Musicians Praveen D Rao & Varijashree Venugopal celebrate their bond ahead of Friendship Day

New Indian Express

4 days ago

Being flautist HS Venugopal's daughter, Grammy-nominated singer Varijashree Venugopal grew up in a world immersed in music. Little did she know then that she would grow up to become close friends with composer Praveen D Rao, whom she first met as a child.
'I don't think she remembers the first time we met because she was a very tiny one-and-a-half or two-year-old. I remember trying to get the names of scales out of her, singing different scales. She was kind of a toy for many musicians at the time, and a wonderful ball of energy,' reminisces Rao.
It was only later, when a teen Venugopal started making her way into recording studios as a flutist and singer, that a deeper bond of intellectual and musical friendship and mentor-mentee relationship formed between the two. Pointing out a quality she greatly admires in Rao, she says, 'During his recording sessions, what I have observed is how he makes the artist feel – even if something is not working out, he has a magical way of making things work. The artist who comes to play a session invariably goes back home feeling very fulfilled and pumped up about themselves. That's a very rare quality in a person.'
The admiration goes both ways, with Rao noting that collaborating with Venugopal means being on the same wavelength. 'Usually, a composer composes a song, and the singer tries to replicate it as well as they can. But Varijashree always makes the song her own, so beautifully. She just gets into my brain, gets the feel of the song and knows exactly what I want, but makes it better,' he says.
The age gap between them, the duo emphasises, has not stood in the way of a deep mental connection.
Venugopal says, 'Even though we have quite a gap when it comes to age, mentally, it feels very natural and enriching to share conversations and thoughts. Many times, if I am stuck with some kind of situation or I am not able to make a decision about something, I call him to talk and bounce ideas. The way he maintains his cool and composure is very significant in him.'