Music, his manna

Music has been an integral part of his life ever since his childhood in Mumbai. 8220;My parents tell me that as a baby, I would crawl up to the loudspeaker every time Western classical music was played and crawl away whenever any other kind of music was being played,8221; laughs Antia.

When as a six-year-old the little boy showed an aptitude for the piano, his parents enrolled him for lessons. 8220;I had other attractions like toys and sports but the piano took precedence over it all,8221; he remembers. This interest blossomed under the guidance of George Thomson, a British teacher when Antia was at Sherwood Boarding School, Nainital. 8220;He was an exacting task master who taught me the right technique of playing the instrument,8221; he says.

During a three-year tutelage period under voice trainer Norma Alphonso back in Mumbai, Antia discovered a new fascination 8211; opera. 8220;It always fascinated me how opera singers could throw their voice till it reached that roof-raising resonance.8221; Antia joined a voice trainer when still in college, who taught him how the voice could not just last but grow without exhausting oneself. A technique that has since proved useful in his teaching profession. 8220;Today when people ask me how I have the energy to go through 11 periods of singing class, followed by an hour of voice training, I know I have my teacher to thank,8221; says Antia.

His career as a singing teacher was not without its early hiccups. 8220;My relatives, who wanted me to choose the conventional careers of medicine or engineering were not too happy with my interest in singing.8221; What followed was a string of jobs as ticketing officer and sales representative. Soon Antia realised that he could not stay away from music for long. As professional singing did not present a promising scope, he thought of the other alternative 8211; teaching; which he has stuck to from 1971. He started teaching in schools in Pune ever since he shifted here in 1982. 8220;When in college, I had successfully trained my team in an inter-college choir competition. I realised that my forte lay in teaching,8221; he says.

A self-confessed stickler for discipline, Antia believes that training in music requires dedication. 8220;Some exceptionally good students end up leaving because they cannot find the time for music. Love for music needs to be nurtured in children and this cannot be done by pushing classical music on them. I stick to light classical and golden oldies for choral arrangements,8221; he says, adding that it is unfortunate that a sizeable minority who love singing are tone deaf.

Antia finds that though boys, with their inclination to sports, need to be persuaded into singing, once interest is generated, they take to it just as enthusiastically. Besides his school commitments, Antia gives private voice training lessons where academically-inclined students are trained for the Trinity College examinations.

In order to draw adults into singing, Antia set up a choral group called the Poona Youth Chorale in 1982. He has since branched out to form another choir 8211; Vibrant Voices. 8220;This is much more demanding and includes a range of music from classical, spiritual, Broadway hits and sentimental favourites,8221; he says. Antia performs solo recitals as a tenor and is gearing up for a solo performance of Rossini8217;s Stabat Mater in Mumbai in February.

Antia8217;s only regret is not having being able to concentrate on public performances. 8220;I lacked the necessary guidance and funds. But it is just as rewarding to teach,8221; he says.

Weekends are reserved for indulging in hobbies like swimming, cycling and making train models. A member of the Model Railway Society, Antia says his speciality lies in Indianising the models.

It8217;s difficult to part him from his music for too long, he confesses. When it8217;s music, he8217;s back on track.