Paint The Holy Cow: How old were you when you first remember being in a bhajan?
Premanand Trikannad: I think as far as my recollection goes, my being in bhajan has been since my infancy as my mother used to conduct bhajans every evening in which the family members participated, and often joined by friends and relatives too. My mother used to sing bhajans with great devotion.
PTHC: When was the first time you remember thinking about bhajan singers?
Premanand Trikannad: If you mean when I got interested in bhajans by other singers? When I was quite young, I used to listen my elder brothers and sister sing bhajans and I used to merely follow them, not sing individually, by myself. Whenever Pujya Papa Ramdas and Pujya Mataji Krishnabai visited Bombay in the late ‘40’s and early ‘50’s, many prominent musicians would come and sing or perform before them. Pujya Papa appreciated greatly fine music, particularly, devotional and classical. I enjoyed the bhajan singing by these artistes though I did not understand the meaning of the verses.
PTHC: And then when did you start to have the desire to play music and sing?
Premanand Trikannad: It is interesting how God’s grace drew me into bhajan singing. In the early ‘50’s, as mentioned earlier, my older brothers and sister (my younger sister was still too small to sing bhajans) used to sing bhajans along with my mother but I did not sing then. My mother passed away in October 1952 after a prolonged illness – she had a very blessed end. It was soon after her passing away, our family noticed that on the bellows of her harmonium she clearly inscribed my name, ‘Premanand’ and it was naturally assumed by all that it was her wish that I should use her harmonium. I still have her harmonium. Long before, she taught me to play on the harmonium part of a melody of Ram Nam chant which was then popularly sung at our Anandashram. It was only after I came to live in Anandashram in 1957 that by the grace and blessings of Pujya Papa who encouraged me to sing Ram Nam and Bhajans. He was a true Guru in every sense. He taught me to be aware of the meaning of every word contained in the bhajans, and he often corrected my pronunciations, and even the rhythm.
PTHC: Can you remember how old you were when you first started thinking about God?
Premanand Trikannad: Growing in a family who used every available opportunity to leave the city of Bombay where we lived, to visit Anandashram, to bask in the rays of love and bliss that permeated there by the holy presence of the two great spiritual personalities, Papa and Mataji, here again, in whatever small measure it may be, the acknowledgement of the existence of the Divine was naturally instilled in our heart and mind at quite an early age.
Paint The Holy Cow: How old were you when you first remember being in a bhajan?
