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The Whistling Grandma

© Meenakshi Subramaniam

Her concert lasts for nearly two hours, during which she does not utter a word. You can hear complex Keerthanas and Alaaps solely through a high-pitched yet well-modulated whistle. But Mrs. Iyer is no new face to the world of music. Nor is she fending off some mid-life crisis by trying out something new. She is a formal student of Carnatic music and started learning it right from a tender age. Her first concert was sponsored by the Kozhikode All India Radio Station, and from then on,t here has been no looking back. She is a well-known artiste on radio and Doordarshan, the national TV channel of India.

Asked about her novel way of conducting Carnatic music concerts, Mrs.Vasanthamani Iyer appears jubilant. Acknowledging her husband's complete support, she also adds that whistling should be viewed as an art form. Though whistling has a more basic and sexual connotation attached to it, she asserts that it need not always be so. "You make music from a flute. In essence, I do the same- but without the help of a musical instrument, That's all."

"We know of instances when a female group made lovely music with a sieve, and other kitchen utensils. That is also music. You cannot discriminate between instruments; as long as there is purity of form, whatever way you render the music is acceptable.

"I have noticed that our women and girls feel scandalized if they hum or whistle a tune indoors. Let me tell, you- whsitling is an art. And there is no man or woman in the eyes of Art. Everyone should experience its beauty."

Mrs.Vasanthamani Iyer is a native of TamilNadu but is at present living in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

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