To all my fellow Seniors, keep singing and keep listening to the beauty of music with no barriers… can be any category of music, language or even soulful soft music played on musical instruments to make your lives healthier.
Hello Friends,
I’m T G Ramakrishnan also known as TG or Ram or Ramki in my family and friend circles. For all music lovers, here’s my musical journey, which has taken me to a stage in life I enjoy the most. It’s priceless.
Music came into my life from early childhood. My mother was a trained Carnatic singer, and my father appreciates good music, be it classical or Bollywood. I recall those days when my father used to tune in to Radio Ceylon at 7:30 am everyday to listen to the old Bollywood songs from 40’s. He will wait to hear the legendary KL Saigal song played at 7:55 am before stepping out of the house for work, while I stepped out to go to school. Imagine therefore how easy it was for me to get addicted to music. One could say it might be the gene factor that drove me to singing, so be it…the tragedy though is that I never took any formal training despite having a musically trained mother at home. I regret it even today.
Anyways, life went on and I continued my father’s tradition of tuning in to Vividh Bharati, Radio Ceylon’s Binaca Geet mala, other regional music channels and watching Chitrahaar and live music programs when TV came to town in the 70’s. I used to sing at home, but without the basic training in music, I never had the courage to sing even once on stage in school or college, except participating in Antakshari sessions with friends and families.
Only post retirement from Procter & Gamble in 2010, did I seriously consider taking up basic training in music. However, I quickly lost patience in learning the basics of Raga, Taal etc., so decided to join Karaoke Groups to pursue my passion for light Bollywood music. There was this “AHA!!” moment for me when I started singing with ease on karaoke tracks. I decided to become a permanent member of a large Karaoke group with singing sessions twice a week followed by live singing on stage. Practice makes Perfect, they say, which is so true in music, where riyaz is critical for all singers.
Over time, I developed confidence singing impromptu in public gatherings without fear. I now post my songs regularly on StarMaker (my ID: RK_star1201). Thanks to lockdown and advancement in information technology, I also take the opportunity to sing live on FB and Zoom. I have lost count of the number of songs I might have sung in 2020 and in the process, rediscovered some rare gems (forgotten or unheard) from Bollywood’s golden era of music.
Age is no barrier.
I’m 68 today and continue to enjoy singing including regional songs in Malayalam and Tamil and of late started singing Marathi songs too – music has no language barrier, you see. Over the last 10 years, I have come to believe that music is now part of my life and I find it to be a good stress buster.
To all my fellow Seniors, keep singing and keep listening to the beauty of music with no barriers… can be any category of music, language or even soulful soft music played on musical instruments to make your lives healthier.
Stay safe!!
