting her doctor who happened to be close to my apartment. I invited her to my place on her way back and she gladly accepted. Over lunch we discussed music, arts and cabbages and kings. End result! I landed at her place as a student. Unfortunately I could not continue my lessons as I moved to the bay area.

While in New Jersey, I had the opportunity of listening to Sowmya sing at several concerts. She has a refreshingly melodious voice. She also went to places wherever music enthusiasts in the U.S. invited her to. She gave house concerts, where friends congregated and her popularity grew in the east coast. Recently, she moved to the Bay Area and in one such house concert I got to enjoy the performance of Sowmya again.

Sowmya began the concert with a varnam in raga valachi, a composition of her guru Lalgudi Jayaraman. The varnam paved way to a raga alap, to song after song and so forth. The audience lapped it all up oblivious to the time and the mild tremor, which shook the south bay.

After the main elaborations of ragas and swaras, she sang smaller light songs. The audience requested some of their favorite songs, which they wanted her to sing and she obliged most of them before ending the three-hour concert.

After the concert I cornered her to appreciate the prowess with which she sang and barraged her with some questions.

Excerpts from my conversation with Sowmya:

How did you get interested in dance?

I learnt music as well as dance from an early age. My mother encouraged me to take up classical music and dance and I grew to enjoy it too, she says. Starting at age four in Bombay, I continued my dance lessons in Singapore, where we moved when my father took up work there. Later, moving to Chennai in 1987, I became a disciple of the famous Shantha and V.P.Dhananjayan.

My most recent performance was held at the Russian Cultural Center in June 1998. However, for lack of time, I don't give dance performances now, she says. Another important aspect for any classical dance form is the Nattuvangam, (singing for the dancers) she says.

I received training in Nattuvangam from Sri Sitarama Sharma while completing an advance theory course in Abinaya Darpana. In addition, she completed a course on padams and javalis conducted by Smt Kalanidhi Narayanan and Sri V.A.K. Ranga Rao. This extensive training paid off when she accompanied Bharatanatyam exponent Alarmelvalli and her troupe to Europe and other places.

I knew Sowmya came from a family of gifted artistes. Her mother Champa Kumar is skilled in creating Tanjore paintings. Her grandmother Bhanumathi is a trained musician and so was her late aunt and violin maestro Chandrasekar is her uncle. Growing up among these artists, it is small wonder Sowmya picked up the classical arts. So what makes her tick?

Interest in the classical arts and inspired by her family, Sowmya continues to give music concerts in Chennai during the December music season.

Is there any distinct difference among the audience of the homeland and that of the U.S.?

I feel the audiences in the U.S. are better listeners. I guess it is because people do not get more of carnatic music here and so they tend to relish every moment of good music they get to listen to.

Also, in the U.S., every state has a different culture of audience, she says. For example in the bay area and in New Jersey, one would find that the average concertgoer is very knowledgeable and has a keen ear. So one has to plan on including quite a few technically heavy pieces and some interesting combinations of swara patterns and raga alap (improvisations). But in other places, the people are happy with more light classical pieces, she opines.

And most of all, the concerts are held only on weekends and planned way in advance so most people can make it, she avers.

As for coping with music and a software career in the U.S., Sowmya takes it in her stride. She currently works as a business analyst for an ecommerce consulting company and enjoys her job, which gives her a chance to interact with other technology professionals in the Silicon Valley.

This has in turn given a boost to her self-confidence, she feels. And since people in the U.S. keep the weekends for socializing and pursuing their other talents, she takes to her music and uses the time to practice for concerts and teach classes to music enthusiasts. "This gives me immense satisfaction as I have several friends this way," she says.

With another Sowmya, who is popular in the professional music circuit, do you see any disadvantage when people mistake you for her?

Not really. Sometimes when they lookout for Sowmya in the list of concerts, they often attend my concerts too. Since there are only two people with the same name in the professional music circuit, they tend to register my name too. Also, since I hosted several music programs on national television, back in India people noticed me, she says.

However, the bay area has a discerning audience, which does recognize talent when it spots one. The house concert at the Divakarunis was one such event. Their home was open to nearly 50 guests who enjoyed the concert as much as I did. So it will not be long before Sowmya finds a niche for herself in the bay area.

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