When Journey Becomes Identity: Becoming Sriranjani Tapasya

​
​

Initiation

I was initiated into music from the day I was conceived, for there was only music, and nothing but music, in my home. I did gurukulavasam - homeschooling with my father and guru, Sangita Kalanidhi Neyveli Santhanagopalan - and naturally imbibed much of his style, values, and ideologies. I was encouraged to lead with discipline, curiosity, attention to detail, and an uncompromising commitment to perfecting my craft.

​

The Shift

​

I began performing at the age of eighteen and simultaneously teaching in small ways. There comes a time in every artist’s journey when reflection deepens - when one begins to question, meditate, and rediscover meaning. A tapas (‘Penance’ in Sanskrit) of sorts. It was in that phase that the word Tapasya came to me. To me, it signified deep reflection, meditative effort, and a lifelong devotion to music. I began to think deeply about compositions, started creating my own, and through travel and concerts, met extraordinary musicians and kindred souls who reshaped the way I perceived both music and life.

Establishing the Tapasya School of Music

Formally establishing Tapasya School of Music in 2012 changed my life. Through teaching, I began to deconstruct what I had been taught, regroup, and rebuild. I worked on transforming my voice culture to suit my own expression and shared these learnings with my students. As someone who approaches both performance and teaching with equal conviction, I can say with certainty that founding Tapasya has been one of the most fulfilling acts of my life. Over the years, my students, their families, and friends - the Tapasya family, as we lovingly call it - have become a tight-knit and deeply supportive community.

Becoming Sriranjani Tapasya

Later, I founded Tapasya Chamber Concerts, born from my belief that Carnatic music truly thrives in intimate spaces where the art and audience breathe together. Over time, everything I did began to bear the name Tapasya - my home, my ensemble, my band. One day, someone very dear called me Sriranjani Tapasya, and it rang so sweet and true that I knew - the name Tapasya, and everything it stands for, had become an inseparable part of me.

This life - my art, my teaching, my music - is and always will be a tapasya: a penance in pursuit of beauty, truth, and surrender.

From this day forth, I carry that truth in my name - Sriranjani Tapasya.

I hope you will all generously and graciously accept this evolution in my journey, just as you have always supported me through every step.

நன்றி, 

Sriranjani Tapasya