Chinmayi Unfiltered: I signed up for the struggle, no regrets

New Indian Express

16 hours ago

What is your creative process as a singer?
Nothing special — someone calls me, tells me what time to be at the studio, there are the lyrics, I sing, and leave. My mind actually thinks of a lot of things, like my babies, dogs, house, this, that…My dogs are Uppli, Jiloo, Bobby and Potato. Bobby is the most hyper, he is uncontrollable. (laughs) Uppli actually used to come along for recordings. Now he's like, 'Let me be, I'm not in all this drama.' He has come for so many recordings, has been near the mic, and so many people have been shocked. Even during Kaathalae Kaathalae (Tamil song), he was in the studio.
Is there any musical genre you really want to try?
Life has been kind with opportunities, and composers have been kind by giving me opportunities where I could sing different types of songs. But something I haven't tried yet…rap. But I don't think I have it in me to write rap songs — I just can't rhyme! But never say never, who knows…
You have utilised your reach to support and raise funds for noble causes, particularly those benefiting underprivileged children. What drew you to this?
During Covid, many people from economically weaker backgrounds, including daily wage labourers, reached out and asked for help to avail basic amenities. I was wondering what I could do. My friend and I came up with an idea — since this was a time when people could not meet their loved ones and perhaps were missing birthdays, anniversaries, and the like, what I would do is record personalised songs for them. I'd WeTransfer it to them so they could send it to their loved ones. They would, in return, send money directly to the beneficiaries. No point of me being involved in transactions.
I then got involved with Akshaya trust, which takes care of old destitutes. A portion of my earnings still goes to the NGO. Akshaya now helps me manage an educational platform, where I take classes for around 100 students, be it doctors, engineers, or anyone who wants to learn music basically. These individuals pay Akshaya Trust or the beneficiaries directly. Either way, the beneficiaries then have money, which they can use to send their children to school. Of course, before teaching these students, I speak with them, trying to understand where they are at. Sometimes, I feel they would benefit if they directly learned from my amma, who brings a wealth of experience, and I chip in wherever required.
You took on powerful people during the #MeToo movement. Looking back, what do you feel?
Many of us were reading about it, feeling second-hand rage. Even to speak up at that point of time was terrifying. But I crossed that threshold — there was also a wonderful collective energy of other women — and spoke up. I knew no one was going to welcome me and give me an award, but I signed up for the struggle, so no regrets.
What do you think about Tollywood? Would you like to sing more songs here?
Most definitely! Thanks to people like Supriya (Yarlagadda), Nandini (Reddy), and Jhansi (Laxmi) garu — these women actually took a step and spoke to the film chamber here. If not for their initiative, there wouldn't be an Internal Complaints Committee. I have huge admiration for all these women.
What are the biggest life lessons you want to pass onto your children?
I hope I live a life well enough, so I don't have to write the lessons. They should learn by observation. Because kids will learn from what they see.