Krishna Reddy’s home lies off a dusty dirt road in Vuniyasi, Nadi. It’s a place where mobile phone networks can barely connect, but spend a few minutes with him and out comes his trusty old harmonium.
Reddy, in his inimitable style, wields magic on the wind-powered instrument and makes a connection that touches the depths of your soul.
In-between humming some religious songs called qawali, the 64-year-old shared about his musical journey.
He also spoke about a very different Fiji to what people were experiencing and witnessing today.
According to Reddy, the music scene back in the ’70s and ’80s was “amazing” because artists performed for the love of the art form and not for fame or fortune.
He said this was an era where lyrics, composition, sound arrangement were more intricate and authentic and when music was played minus all the bells common in today’s tunes.
Reddy said today’s audiences came to performances to be entertained but in the past, audiences came to be immersed in the music.
“In the past, people actually listened. And this made the artist work hard at preparing and performing because there was no auto tune or technology that could fix your voice,” he reminisced.
“You were forced to be the best that you could be.
“In these modern times, people don’t really come to a performance to hear the music, they come so they can go on social media and tell everyone.
“And this is very distracting because it takes the attention away from the qawali.”
Reddy’s journey into the religious songs began as a teenager.
“I started singing qawali in 1974, when I was just an 18-year-old boy.”
“My passion for qawali music grew stronger as the years went by.”
He learned the intricate art of qawali from his guru Latchman Gounder in Tavua.
As a young boy, he left his home in Nadi and travelled to Tavua to stay and learn from Gounder.
“That’s what it took to be the best, I travelled all the way to Tavua on the very dusty and bumpy Kings Rd to fine-tune my craft.
“I remember staying with him for two months to understand the basics of qawali singing.”
He said among the qawal of Fiji that inspired him and made him fall in love with the genre were Aten qawal, Mani qawal and boxer Naren qawal.
“These were a few of the qawali singers that I loved listening to.”
While perfecting his style, Reddy also began composing his own qawali songs as well.
“Dil ko Udha Le Jana Dilbar was the song I recorded at Swami Vivekananda College in 1977.
“A team from Radio Fiji Two were there to record qawali songs from many singers that turned up for the event.
“I was overjoyed by the appreciation and respect I received from people after listening to my song on air.’’
He told this newspaper that more qawali singers were present in Fiji at that time when compared with now
“There were roughly around 200 to 300 qawal in Fiji during the ’60s and ’70s, you will be lucky to find even half that number now”
During his prime, a lot of people used to pay Reddy a visit to practise as well as learn from him.
“A lot of people from different places used to come and we learnt a lot from each other.”
“I used to sing most of my qawali at weddings as it was very popular at weddings back then.’’
Reddy said qawali singing needed to be revived by the younger generation.
“The current folk music is good and now in the country we have better musical facilities and there are more opportunities given to singers, but the only thing lacking is a genuine desire to sing from the heart.
“If only our young boys take more interest in qawali, and give it as much prominence as they do to bhajan and kirtan, it will find its footing.”
The 64-year-old Vuniyasi Venktesh Perumal Temple pujari’s first love is playing the harmonium, but he is also an expert in fixing the instrument too.