When they are not on stage mesmerising the rasikas (audience) with their music, Srikrishna and Ramkumar Mohan are just like any other youngsters. Known as the ‘Trichur Brothers’, they love cricket and even they grew up listening to Michael Jackson.
The sons of Mridanga Vidwan Trichur R. Mohan also candidly reveal their childhood attempts to rebel. “We were around 30 to 40 cousins. And even if everyone was playing cricket, at 2 pm sharp, we had to be present for our music classes,” they recall, adding, “But then, for any student, the first few years are tough. Later, you just wait for the teacher to come.”
Despite his reputation, their father R. Mohan also never pressured his sons and neither did their mother. “The thrust was not on the number of concerts; it was on music and developing as a human being,” they share.
The brothers have been performing since the late 1990s and today have back-to-back shows across the globe. But living out of suitcases isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the musicians. “Around 10-15 years ago, there weren’t too many Carnatic concerts, besides the likes of Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival. Today, the world is so small that not only are we travelling everywhere but even the music is being produced differently. Sounds from Chennai travel to Hollywood and then to another place for some other treatment,” Ramkumar notes.
And this is made possible by the “understanding” wives. “Our wives look forward to the music season in Chennai in December each year. That’s when they get to spend some time with us,” they say.
The brothers also compose and play world fusion under the name ‘Anubhooti’. Initially driven by their ‘passion to experiment’, they, “later realised that fusion is also a great way to initiate people into Carnatic or any classical music”.
Srikrishna adds, “More than why we do it, people have asked us how we plan on fusing different styles. Yes, orthodox people will even comment on the attire worn on stage, and not just insist on the need to keep classical forms the way they are. Fortunately, they are just a minority.”
But the duo is quick to acknowledge that, “There is a line that one should not cross even when experimenting.”
The duo will be performing in the city on January 21 at Lamakaan.
