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.

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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)