If being a successful performer is all about balancing the material and the spiritual world, then so is all of life. So submits a smiling Aruna Sairam, the eminent Carnatic vocalist whose serene music signals more clearly than words that she has achieved a peaceful equilibrium.

"This conflict actually encompasses every activity of life," says the singer, who was in Delhi to sing at the invitation of the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Satsangam, which marked its 38th anniversary this past weekend. "But I feel if there is awareness of what is important to us and what is less important, we will be able to keep the balance. Any right thinking person will be able to figure it out. As artistes we always try to put the depth and feeling and spirituality in front."One's thinking is always a product of one's upbringing. The celebrated singer, known for her eclectic range and collaborations with musicians from outside the Carnatic tradition, emphasises the role of her parents in building her holistic approach. "My parents combined a lot of formal and informal education. On the one hand I got up early and did my sarali varasai, janta varasai (solfa exercises), etc. My mother (Rajalakshmi Sethuraman) was my first teacher. She was trained by the Alathur Brothers and by Tanjavur Shankara Iyer. On the other hand, great thinkers, orators, dancers, painters were always visiting us. As a child I was constantly in touch with them."