Sadhana Sargam: Music has changed so much

“I have sung a bit here and there in the last couple of years. But music itself has changed so much. As and when the colour of the music changes, the requirement changes too. Technology is so different. There are hardly any live recordings. Now a song is straightaway recorded in the studio, without many rehearsals with the composers. The same song is recorded by many singers and one version is kept. I have changed with the times too but have made sure to stick to songs which are melodious, have good lyrics and make me happy,” says Sargam, whose track record is that of a seasoned singer who has delivered sumptuous ballads time and again. But one rarely sees her talk about her music or concepts of success.

Sargam grew up in Dabhol, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, and began learning music at an early age from her mother, music teacher and classical singer Neela Ghanekar. When she was 10, she won a central government scholarship that led her to learn Hindustani classical music from the scion of Mewat gharana, Pt Jasraj. She extensively worked with composer Vasant Desai, remembered for his score in Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Guddi (1971), among others. She recorded for the popular animation film Ek Anek Aur Ekta (1974), popularly known as Ek chidiya, anek chidiya, a seven-minute-long film produced by the Centre for Education Technology (CET), that taught virtues of teamwork to children and young adults. “My parents took me for that recording. I don’t remember much of it. It feels quite surreal when I hear it now,” says Sargam.

Sargam debuted in playback singing with Kanku Pagli, a Gujarati film. Her first Hindi song was in Rustom (1985), but Vidhaata (1982) released first, followed by songs in Khoon Bhari Maang (1988) and Tridev (1989), among others. She recorded with Kishore Kumar and veteran musicians like Kalyanji-Anandji and Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Her work with Rahman also earned her much praise, as did her regional work with Ilayaraja. She won a National Award for singing the latter’s composition in Azhagi (2002). Sargam also sang a number of popular television title songs including that of SaReGaMa. “Things are moving slowly on the recording front. There are live shows and my devotional recordings now,” says Sargam.