Abhirami Ajai’s concert, Divine Echoes, in Thiruvananthapuram took listeners on a musical journey that bridged languages, time, regions and streams of philosophical content that have defined the Bhakti movement in India. As the rain pounded outside, Abhirami’s audience was soaked in melody during her interactive concert at the annual Soorya Dance and Music Festival. For more than two hours, she treated her audience to musical gems of exponents ranging from Tulsidas to Swati Thirunal and Sadashiva Brahmendra.
The second edition of the concert she curated was enriched by her brief explanations about the philosophy of the composer and the content of the lyrics before she took up a composition. To make it accessible to the audience, she showcased ragas of the pieces by humming or singing a few lines of popular film songs based on the raga. Her versatility was evident as she effortlessly switched between film music and classical music without missing a beat or the sruti.
During an interaction, the 28-year-old singer, a graded singer of All India Radio, says she wants to explore the vast universe of Indian classical music and take her curated concerts of Bhakti Sangeet to new platforms and popularise it among listeners of all age groups.
Abhirami had caught the attention of music buffs with her evocative rendering of ‘Thottu thottu nokkamo…’ under Vidyasagar’s baton in Lal Jose’s Diamond Necklace(2012) when she was 14. After following it up with some superb numbers such as ‘Azhalinte azhangalil’ (Ayalum Njanum Thammil) and ‘Omanakomala thamarapoove’ (Oru Indian Pranayakatha) Abhirami “took a break from playback singing to focus on academics”. Part of a new generation of playback singers in Malayalam, Abhirami’s repertoire bridges classical rigour and modern sensibilities.
Musician Abhirami Ajai
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A post graduate of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, she believes that her studies in social science and her training in music have seamlessly merged in her interest in the works of the great composers of Indian classical music and the Bhakti saint-composers.
Says Abhirami: “When I began to take up music seriously, my gurus were particular that I understand the meaning of the lyrics even before I learnt the music. That helps me to evocatively convey the content of the lyrics in the way the vaggeyakaras had composed it.”
She points out that while Syama Sastri and Tyagaraja wrote mostly in Telugu, Dikshitar wrote in Sanskrit, Purandara Dasa in Kannada and Swati Thirunal in many languages including Manipravalam.
“In addition to the melodic component of a composition, I was also deeply interested in the poetry of the lyrics. And if I wanted to share that poetry with my listeners, I had to understand what I was rendering,” she says. At times, she took the help of friends who spoke the language to delve into its poetic depths.
To strike a chord with her listeners, Abhirami endeavours to make her concerts interactive by talking about the composer, the meaning of the lines and the context in which it was written. “We must understand that those great composers were not merely pouring out their devotion in the form of music. They also spoke about the need for ethics and values and to look beyond the material world. Bhakti Sangeet is relevant in today’s world as this kind of music helps in demystifying and deconstructing social constructs of gender and caste.”
Quoting a few lines from Tyagaraja’s ‘Durmarga chara’, Abhirami asserts that Bhakti Sangeet has a transformative power to make listeners introspect. “Tyagaraja Swami lists what he considers unethical in that kriti and refuses to praise those who follow the path of vice. In ‘Nidhi chala sukhama’, Tyagaraja asks whether worldly possessions are more important than finding spiritual peace. Tukaram’s ‘Vishnumaye jaga Vaishavanche’ is a lyrical interpretation of the Advaita philosophy that the entire world is a manifestation of the divine.”
She says poetic expressions of saints such as Mirabai and Akka Mahadevi are also manifestations of independent women who erased gender barriers even in those times. Abhirami says it was her studies in social sciences that exposed her to social issues and also helped her merge her interests in music and academics.
She avers that it is an archaic practice not to interact with the audience. “Some years ago, leading vocalists might have been singing to elite audiences who were aware and knowledgeable about music, but that’s not the situation now. Many leading vocalists take time to explain what they are singing and shed light on the composers and the composition. I would like my concerts to be interactive and accessible to listeners. I invite them to sing along and keep time with the music.”
Musician Abhirami Ajai
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As part of her effort to reach out larger audiences, she has begun a live series on her YouTube channel, Abhirami Ajai, named Chords and Words with Abhirami, which is “an experimental endeavour to celebrate music”.
And playback singing? “Yes, I would to sing for films if I get an opportunity. Playback singing was something that came to me by chance. Lal Jose sir and Vidyasagar sir gave me that opportunity to sing for movies and I am grateful.”
Abhirami points out that given the huge pool of talent that exists today, one has to be seen and network to get opportunities to sing for movies. “Moreover, unlike the previous decades, now music directors do not wait for a particular singer to sing for them. If one is not available, there are several talented singers waiting in the wings to get a chance. In addition, the present crop of playback singers is not singing film music alone. Most of them are into independent music, composing, experimenting and bringing out their own kind of music.”
Her collaborations with independent singers and groups have helped her reach a wider audience. “I am bustling with ideas and there are many things I want to explore in Indian music.”
Published – October 29, 2025 10:50 am IST
