Anooradha Sriram’s name brings to mind a pretty face with a perpetual smile on her lips.
A favourite with the children she interacts with on the reality show she judges, many of the Kerala audiences consider her as their own. Anooradha was in Kochi to take part in a musical based on the evergreen "Karadi Rhymes" titled as "Karadi Rhymes — Once upon a Bak-Bak Tree". This production features several songs sung by Anooradha herself. She performed live for the first time at JT Pac on December 21.
Speaking about her association with the production which is a family affair, Anooradha stresses that "Karadi Rhymes" captures the essence of India, showcasing Indian festivals, trees, rivers etc.
Anooradha opines, “At a young age, the assimilation is faster through rhymes. The musical content is high and the children also assimilate the concept of ragas, the culture, the swaras through the very educational, fun and message-oriented medium of rhymes.” Anooradha also judges various other language TV shows.
Interacting with children is something Anooradha loves. “Seeing such amazing talent in children is very rewarding. The confidence of the kids is high and there is an abundance of talent there. Children are also a lot less complicated to deal with and the joy of sharing is manifold. Even the most successful musician is very insecure and no amount of success can replace insecurity,” she says. Anooradha also says that the children she mentors also teach her by making her rethink and apply advices in her own life.
She has a big concern about the present generation and says, “More youngsters seem to work on their PR and networking than on their music. While I would want my work to speak for me, the present generation prefers uploading their work on the social platform and earning ‘likes’ which gives a delusionary impression. Commerce and success at a young age take away the learning processes.”
Anooradha is happy with the importance accorded to classical music in Kerala, being a trained Hindustani and Carnatic singer herself. She opines, “Kerala is one state where Carnatic music crosses all religious barriers. Keralites are open to anything that is beautiful.”
Anooradha is getting fluent in Malayalam and she quips, “I should thank Bijibal and Venugopal for that! When I got fed up of adipoli and thakarthu they come up with thakkudu puddu vilasini aaki!”
Though not active as a singer, Anooradha states that most of the music directors find her too talented to sing. She quips, “Nowadays I don’t know if you need exceptional singers or musicians; technology is always at hand to assist.”
