Ranjani (ranjani-gayatri Duo)

Ranjani (ranjani-gayatri Duo) Biography

Ranjani is a Carnatic vocalist and violinist of south Indian origin. Her younger sister Gayatri is also a well-known vocalist and violinist. They together form the famous Ranjani-Gayatri musical duo who are regular with their Carnatic performances. They have also released several musical albums. Gayatri is three years younger to Ranjani. They have also delivered solo performances, though they are best noticed for their Jugalbandi. They also perform in television, radio, music festivals, cultural events and conduct lectures and workshops too. They have been performing together since 1997 and has completed more than two decades in this field.

She was born into a family of Carnatic musicians in Mumbai. Her parents N. Balasubramanian and Meenakshi are involved with Carnatic music. The family lived in south Indian dominated neighbourhood of Matunga. The musical talents of the sisters have been discovered at their younger ages, and have been given training since then. Ranjani could delineate complex rhythm patterns at age five, while her younger sister Gayatri could identify over a hundred ragas when she was barely two. The sisters were given training in violin together. Ranjani was then nine and Gayatri was then six, and they received training from T.S. Krishnaswami at Mumbai. The family moved to Chennai from Mumbai in 1993.

They received Government of India’s Talent Search Scholarship from the age of ten. The sisters started their musical journey as violinists before they reached teens. They also give performance as Carnatic musicians. They have set tune to many Abhangs, thukkada pieces, including bhajans, which they perform on music concerts together. Sangeeta Kala Siromani Award from Chennai Cultural Academy in 2016 and Indira Sivasailam Endowment Medal from the Music Academy in 2016 are among the honours they received in the recent past.

Usually the sisters dress same for their performances, and often misunderstood as twin sisters. Their signature “matching-contrasting” saris compliment to one another. In the last 16 years or so, the siblings have more focussed on learning how to sing. Though they perform together, they never want to become clones. Instead they experience music in their own ways, differently.

Female sibling singing duos have always dominated south Indian musical scene, especially Carnatic and devotional. Starting with Soolamangalam Sisters and travelling through Radha Jayalakshmi, Bombay Sisters, Mambalam Sisters, Bangalore Sisters and Priya Sisters, the river of music has now flown and reached the destination of Ranjani-Gayatri duo, who are among the youngest to represent this generation of sister-duos in Carnatic music.

Published: January 28, 2019

Updated: January 28, 2019