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“At 22, I was touring the world with Manna Dey,” says singer Kavita Krishnamurthy
The singer talks about touring the world with some of the greatest Indian musicians, meeting her husband in her 40s and her simple life in Mumbai with her aunt and dog
Where were you career-wise?
Life had taken a good direction and, at 22, I was performing with Hemant Kumar and Manna Dey across the world, doing jingles in 14 languages, doing Gujarati songs and even bhajans.
And the money situation...?
I was making a lot of money. I had a home of my own, where my aunt, a Bengali, raised me as my parents were in Switzerland.
Any romance in the air...?
None at all. My family, my aunt and dog were my world. I was a confirmed bachelorette till I met my husband (L Subramaniam) in my mid-40s!
Was your family supportive?
Always. Even from a distance. My sister would accompany me to concerts. My two brothers in Switzerland and the one in Calcutta also came for the ones they could. The only huge setback was that I had lost my father at 21.
Tell us about your sense of fashion...
None. I’d wear Bengali cotton saris or salwar-kameez. Only when I was abroad, would I wear jeans and shirts. I was a no make-up person. And it helped as I was never expected to dress up so much even when I was a celebrity!
What did you do for fitness?
I was working like a donkey and would go from one studio to another. There were just walks whenever I had time.
And the biggest life lesson you learnt?
If I can remain honest and surrender myself to God, he takes care of everything.
If you could rewind and change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I could have probably learnt how to read and write Western music. My husband does a lot of orchestral work and I remember I had to sing in 2011 with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra and I had to memorise every part as I could not read.
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From HT Brunch, December 13, 2020
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