Music, Ranjani-Gayatri style!

We’re like earth and fire, say singing duo Ranjani-Gayatri, even as TOI chats them up on their plans.
A formidable twosome, their kutcheris showcase the best of both voices. Despite singing in unison, their individual styles can be distinguished, owing to their complementing musical qualities.
Ranjani – Gayatri, who are charged up for yet another round of the Margazhi season, say, “This year, we’re performing violin duets as well.It’s been hectic practising the two, vocal and violin.” As the season fever takes over the city, the sisters are exploring new ideas. “We’re pulling out ragas and compositions that we’ve never dealt with before. One such is Amba Neelambari, a krithi that we learnt when we were just six! It’s nice to travel backwards sometimes; it takes us back to memories attached with our growing up years.” says Ranjani. Gayatri adds, “For the Ragam Thanam Pallavi segment, we’re choosing powerful lines from the Thirukural and Bharatiyar’s works. Apart from the violin duets, we will be doing a special concert that’ll last four hours.”
Narrating stories of surprising each other on stage, “Gayatri’s performance has often moved me to tears. There are times when I get choked and cannot start singing my lines. We never practise the manodharma and swara together. When we sync unexpectedly at some point, we just celebrate the freshness it has....”
On abhangs becoming their trademark, they say, “We sit and tune them. With every finalised tune, there are 25 tunes that our discarded.”
Quiz them about their reverse sari combinations becoming a style statement in the musical circuit and they smile, “It was purely incidental and happened during one of our shopping ventures. The style has gained so much popularity that it’s now being called ‘going the RG way’ or ‘doing an RG’!”
Describing themselves as contrasting as earth and fire, Gayatri says, “Ranjani is very cautious person. She thinks several times before stepping foot into anything. Plus, she’s full of humility and takes criticism in a positive manner. There’s a sense of majesty in her rendition, which makes her approach very grand.”
Pat comes the reply from Ranjani, “Gayatri is a colourful personality. She is vivacious and always gets to the crux of any issue. Her supreme confidence and capability to handle issues amuses me. Always at ease, she can tackle anything. Sitting next to her, I always make sure that I keep up with her to be on power.”
Without a doubt, lack of envy and love for each other, is their success formula!
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