Musicians Sukanya Ramgopal, Pelva Naik to perform at a women-exclusive festival

Pelva Naik performs at an event; (right) Sukanya Ramgopal plays the ghatam

In the late 1990s, Sukanya Ramgopal, a known name in the community at the time, was eager to perform at an event that she was invited to, when the doors were suddenly closed on her, quite literally. Why did that happen? She was informed that the male musician booked to accompany her on stage had refused to play alongside a woman. Fast forward to today, Ramgopal is all set to play a set at the Pranathi Women's Music Festival, an event dedicated solely to women in music.

Pranathi is part of a two-month long programme of events organised by Keli, a charitable organisation that aims to promote and uphold the Indian classical culture. Ramchandran Keli, the director of the organisation, believes that even though the organisation has been conducting cultural events since 1993, it's more important than ever today to have one that celebrates the journeys of women in classical music. "We realised that music is more than just a performance for amusement. Even today, gender remains one of the biggest obstacles in the way of both novice and veteran performers. This biennial festival will be a platform for not just performance but also free discourse around women in music," explains Keli.

Ramchandran Keli

Ramgopal reminisces about her journey as a young teen, which she says was a bittersweet experience. When she decided to pursue Indian classical percussion, her decision was frowned upon by many around her. "A lot of men believed that a woman's delicate fingers were not fit for percussive instruments. Thankfully, my teacher saw beyond gender and recognised my talent and stood by my side," says Ramgopal. She later went on to train under Vikku Vinayakram, popularly known as the God of Ghatam. For the weekend show, Ramgopal reveals that she will be playing a composition in kuntalavarali and suddha saveri ragas, that are close to her heart, for the listeners at the festival.

Pelva Naik, the second artiste roped in by Keli for the festival, is a respected dhrupad vocalist who trained under Ustad Fariduddin Dagar, known to be a fierce and forthright feminist in the community. Naik believes that while the patriarchy in the community isn't as noticeable today as was with Ramgopal's early days, it has changed shapes and manners to survive the modernisation in Indian classical music. "Patriarchy in the community can only truly be eliminated when all men and women begin to question their individual conditioning, egos, fears and begin to respect their own power to create," maintains Naik. She looks forward to performing a dhrupad alap followed by a composition in raga durga, a nocturnal raga known to create a soothing atmosphere.

Highlighting the importance of women-centric events and the lack thereof, Naik says, "It is not often that one gets to be in an ambience of discourse and sing among the company of female musicians and individuals who truly support the visions of the artistes working to make a change." Ramgopal echoes this sentiment, adding, "I hope I can guide the younger women at the festival and urge them to express
themselves through their artforms fearlessly."

On: Tomorrow; 6.30 pm; October 15; 7 pm
At: Terna Auditorium (Gate 7), Nerul West, Navi Mumbai.
Call: 9820835737 (for passes)