Unstoppable father and daughter music duo in Ladysmith
During the day, when a much younger Mr Ramessur was alone at home while everyone was at work, he kept himself occupied by learning to play his brother’s instruments
If you’re talking about bhajan singing in the province, then the Ramessur family is sure to pop up in the conversation.
Octogenarian Mr Surjoopersad Ramessur (82) has a passion for music, especially bhajans. A bhajan is a devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, in any language of the Indian subcontinent.
This is a passion shared by his daughter, Rajshree Ramessur.
Speaking to Mr Ramessur, who is originally from Durban, he says his love for music started when he was just four or five years old. He explains that his eldest brother, RH Shanker, was an outstanding musician who owned an orchestra. During the day, when a much younger Mr Ramessur was alone at home while everyone was at work, he kept himself occupied by learning to play his brother’s musical instruments.
His brother noticed his keen interest and started to teach him.
This was essentially the start of his career in music! After Mr Ramessur’s marriage in 1960, he began his own family-oriented bhajan group, as everyone in the family was involved in it. They used to do renditions of songs from films, playing at weddings and any special occasion for that matter.
This went on for many years until 2014, when he and his daughter decided to only sing bhajans. They formed a group called Saraswathi Sruti Sangeeth to fulfil this calling of theirs. Mr Ramessur recalls that a great time in his life was when his entire family used to travel to Pietermaritzburg, where they learnt classical Indian music under the guidance of Guru Anil Bridjlall. This carried on for about 10 years.
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With the vast knowledge between them, he and his daughter now teach classical Indian music and instruments such as the tabla (percussion instrument) and harmonium (keyboard instrument that is a lot like an organ) to all
who are interested in learning.
In September this year, their group appeared on SABC 3 on the programme ‘Sadhana’, where they were interviewed about their passion for bhajans. Mr Ramessur has also played on live radio, on ‘Hindvani’, and has had the opportunity to be interviewed about his musical history.
It’s not only music that gets Mr Ramesurr going… He was a teacher for 45 years at various schools in Ladysmith and Durban, where he taught English and History.
Daughter Rajshree is currently learning how to play the sitar; she is a master when it comes to playing the tabla. This father and daughter duo offer music classes every day of the week.
You can contact them on 0366330990 or 0797705932 for more information about their music classes or if you’re in need of a full bhajan group that plays at any auspicious occasion.
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