“I was always naturally inclined to music. It is almost second nature to me.” Listening to his mother, Padma Shankar, essay musical ideas through both voice and the veena, the environment in Pappu Gyandev’s home in Vizianagaram was one of constant melody. And yet, the proximity to the veena had the opposite effect on his interests.
“Too much of it, perhaps from childhood,” he laughs. I had little interest in the veena since I was exposed to it constantly as a child. I was always around it,” he reminisces. A desire to pursue music more seriously led him at age five to the doorstep of Pantula Rama, a family friend, for both vocal and violin lessons.
“She’s more like a mother to me. We were neighbours and she would often call out to me from the balcony for classes when she was free, sometimes, even before school,” he recalls. Her style has had a great impact on his approach.
“Her singing and teaching style, trademark of the famous Dwaram school, are evident in the way I play the violin. Particularly, in the special bowing techniques that this school is famous for,” he explains. He credits her for his grooming as an accompanist, along with his decision to shift base from Visakhapatnam to Chennai to pursue music full-time after the completion of his undergraduate degree in engineering.
Making his debut at the Music Academy in 2015, amidst a host of other talented young violinists, Pappu says that the road ahead as a young accompanist is a challenging yet, hopefully, rewarding one. “I think there are more challenges than benefits today. But it feels nice to be appreciated by friends and relatives for my achievements in a rare career path,” he says.
Challenges, however, keep him on his toes and he likes it.
“Although I follow the style of the Dwaram school, an institution shared by Kanyakumari madam and her students, I listen keenly to other schools of playing as well,” says Pappu.
Calling one’s musical evolution an extremely individual process, Pappu is choosing to focus on traditional Carnatic music for the time being, keeping other genres as listening experiences or something he might venture into in the near future.
“I’m not against trying other genres whatsoever. Maybe in the future if a suitable opportunity presents itself, I might take it up.
“But for now, it’s only Carnatic music for me.”