I was waiting at a bookstall and though I asked a couple of people there to get me the book, they said they didn't have it. Since it belonged to someone else, I decided not to take it, but buy one. I soon got so engrossed in the content that when it was time to alight, I asked the young man whose book it was. Out of curiosity, I just started reading it.” While sitting in his car, I noticed a book lying on the seat, titled, Eat Right for Your Type. “.I was told that a Sri Lankan boy was an ardent fan of mine and that he wanted to drive me to the concert organiser’s place. But once on a tour in the USA, a life-changing event happened. I thought that it’s a natural phenomenon and a part of ageing and continued singing in low pitch. Some 15-18 years ago, I started noticing that I could not reach higher octaves. What’s his secret? “It’s not that I always had this impeccable voice. How can I discriminate or pick and choose one particular raga over the other?”Įven after five decades of non-stop singing, his voice has not lost its sheen. For me, every raga is like the bhava of Goddess. I do sing bhajans and such request songs for the audience towards the end of my concert, but for that, they will have to wait,” he says.Īsk him what his favourite raga is, and he says, “There was a time when I used to tell everyone that I love Kalyani.
“Several stalwarts have created a system and I would like to follow that. But these days, I’m devoting a lot of time for Carnatic music.” A disciple of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, he says he doesn’t want to deviate from the sampradaya in his classical concerts.
“I keep recording for both films and devotional songs. Having worked with several generations of music directors, Yesudas says that of late, he has been focusing on Carnatic music. I joined the course and realised that I will remain a vidyarthi (student) forever and not become a vidwan,” he begins. Does he practise rigorously even now? “Decades ago, I wanted to learn music at Trivandrum and become a vidwan. As we walk in for this interview, he is busy practising a kriti in Raga Bilahari for an upcoming concert at a temple in Chennai. His name is synonymous with music, and his mesmerising voice has been tugging the heartstrings of music lovers across the world for decades now.