Rajani Rao

Patanga Prabhava, the Kannada play, written and directed by Carnatic Vocalist and theatre personality, Karthik Hebbar will be premiered in December 2018. The moving images trailer of the play, taking a sneak peak into Hebbar’s work of love was released today. In the trailer, Hebbar has used the aesthetic quote of Russian author, Vladimir Nabokov in his autobiographical work, Speak, Memory, through voice over in Kannada.

“I confess I do not believe in time. I like to fold my magic carpet, after use, in such a way as to superimpose one part of the pattern upon another. Let visitors trip. And the highest enjoyment of timelessness―in a landscape selected at random―is when I stand among rare butterflies and their food plants. This is ecstasy, and behind the ecstasy is something else, which is hard to explain. It is like a momentary vacuum into which rushes all that I love. A sense of oneness with sun and stone. A thrill of gratitude to whom it may concern―to the contrapuntal genius of human fate or to tender ghosts humouring a lucky mortal.”

Dr Seetha Kote and Chandra Keerthi have performed admirably in this play, while lighting and stage is handled by MG Naveen Narasimha. Prayog Studio was the shoot location and the rest of the team members include Sujoy Das, Rajani Rao and Pradeep Mullur.

Karthik Hebbar is a classical music vocalist (Carnatic), who was initiated into that genre by his mother Vidya Hebbar at a tender age itself. Hebbar later metamorphosed into a mellifluous vocalist under the able guidance of his Guru, the renowned musician, Ganakalabushana Vidwan RK Padmanabha, and till date, the former remained one of the foremost torch bearers of the RKP School of Music. Apart from that Karthik has delved deep into the ocean of music, did lots of research on his own initiative. After graduating in Classical Music from Bangalore University, Karthik attended innumerable music training workshops. What is more, the gifted vocalist also had the opportunity to interact with stalwarts of classical music such as Sangeetha Kalanidhi RK Srikantan and others and learning the nuances. Karthik also honed his skill further under the tutelage of Sengeetha Kalaacharya PS Narayanaswamy for a brief stint in Chennai.

Karthik has travelled the length and breadth of India and gave concerts at the best of sabhas. Few of the big names he has performed includes Vaadiraja Kalabhavana, Rama Seva Mandali, Gayana Samaja, Fort High School, Parthasarathy Sabha in Chennai; SRS Music Association also in Chennai, Shanmukhananda Sangeetha Sabha in Mumbai; Mysore Association in Mumbai and more.

Karthik is fond of experimenting with music and he is also passionate about Kannada plays. Nevertheless, music is his soul. “Music is my soul, an inner journey and the language nearest to my heart. I sing so that I can feel one with this universe. It’s my dream to sing for as long as I live and to propagate classical arts to the best of my abilities. Music has been my friend, philosophy and guide. Any art form may it be dance or writing is just like another strand of music to me”, Hebbar says.

Karthik is ever grateful to his mother Vidya Hebbar for initiating him into this world and to Guru RK Padmanabha for teaching him this beautiful language and for being his mentor. The love that Karthik’s brother Vignesh Hebbar and sister in law Triveni showered upon him gives the vocalist humongous strength and makes his life truly musical. Karthik terms himself as a raga, an image, a verse, a story and a wanderer. What a wonderful description by this genius, who went to Kodagu Vidyalaya in Madikeri, his home town. Karthik is now living in Bangalore.

Recognition

• Karthik has received many awards and accolades for his performances and has also won many music competitions in music both in the State and the National level
• Written and published widely on Carnatic Music, including columns on classical music in the Hindu and other prestigious websites and music magazines.
• Trained many aspiring musicians through workshops and teaching sessions and regularly involved in training young aspiring talents of classical music.
• Given many lecture Demonstrations in scholarly music conferences and has received immense appreciation for his lectures on the complete study and understanding of Navavarna Compositions of  Mudduswami Deekshitar, the comparative study of the Musical Trinity
• The comparative and analytical study on Carnatic and Western Classical music
• 22 Srutis a practical approach through Carnatic music
• The history of Carnatic music
• The treatises on Carnatic music
• Evolution of melakarta system
• Music appreciation
• Bhakti and spirituality in carnatic music
• Hindustaani ragas in carnatic music
• Allied ragas
• Raga tana pallavi techniques
• Regularly invited to present lectures on  music in all the prestigious sabhas and music universities, thanks to his exemplary oratory skills.
• Specialised in singing Raga Tana Pallavis in Ashtottara Shata Talas and also many rare pallavis.
• Written many music features and also written and directed music Operas, Operas based on ragas and their character, composition styles, music and emotion and life of many vaggeyakaras.
• Designed a devised a special Diploma course in Carnatic Music Appreciation through Distance Education for Sharada Kala Kendra which received lots of appreciation.
• Now serving as the head of music at Shankara Foundation of arts
• Also running a music school of his own in association with Samskruti in Bangalore
• Performed in many projects of Indian dancing with the leading names of Bharatanatyam and other classical arts of India
• Provided classical music soundtrack for a euro-African film based on apartheid (yet to be released)
• Scored background music for many short films, TV shows and play
• Actively involved into theatre as well
• Well-known face in Karnataka though his impressionable performances on T
• Written professionally for television as well on an assignment to present a translation and commentary on the musical masterpiece Sangeeta Ratnakara in Kannada