Is carnatic music fashionable?
Yes, why not? It is more fashionable! In those days, even finding a bride was difficult if you were a musician. Today the trend has changed. And music is like any other profession. But, you have to make a mark. And today, there are more opportunities and there is money too. At a time when I started, the opportunities were so minimal. Also, it was not a ‘money selling proposition’. Today, If you’re really good, you can earn money. How did the change happen, according to you? In those days, there was no media exposure. We didn’t have this kind of a sponsorship. There were no cassettes or CDs. But now, media exposure has really freed this profession from its hands. Today, it is like any other profession. The only thing is that we were more tradition bound and conservative. We wouldn’t accept anything immediately for a commercial purpose. But today, anything goes. And in those days we were inculcated with bhakthi, respect for the sabhas and the sadas, a certain devotion towards the composi
