Notes to Myself l Episode 3 l Season 2 l Rajkumar Bharati l MOPA

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Episode 3, Season 2 of Notes to Myself brings you veteran Carnatic musician and composer Rajkumar Bharati. He was equally at home on Carnatic concert platforms as well as playback singing, and his rich, sonorous voice and uninhibited expression made him a household name in the 1980s and 90s. And then, in a devastating sweep of destiny, he lost his voice at the peak of his career. Fortunately, a philosophical attitude and a never-say-die approach made him choose a parallel track, as a composer for dance, one that he has traversed with equal success and elan.
In this episode he shares many valuable thoughts on his journey, philosophy and his belief in the true purpose of music as a means to joy and peace.
Notes to Myself is one of MOPA's flagship projects - a series of interactive, expository documentaries that deconstructs the lives and creative processes of some of the most impactful professionals associated with South India's performing arts. Done in a let-your-hair-down and from-the-heart way, these offer an honest, moving and at times funny and charmingly unguarded look at the lives of these artistes.
Film Credits:
Concept, Curation and Artistic Direction: Savita Narasimhan
Video Direction and Cinematography: Avinash Prakash, The Zoe Trope Company, Chennai
Assistant Directors: Ragavendra VP, Vishnu Balan
Associate Cameraman: Ragavendra VP
Lightman: Ajay
Production Support: Gowtham Ganesan, B Charles
Production Assistant: Baskar Pauldurai
Editor: Clinton Harold Jacob
Post Production: The Zoe Trope Company, Chennai
Subtitles: Anugrah Lakshmanan, Vishwesh Rajan
Soundtracks by: Matthew L Fisher, Arvianth
Photographs, from the collection of:
Rajkumar Bharati
Sai Shravanam
Jayanthi Subramaniam
Alarmel Valli
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Audio Excerpts:
Rajkumar Bharati
Video Excerpts:
2001 concert - MA Narasimhachar Foundation
Nadi - Leela Samson
Jyotir gamaya - Jayanthi Subramaniam
Anjaneyam - Apsaras Arts, Singapore
Collaborating Partner
Apasaras Arts, Singapore
MOPA is grateful to Aravinth Kumaraswamy for his support.
Film Location: Medai - The Stage, Chennai
Produced by MOPA Foundation ©2022
All text, photos, images and other data contained in this episode are copyright 2022 of the Museum of Performing Arts (MOPA) Foundation. The same is intended for personal or educational use only and may not be used in any commercial form without prior written permission.

[@RamaaBharadvaj]

As far as I am concerned, Rajkumar is a true superstar - and it's not just because of his immense musical and compositional talents - His humility, simplicity, and always acknowledging all those who had been involved in his artistic life are all the qualities that make him an artist worth emulating. I have known him since 1991 when I approached him to create music for my Panchatantra production. It was his very first attempt at composing and orchestrating for a dance-theater production and he also sang gorgeously in 5 languages (Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi and Telugu) for that recording. After that, I have never gone to anyone else for music composition. I have stayed with Rajkumar not just because of his extraordinary creativity, but mainly because he is so easy and fun to work with. No ego whatsoever to deal with. Through the years as he became more and more well known and recognized, he has become kinder and kinder, sweeter and sweeter, gentler and gentler, humbler and humbler! His life's principles that he shares, in the end of this video, are not just words. That is who he really IS, and that is how he really lives his life. I admire you RKB! I remain your friend and fan always. Hugs - Ramaa Bharadvaj (Sep 2022)

[@navneethsundaresan6970]

The episode is fantastically shot and produced by MOPA for the future music students. Specifically the incident where he mentioned that his voice came to a position where he could have lot of musical ideas but would not be able to express in his voice. I literally cried during narrating that incident. That is the worst thing that could happen to a musician. It would be as if life has been taken away from you. I am a vocal student learning Carnatic Music.

[@drharigkrishna9334]

SELF REALISATION TO SUPREME LEVEL. GREAT INSIGHT.

[@karthikramasubramanian3114]

This is simply the best episode of MOPA ! Truth at its very essence . I could not see even a semblance of hypocrism . Whattey fine human being . Jus loved it 😍

[@sakuntalaramaswamy7915]

Most Beautiful and Blissful Presentation. !! Great Experiences expressed straight from his Heart. !! He is really a Most Blessed Soul to have been born in such an Illustrious Family , but with out an small trace of Ego. !! Really a Down to earth Person and an epitome of Humility. !! How he accepts Facts of Life with so much of positivity. !! Enjoyed Listening to this Interview so very Much. !! 👌👌👌❤❤❤

[@krishnanm7494]

I remember him singing in 1990s. Great enchanting voice and genius enthralling the audience. Felt very sad and made me cry. Thanks Mopa for this wonderful insightful interview. Thanks RKB for changing my perspective of life.

[@prashanta3674]

I just saw half of the video interview... It has put me in to a lot of inexpressible agony. The whole world around him could only watch the happenings and was truly incapable of helping him get back the voice. The entire family is very strong and supportive of each other... It is truly a blessing.. Thank you for sharing this wonderful video

[@Bujj1kutt1]

Wonderful message. Excellent presentation. Thank you. 🎉❤

[@murugamanikam8007]

A great philosopher ✨

[@kasn811]

When bharathiyar passed away at a very young age, we felt life was cruel to us. When rajkumar ji took centre stage, we felt God only was sowing the the best of seeds all the while and bharathiyar was reborn! When a musician is lost or the tool (voice, fingers) is lost, it's a collective loss to the entire society. It's Destiny's intervention that Rajkumar ji could reinvent himself and contribute much more for the art. A beautiful interview.

[@indunathan7612]

Excellent , so naturally & frankly spoken. V talented person

[@pskaranth]

Wonderful, touching and superb interview. Beautifully made. I grew up listening to his film songs in Kannada. Initially I thought , Yesudas had sung those songs. Later I came to know that it was he who sang. I also thought that he was from Karnataka and mistakenly thought he was named after famous Kannada actor Rajkumar. This interview has cleared all my misconceptions. His voice was so sweet full of honey. Singing was lively. Felt sad that he could not song for a long period. His interview is an inspiration and full of wisdom about how to accept and move with life. Wishing him all success.

[@gitamanian]

So loved the Kanada at 22 that I had to find the full version of it on youtube.

[@anuradhavasudevan2602]

Move with life as it goes true words sir. Great to hear from from you after a long period that to on this day Mahakavi’s day. I bow you sir great family. The composing talent and musical talent is inbuilt in you, that is a blessing from you great grand grandpa. 🙏🙏

[@colordearth1815]

Thank you for documenting this great musician's story and wisdom. This was really the best episode! Rajkumar Bharathi's story will be etched in my memory for a long long time. You are a blessed soul and a great storyteller 🙏🏻

[@geethasrikrishnan484]

One of the best episodes! How insightful! Mr.Rajkumar Bharathi's narration was splendid and so natural! Great takeaway for anyone who watches! Thankyou so much for the entire team!

[@indunathan7612]

A true grand son of Bharathiyar

[@ravishanker6925]

First I heard Rajkumar BHarathi was in early 90s in a temple concert. Still remember the announcer was repeatedly announcing "He is great grand son of BHarati" The concert was fabulous. Then never heard till now. He sounds very genuine!

[@qdcshiva]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 🙏😊🙏

[@kripa1977]

Thank you sir. Many life lessons 🙏

[@indunathan7612]

So……..good, v touching

[@parvathamveeraraghavan1633]

Amazing Agifted grandson of Bharathi

[@keshavraj8441]

This is interview is to be cherished for generations Amazing artist and human he is. I've witness his works being staged at Mysore dattapeetham ashram on few occasions and he has also produced several musicals and album arranged by sai shravanam (Vedanta desika album recently)adding to his magnum opus repertoire I do wish his musical were made available across digital platforms for enjoyable experience

[@bputube52]

Excellent interview. As it progresses it gathers momentum. It is gripping as it proceedes. Rajkumar Bharathi is living his life as a philosophy. His views on life, his attitude towards it to take things as they come and his firm belief in 'creation' are simply awesome. Thanks for producing such a wonderful interview.

[@harshitahariharan4027]

So much to learn from Bharathi Sir and very inspiring to hear, how humble and down-to-earth.

[@hkmusicstudio3851]

Inspired lot … great show love u Rajkumaar sir ❤️

[@padmavathirangarajan9780]

Super 👍

[@chandrasekaranvaidyanathan1215]

Fantastic artist, human being, composer... Feel so blessed that i encountered this video and experienced it fully

[@saikrishnasrinivasan]

Absolutely enchanting 😀😀🧞‍♂️🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@ramamothi9821]

Nice programme. Great person. I have attended most of his concert in Mysore.

[@sathyabhamashamanna415]

From bangalore. I love to hear your words about karnataka. One day in malleshwaram bangalore I came to your concert by recognising the voice from distance. Thank you so much sir.

[@SwarupN8]

Very very touched by your humility. All the very best to you Sir.

[@avidreader100]

1:10:00 Why only Art and Ego, all kinds of competences and Ego are friends.

[@SaiSubramaniam12]

Thanks MOPA for this episode. Truly a different dimension is opened for the viewers and musicians

[@vijchatter]

Beautiful episode. Salute to the human behind the artist - Shri Rajkumar Bharati! Thanks MOPA for this initiative! 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@rajagopalanvasudevan1541]

🙏🙏 Humility personified. Everyone irrespective of their field ought to patiently listen to this interview of RKB sir & his narrative of own experience. Life lesson for all, not only musicians. The biggest gain to the listener is how to be optimistic in life in the face of adversity that life can throw. Great RKB sir. Pranams 💐

[@Narasimha1993]

Just amazing... Great scholar... Soo deep and refreshing ☺️☺️

[@radhikaramanujan1006]

Sincere talk by such a great vidwan.

[@plbhat03]

Every inch of this episode comes across as very sincere to the core. Rajkumar Bharathi has learned various lessons through the hardships he has faced. It is very sad for a musician to lose his ( her) voice, it is like a death sentence but his life did not stop there. He started composing and he truly enjoys that. A truly self-realized person and he knows how not to fight with life and move along with it. So many lessons to learn from experience and humility. Thank you for this wonderful episode. I could watch this again.

[@varaveenaschoolofmusic]

Great to listen to you Sir..🙏🙏🙏

[@jayashreearavind1447]

Valuable episode, in every sense. Thankyou, Shri. Rajkumar Bharathi, and MOPA, for the insights. How sensitively it has been brought out. Brilliant work. Savita Narasimhan.

[@lataravichandran1768]

,It was great listening to Bharathi sir's experiences and how he saw the Hand of Divinity in and through all of them and found joy and lessons to learn...As a medium, he let creations shape up,so humble and grateful....we enjoyed every bit of it found it very inspiring. 🙏🌹👏👌

[@MyJAYENDRAN]

The thoughts he has brought up here in this conversation are mind-boggling. I am truely amazed by the way life can be looked upon.

[@sudhaanantharaman4879]

So proud of you, Raj anna! You spoke of yourself as a vessel through which your music (first your exemplary singing voice and later your compositions for dance) just poured out. In this instance, the words of a philosopher and Advaiti flooded the ears of the listener bringing about a blissful resonance in thought for the like-minded. Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. You certainly have raised the bar for many a young musician, or for that matter anyone, who seeks to emulate you. God bless.

[@seshadrisubramanian]

Life lessons in Art, Music, Philosophy and poetry. Wonderful!

[@gayathrik5070]

Such a beautiful outlook he shares with us . Extremely grateful for this from the heart sharing.

[@i.s.kavithamurali]

He is elevated person. RKB Sr you are Divine pranams

[@hkmusicstudio3851]

The reson he stopped singing is really sad 🥲🥲Missing your lovely voice by listening more …🥲

[@prithvirajgopal5648]

Amazing insight into life itself with such clarity and humility! Every one irrespective of profession, age, gender and position in life can immensely benefit from RKB’s gems uttered with such ease & joy. Life’s blues - not just mid-life - could be faced with confidence, comes out so stunningly when he shares his tragic moment of losing his voice control at his peak! Thanks to MOPA for this excellent episode. RKB compels you to look within and understand the very essence of being in the flow of life - a complex phenomenon explained with his own experiences! Truly humbling and the tears rolling down the viewer could only be an indication of the baby step (comprehending life) towards being in the flow of life. Truly mind blowing one hour.

[@bputube52]

Yes. I completely agree with you.

[@aparna.g.raghavan1572]

From his heart.. beautiful.. 🙏🏼

[@aarthi27981]

Thoroughly enjoyed watching and learning from this episode. His philosophy of life is worth emulating. My humble pranams to you, Sir! Having been blessed with the opportunity to learn music from Sir directly on a couple of occasions, I feel very grateful to know him, his wife and his daughter. A wonderful musician par excellence and an equally amazing human being, Sir is truly an inspiration to everyone who comes into contact with him. I always cherish the moments I spent with him and always remember him with much gratitude. Kudos to everyone who was part of this superb interview!

[@Vijay0105]

Great words and thoughts by RKB sir, it’s total outlook and perspective he has shared. He has always been a great inspiration to me for music and dynamics of singing. acceptance is spirituality 🙏🙏

[@kalpanasriram8409]

Thank you for this wonderful Interview.

[@Rohinee16]

You guys did it again! What a beautiful episode this was…watching Mr. Bharathi speak about life and it’s ups and downs underscoring it with his unwavering sense of gratitude borne from his own sublime revelations about life and understanding it’s essence - was incredibly endearing!This is a much watch for anyone who wants to see humility personified 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@sridevikodandaram6183]

uu

[@NandakumarUnnikrishnan]

Thanks for this wonderful episode . RKB sir Shri gurubhyo namah 🙏🙏

[@thivyasujen869]

வாயினால் சொல்லிடவும் அடங்காதப்பா; வரிசையுடன் எழுதிவைக்க வகையும் இல்லை. ஞாயிற்றைச் சங்கிலியால் அளக்க லாமோ? ஞானகுரு புகழினை நாம் வகுக்கலாமோ? ஆயிர நூல் எழுதிடினும் முடிவுறாதாம்………! முப்பாழுங் கடந்த பெரு வெளியைக் கண்டான், முக்தியெனும் வானகத்தே பரிதியாவான் இந்த “ ஞானபாநு” ! நினைச் சரணடைந்தேன் 🙏

[@helmetpodu]

please make a video on G.HARISHANKAR (KANJIRA MAESTRO)

[@ajticlt4697]

Great loss of Carnatic Music