sam wrote: ↑20 May 2025, 09:17.
Work-life balance is a hot topic in south india..especially in Chennai and Bangalore. This news item may be an eye opener.
It isn't news to me. I'm aware of some of the pressures and (to me) unreasonable demands put on young Indian employees. In some ways, I would have loved to have been born here: in some other ways, not so much. I do respect them for what they achieve, both in office and in music: it would be far too much work for a lazy nick-h!
I'm aware of keen rasikas who often tell me that they had to miss concerts because of work. But I am also aware that many young and even not-so-young musicians do not work full time in music, but manage to give concerts, and even to work on other musical projects.
.it so happens that quite a few thousands of keen students of carnatic music, most often because of their family background are hard working professionals .
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Whether their time is taken by profession or whatever, their are many who desire to perform who will not get the chance. The competition is intense. That's the same in all performing arts in all the world
For whom are these vocalists trying to improve their voice?
Bathroom singing?
For whom are they even opening their mouths and singing? For whom are they picking up their veenas, flutes, mridangams, etc?
For themselves; for the love of music.
And a good voice may still be part of their concern. A healthy voice may still be part of their concern.
I was discussing this with a visiting NRI one day a few years ago. She does get concerts, but very few. Still, she told me that she had come to realise that, if she did not work on her voice now [early middle age] she might not be able to sing later in life. To an audience or not.
The leisure class, wants singers to sing.only for the diaspora? ...for whom december chennai may be an escape?
Please excuse if I am wrong, but I have a feeling that you are in USA, and might not be familiar with the current Chennai carnatic scene during January to November? It is very much alive and well. Concerts have declined from twenty years ago, when there would have been a choice of several every day. But once can still attend several every week. Very often I do.
Now, shall we talk about singing voices?
Sure. First of all, we need not be talking about voice control techniques applicable to western music, classical and pop.
Whilst no Indian musician needs to learn the techniques of an opera singer* (a style I personally don't like at all), lungs are lungs, larynxes are larynxes, the world over. Therefore useful techniques can be found from all the world. @thenpaanan has posted practical information about this.
Let us confine ourselves to Indian music..CM and HM.
Among the two, HM classical , especially of muslim schools, ( i am talking about 1940 1970 period, plenty of recordings of more than a dozen masters are available free in web, almost predominantly male voices.
So we don't have to confine ourselves,
As I have already pointed out, even as a lay listener, i am blown by their huge voice range. And pitch perfection. Besides their rocket speed improvisations where needed..
May be we must have a model before us to guide us. What better model than these ?
So my recipe is just listen to a lot of HM Classical vocalists
The experience and the example may be good. But techniques need to be learnt, not just listened to.
Unless members like thenpaanan can contribute more practical posts, I think this subject is done and dusted. I know only too well that what I've said here has been said on this forum before, probably more than once! So perhaps I should make a note to self: stop repeating!
*Actually, I was surprised to learn, from a young vocalist, only last week, that she has that interest!
. Of course with ADA compliance. As the transit goes underground, music should radiate and raise up the skies! 
