This Chennai girl is a World Whistling Champion

Photo Courtesy: Facebook via Swetha Suresh
Photo Courtesy: Facebook via Swetha Suresh

She is a singer, Bharatanatyam dancer and video editor. Multi-talented.

But it is her unique talent of whistling that has been fetching this Chennai girl laurels. Swetha Suresh is a professional whistler.

She has won the first prize in two competitions at the World Whistling Convention held in Japan between July 15-17, and is already a record-holder for whistling 18 hours straight in 2014. Her name has entered the Tamil Nadu Book Of Records, Asia Book of records and also the Limca Book Of Records. She has next set her sights on the Guinness world records, which she plans to conquer soon.

Asked how she got interested in whistling, Swetha says “I started taking Carnatic music lessons at a very young age and joined a children’s orchestra as a vocalist in my fifth standard. I was fascinated by the sound of the flute and wanted to learn to play it. But at that time, I was unable to. So I tried to whistle the sounds and that’s how I got interested in whistling. As whistlers, we call ourselves ‘flute without bamboo’.”

Swetha’s parents encouraged her unique talent and helped her join the Indian Whistler’s Association (IWA) to develop it.

There are different forms of whistling — blowing in, blowing out, teeth whistling and wolf whistling. Swetha is a blowing-out whistler and she groomed herself as an artist through different innovative training exercises at the IWA.

The World Whistling Convention, which she won, is a biennial affair, and this year it took place in Kawasaki, Japan. There was online audition which she cleared with a top rank, bolstered by which she set about planning her trip. Giving her a leg up, her college, Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College,  where she had completed her undergraduate studies, sponsored her trip.  A few friends also pitched in to help Swetha realise her dream.

The convention in Japan saw 50 contestants from six countries participating in different categories. Swetha participated in the Recorded Accompaniment (Adult female) and the Allied Arts categories. The whistle artist says it was a really tough competition and she felt added pressure because she was performing in front of her idol, Geert Chatrou, a world champion whistler from the Netherlands.

WATCH SWETHA’S PERFORMANCE AT THE WORLD WHISTLING CONVENTION

 

But this youngster was able to top both her competitions and got the first prize in both. She even got a special souvenir from her idol.

Whistling is usually seen as a roadside Romeo’s toll of choice, and it is never taken seriously. But this Chennai girl has conquered the world stage with her whistling prowess and hopes that people see it for the art it is.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Stanley John / Online Desk / July 29th, 2016