The New Indian Express ePaper

m ost of you probably consider whistling annoy- ing. But if you were to hear some of the mem- bers of the Indian Whistlers Association, you might change your opinion. From the 10-year- old Pooja Chandramohan to the 60-year-old Ja- gat Tarkas (the man who set up the Chennai Chapter), whistling is more than just a hobby. "It's my passion," says Jagat. "Though I've been whistling for the last 40 years, because of fam- ily commitments I've been able to pursue it se- riously only in the last three years," he adds. Thus started his search for like-minded peo- ple, and his diligent efforts paid-off when he met Rigved Deshpande, the founder of the In- dian Whistlers Association. A 22-year college graduate from Lucknow, Rigved has been pas- sionate about whistling since he was a child. "My interest in whistling took a serious turn about six years ago when I performed in my college. So I formed a group on yahoo to find like-minded people and that's how Jagat found me," says Rigved. Jagat convinced him to perform at a concert in Chennai where they could showcase their talent. "Our first show on July 17, 2006, in Chen- nai drew only a small crowd. But we started cre- ating awareness about whistling and got the membership increased to over 100," says Jagat. "If you listen to the Baazigar or Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak soundtrack, you can hear some- one whistling and it has definitely enhanced the song! After the concert, the awareness has increased and so has the encouragement." For the first time, the IWA conducted a two- hour concert last year in Chennai to coincide with the Tamil New Year's Day. "We whistled only Tamil songs, not just from films but clas- sical and carnatic as well," says Pavithra Suri, a member of IWA, "I whistled Mannavan Van- thanadi, a Tamil song from the film Thiruvarut- selvar, at the concert. To me, other than Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya, it is the most difficult song to perform. Carnatic songs are more difficult due to the ragas and brighaas but with the prac- tice sessions at Jagat uncle's house, I've been getting better at it," she says. IWA is planning to conduct another concert in the last week of June. But this time, "we have only women performers. Six women - one from Pune, one from Bangalore and others from Chennai. To break monotony, the whistlers will also sing and dance at the concert," adds Jagat. Nima R Vijayakumar and Pallavi Shreedar, two of IWA's members, have been seriously practising for the concert. Though Nima can whistle songs from Tamil, Hindi and English films, the toughest yet is Shankar Mahadevan's Breathless. It's challenging even to sing but I think I can whistle it with enough practice," says Nima. Pallavi is busy practicing Dil Hoom Hoom Kare from the Hindi film Rudaali and Man ki Lagan from Paap. As a final year Engi- neering student in Bangalore, Pallavi's talent was appreciated when she whistled Chalte Chalte at her professor's farewell party. "I used to be called the family ‘rowdy' because of my whistling. But everybody changed their opin- ion once they listened to me patiently for al- most an hour," she says. Pooja Chandramohan, who became an IWA member four years ago, is excited about her hobby. "Through IWA, my talent has been recog- nised and Jagat uncle has been helping me hone my skills," she says. Under his tutelage, she's been able to whistle Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya and Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyaar Tera, the toughest ones according to her. "Now I'm con- fident that I can whistle any song. I'm practis- ing Singaravelane, the old Tamil song from the film, Konjum Salangai." Though whistling is not taken seriously, Rigved is confident that it will change with con- certs and presentations. "We need monetary assistance, especially for conducting shows. A show costs Rs 75,000 and more often than not, Jagat pays for it. Entry is free because IWA is still in its infant stages and if people do not know what the concert is about, they'll hesi- tate to pay for it. Lack of funds is an obstacle in taking IWA on a bigger level," he says. Jagat and Rigved aim to take the art of whistling Indian songs to an International lev- el. They want to make this hobby an art form. "Why not? It is an art form that can be de- veloped and honed. Bharatanatyam, earlier considered to be a profession of the devadasis, is now revered and accepted everywhere. Reg- ular practice will help fine-tune whistling just like any other existing art form," they say. - lakshmy@epmltd.com fact file Pooja Chandramohan is the youngest member of the IWA. She is only 10 years old. She's learning to play the flute to improve her whistling. She is also proficient in Carnatic music. Being the member of the children's orchestra, Isai Mottukal, she has given over 175 shows in the last two years. The goal of IWA is to have a national whistling contest on the lines of Indian Idol and also to bring the International Whistlers Convention to India in 2010. In 1974 at a folk festival in North Carolina, Darrell Williams requested to whistle his original composition of Little River Blues rather than sing it. The judges accepted it in a solo vocal category and it is the be- ginning of what developed into the National Whistlers Convention, which also opened the National School for Whistlers (1992) in North Carolina. The Interna- tional Whistling Convention is held annually. Log on to www.whistleindia.org or www.whistlingiwc.com or call Jagat at 9840399936 for more information