Multi-talented South Indian classical vocalist and musical maestro, Guru Sadha Munien and his three equally-talented daughters are set to launch M3 Studios, a state-of-the-art music recording studio, in Moorton, in the hopes of taking youth to greater musical heights.
The India-themed studio is a two-bedroom home converted into a sound-proof facility by Munien, himself, who commenced with the project in January this year. “I had a vision to open the studio. Over the years, I built the school of music and discovered many talented youth. Some of the students have graduated and are continuing to promote culture and music. “During the lockdown, there was a lot of talent displayed on social media, which brought immense joy to me as I saw my students perform on the various platforms. This inspired me to speed up the process of achieving my dream of starting a recording studio in Chatsworth and I started putting my studies in India to practice,” he said. Munien single-handedly built the studio with the help of his daughters, ahead of Father’s Day on 20 June, when they were not busy studying. Father-daughter bonding time made the family stronger as they grow their family’s musical legacy.
Munien’s three daughters, known as the Munien Sisters, have joined him in captivating audiences locally and across the globe, while promoting culture and music. The girls were mentored by their father and have been playing music since they were toddlers. Vadhini, 20, plays the organ and harmonium, while Dhamini, 17, has mastered the art of playing the thabla and the youngest, Virani, 13, plays the harmonium and electric drums. The father-and-daughter band also runs their family’s music school, the Saraswathie Padasalai School of Music, and are urging residents to enroll their children to master the arts of classical music at an early age in order to curb the negative social ills currently associated with youth. “The design, the acoustic panels, the padding of the walls, sound proofing and room treating was done in about six months.
“The idea is to have a purely South African product. There are many great local Thamizh writers in this country who will be writing songs for recording and we will couple these songs with talented youth to create purely South African Thamizh music,” he said. Munien said he urges all fathers to play an active role in their children’s lives and to encourage music and culture as a part of their everyday lives. “Music and culture plays an important role in a child’s life. We must do what it takes to ensure that we leave a generation better than that which was left for us,” he said. The management and staff of Chatsworth Tabloid along with Guru Sadha, Vadhini, Dhamini and Virani Munien would like to wish all fathers a happy Father’s Day.
