80-year-old carnatic singer from Kerala enthralls Dubai audience

KG Jayan, the older of the legendary Jayavijayan brothers, is in the UAE performing to packed houses.

The 80-year-old singer spoke to Emirates24|7 about his friendship with KJ Yesudas, his family, love for music, his twin brother’s death, music school, and his career among other things.

His latest concert, which was held at the JSS School in Jumeirah, was inaugurated by Indian playback singer K J Yesudas. More than 4,000-odd audience demanded for popular old Malayalam numbers and devotional songs.

A music school - Jayavijayans Kalashree – was inaugurated in Dubai by Dr Yesudas. “I will come back to teach music to students in Dubai. It has been my dream to start a music school that will teach serious music,” he added.

Jayavijayan is a very familiar name to music lovers from South India. The twin brothers - Kalaratnam K G Jayan and Vijayan - born five minutes apart from each other, looked, dressed and even sounded identical. Even close friends could not distinguish between the singers except for a minor disability that the older brother, KG Jayan, suffered due to a polio attack.

Disciples of the legendary Karnatic music guru, Padma Vibhushan Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, it was Jayavijayans who once directed K J Yesudas, the evergreen Indian singer to Chembai.

The brothers are popular for the millions of cassettes and music records of devotional songs and stage shows that they performed in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and overseas.

When the younger brother died in 1986, it was Yesudas who pulled himout of depression and persuaded him to continue singing.

“I don’t keep any records of the number of stage performances in the last 45 years. Every year, I sing in at least 150 stages in India and abroad. After Onam, it is festive season in Kerala for seven-eight months when carnatic music concerts are a regular feature. I have visited the US nine times. I’ve also been to Singapore, Canada and Malaysia, too. Expatriates have always supported me,” said the elderly singer.
He has sung at all popular shrines in Kerala. The brothers are famous for their devotional songs as well as film music.

Recalling his friendship with Yesudas, he said, “We are very close friends. His wife was my student for three years. It was Yesudas who brought me back to limelight, breaking my one year silence to mourn my twin brothers death. Mylpeeli cassette was a great hit and I believe ten millions copies were sold in India and abroad. I am thankful to him and his family.”

“Yesudas and our guru, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, have conducted four concerts together.

Jayan is more vocal when he talks about his twin brother Vijayan. “We were identical twins born with a five minutes difference. I am the elder one. We were always great friends. We went to the same music school, learned music from the same guru under the Gurukula system, wore the same dress, etc. Our voice was also similar and only if one of the singers made a mistake could the audience realise that two people were singing on the stage.”

Speaking of Manoj K Jayan, his younger son - a popular film star, he said, “He was keen to become a film actor and was not interested to make music as a career. But he is a good singer as well. My elder son, Biju K Jayan, is a good singer and is now heading the Kalashree Music School in Karama, Dubai.”
 

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