His journey began at 12 years old when he was first attracted to bhajan, or Indian devotional music, at the Sai Baba Centre he and his parents attended.

As he was Chinese, Chong was placed in the group singing bhajan translated into Mandarin. “But you can’t translate Indian music into other languages as its beauty will be lost,” he mused.

From this starting point, he was inspired to deepen his knowledge of Indian classical music, and began training in bhajan singing and learning the basics of Carnatic music.

“Along the way, I also had the opportunity to learn the harmonium, which I successfully picked up within two weeks,” Chong told FMT.

At the end of 2002 Chong found himself wanting to learn more, so he made his way to Chennai, India.

There he began studying the Bharata Natyam, a form of Indian classical dance, and also learnt how to play the veena, a stringed instrument. “However, I eventually realised my passion was singing,” he said.

He began searching for the right teacher, but it wasn’t easy. “People seemed to think foreigners were rich and would quote a high fee.”

Discouraged, Chong contemplated giving up and going back to Malaysia. He then called his mother to inform her he would return to study law.

“But my mother told me to give it one last try or I could find myself regretting my decision,” he said.

Not long after, he came across a music directory and randomly called a number. It would be the phone call that changed his life: the person on the other end was D K Pattammal, a notable name in the Carnatic music industry.

She invited Chong to come over to her house.

“I remember cycling under the hot sun for almost 90 minutes before I found her home. When I walked in, I saw a grand old lady wearing a beautiful saree sitting on a chair. For some reason, I felt this connection with her,” he recalled.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he started crying and pouring his heart out to her. Seeing his tears, Pattammal started crying as well. She ended up taking Chong under her wing without a fee.

A life-changing experience

“My life changed tremendously. In six months, she had arranged for my ‘arangetram’ – my first formal presentation – where I was supported by two well-known musicians,” said Chong.

This boosted his own profile – people would stop him on the road when he was cycling to take photos with him.

In the meantime, Pattammal became more than just a teacher to him. “She adopted me as a god-grandson and gave me the name Sai Madhana Mohan Kumar, which is how I am known in India.”

Chong ended up under her tutelage for over four years, before continuing his training under her granddaughter.

In 2009, Pattammal passed away, which, unsurprisingly, had a tremendous impact on Chong. He temporarily gave up music and worked in human resources for five years.

“There was no purpose or goal for me. The one person I wanted to sing to was gone,” he said.

In 2013, an opportunity arose for him to sing while he was in Puttaparthi, India. “I ended up singing in Telugu for more than 10 minutes. It was only supposed to be a five-minute slot,” Chong recalled with a laugh.

He would also perform there during Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s 88th birthday celebration in November that year.

Chong has since received numerous accolades such as the “Outstanding Person Award for Promoting Culture” through music in 2018. The following year, he was bestowed the title “Gaana Gandharva” by the India Cultural Centre and Temple in Memphis, Tennessee.

Today, Chong is guiding others to follow their passions, as he did, by being a teacher.

To upcoming Indian classical singers and musicians, he gave this piece of advice: “Be sincere to the art. Don’t chase after fame and popularity, or you will find yourself becoming a slave to it.”

Follow Chong on Facebook and Instagram, and check out his YouTube channel. He can be contacted at 012-3450009.