SUREKHA .. like a bolt of chutney lightning

At the Triangle Amphitheatre in Rio Claro, thousands of chutney fans gathered to witness the semi-finals of the National Chutney Foundation competition.

But, the crowd grew restless listening to the same soca beat over and over again. Then, like a bolt of lightning the voice of Surekha Yankaran broke the monotony. It was so distinct and powerful that everyone was now focused on the stage. She had spent her entire life hearing the voice of her father, the great Isaac Yankaran. She inherited the art of delivering these original classical lines so beautifully that she held the attention of everyone. Everyone came to a standstill when they heard her spellbinding voice. Although Surekha was just 2 1/2 years old when her father died — she was given a gift by a person she never knew, yet she had his blood running in her veins and his voice in her heart. “My father’s death seems to draw me closer to him. I was ever so curious about this human being who everyone seemed to idolise. I heard his voice every day in the house and I knew all his songs just by listening to him,” she said.

Surekha who still lives in the home of her father in Waterloo has been entertaining huge crowds throughout TT and many other countries. She has followed in the footsteps of her brothers and sisters and sang the songs that the people treasured. She has five brothers and one sister. Her eldest brother, Shyam lives in New York, Suresh live at home in Waterloo, Ashook has found his home in Canada. The famous Rakesh who also lives in Waterloo, travels to many different countries through the year. Her only sister Devika lives in New York. Then there is Anand, the guy who thrilled the people of TT with his popular song, “Nanda Babaji Ko Chaiya.” And finally there is the baby of the family, Surekha.  

The entire family has developed the art of singing. “My father gave us a beautiful gift. The art of delivering these songs. Wherever I go people would say that the sweetness in our voices is different from the other singers. They quickly point out the Yankaran’s voice from a distance,” she related. She agrees that God did give the Yankarans more powerful vocal chords than many other singers. Compared to the many singers of the world, the Yankarans are all enjoying a certain amount of fame because of their extremely melodious voice. Their CDs have been selling like hot bread. The most popular of them being her elder brother, Rakesh who won the Chutney Monarch on three occasions.  “Everyone says that Rakesh’s voice is the closest to his father’s. And he might not know it but I really enjoy listening to him sing. I have learnt a lot from him,” she said. She noted that she never really had the opportunity to share her sentiments with her brother because she doesn’t really have that kind of rapport with him. But when they meet the love is there. While hardly any spoken words pass between them — they communicate on a certain wave length.

She reminisces on the days at school when she was asked to sing for Divali functions. Although she knew the song, she remembers practicing long hours. “I believe that in order to hold the attention of any audience, big or small, one should really rehearse the item. Going before any audience is really a huge task. Imagine you are in front of an audience and you cannot deliver the song. I mean it is really no good,” she said. She noted that while many people have chosen singing as a career, the art of singing has chosen her. She didn’t like the hassle of going out every night to perform. “For women it is really difficult to maintain good character in the world. Each time you have to go out there at night it is taking so much from you. Especially when you are a performer,” she said. Surekha is married to Chris Ruben and they have two sons, Brandon 7, and Ryan, 10. Apart from singing, Surekha is a full time homemaker and housewife. She noted that she enjoys cleaning, decorating the house and also entertaining family and friends. She is also heavily involved in community work. Her husband Chris is the president of the Waterloo Village Council and Surekha is the Public Relations Officer.

Surekha loves to see children of the village get together in the temples. “I really love to see them sing together. It gives a great joy in my heart that I really cannot explain,” she said. She boasts about her niece, Chabela Jangalee (her sister, Devika, eldest daughter) who is following in the Yankaran footsteps and singing classical songs. Her nephew, Navin Yankaran — the son of Rakesh was awarded Best Drummer at the recent Classical Singing Competition at Rienzi Complex. Surekha says that she is always encouraging her nieces and nephews to carry on the tradition of singing since many of them have the Yankaran voice. Her latest CD, Chutney.Com compiled by Ajeet Praimsingh has been doing well in TT and in countries such as Canada, New York and Florida.

In 2003 Phagwa celebrations, the audience was treated to Yankaran’s songs at the Pichakaree competition where she thrilled them with her song entitled, “Let Dharma Prevail.” Her composition for the NCFTT’s Monarch is “Ah Going Away.” The tune deals with the present spate of crimes happening in the country and her quest to take her art to another country. The outspoken Surekha has been spending a lot of time creating new tunes and experimenting with various melodies for the songs she will perform this year. A deeply religious person, she attends Waterloo Sai Centre where she attends religious service every Thursday. She does a lot of devotion at home. “Doing devotion has helped me to focus in life. I get a lot of mental strength from doing devotion,” she said.