On My Pinboard: Sunitha Murali

Playback singer Sunitha Murali is famous for her song ‘Ello Jogappa Ninna Aramane’. Known to people as Jogi Sunitha, she is a disciple of late C Ashwath. Sunitha has sung over 2,500 albums in all south Indian languages and has worked with various music directors including Hamsalekha, V Manohar, Dharmavish, Gurukiran, Ramanagokula, Anoop Selin. Having toured countries like the USA, Bangkok, Australia, Singapore and South Africa, the singer is now one of the mentors in the Kannada reality music show ‘Kannadada Kogile’

Music
S P Balasubramanyam
“S P Balasubramanyam, S Janaki and Mohammed Rafi are some of the singers I look up to. Balu sir’s ‘Nanna Jeeva Neenu’, S Janaki’s ‘Nambide Ninna Naade Devate’, and Rafi’s ‘Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh Par’ are some of my favourites.

Being a disciple of C Ashwath, his ‘Deepavu Ninnade’ and ‘Ashada Neeliyali’ are also my favourites. In film songs, I like retro songs better.”

Films
Dr Rajkumar
“I am a fan of Dr Rajkumar. He is one of the best actors our industry has ever seen. His ‘Eradu Kanasu’, ‘Hannele Chiguridaga’ and ‘Sandhyaraga’ are some of my favourite films. I mostly like watching musical and historical films. Films like ‘Mayura’, ‘Babruvahana’ can be watched any number of times without getting bored. I also admire Anant Nag and Ramesh Aravind. Their natural acting is what I adore the most.

Inspiration
B S Sudhindra(father)
“My dad is my inspiration. Though he had a good voice, he was never recognised. He encouraged me to learn music, and I got the privilege to learn Carnatic, light music and Hindustani. Apart from that, reading books inspires me. Whenever I am low, reading
cheers me up.”

Food
Uppittu
“Uppittu is my favourite dish. Whenever I am home alone, I come up with different versions of uppittu; I can survive on just uppittu for a week. Apart from that, I love chaat items. I am also a huge fan of ice cream. The ‘Lakeview Milk Bar’ on MG Road is one of my most-frequented places; I love their ice cream.”

Travel
Mysuru
“Though I love travelling, I haven’t actually been on long family trips. All my tours are work-related. The two places that I visit often with my family are Mysuru and Belaguru. I especially like Mysuru for its old world charm, people, authenticity among many other things. Our family believes in Belaguru Anjaneya, so we frequent there as well. Among the places I have toured for work, Sydney is my most favourite; I like it for its culture and warmth.

Books
S L Bhyrappa
“I am an avid reader. Growing up, I was surrounded by teachers at home and through them, I got into the habit of reading at an early age. S L Bhayrappa is a favourite. His ‘Mandra’, ‘Daatu’ and ‘Parva’ are evergreen; ‘Mandra’ is my go-to book as it is about music. I also like the works of M K Indira, Saisuthe and Triveni.”