My music story : #2 Beginnings : Johnney Dev

My cousin brother Johnney Dev, named after Kapil Dev, and short for Devdas, my uncle (granny was a huge cricket fan she named me Sachin and later it became Sachu) started music lessons at home. This was Carnatic music, taught by Issac Paul Singh, now a pastor at a church in Kerala. He taught my brother the harmonium and singing. That was the first music instrument I remember seeing and hearing and put to use. No one was allowed to touch it. The harmonium  could be folded into a small box and popped back up, designed for travelling musicians. It even had Paris reeds in them, sounded too fancy, though I did not know what that meant at that time. The wooden box had some mechanical buttons to release the locks to pop it up, and to get the bellows to fan out. I was quite fascinated and would listen intently as they sang their sa re ga ma pa! After a year of lessons, they celebrated it at home with an arangettam. 

I was also introduced to the class. My grand mother being traditional, gave me money (not sure how much) inside a betel leaf and areca nut. I was instructed to safely hand over the pregnant leaf and show my respect by bowing down, touching his feet for blessings. It felt weird, but I did it without questioning. This began my Sa re ga ma-s with my guru Issac Paul Singh. 

I was given a note book with notes written in Malayalam with a blue Reynolds’s ball pen. I learnt, the swaras sitting down cross legged tapping my right thigh hard till it burnt like it was on fire. 

My cousin Johnney played the harmonium more, film songs and hymns and all. But at 4 years old I couldn’t lift a harmonium so I never got one.

There is a more attachment for me, here at mom’s house because I grew up here and right now my dad is in possession of my great grandfather’s (mom’s side)  harmonium (from the independence era)  

I was not really interested to sing, but everyone encouraged me so much, I had no choice but to be cute.