New Delhi, Aug 24 - Carnatic classical music, which was losing out to contemporary music in the southern states, is making a comeback, with a spurt in the number of young listeners over the last few years, says leading Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam.

'Things have changed. Now, even two-year-olds listen to Carnatic music recitals with rapt attention, along with five-year and 18-year-olds, who earlier found the genre heavy-duty,' the vocalist told IANS in the capital.

Chennai-based Sairam -- who was awarded the Padma Shri this year -- was in the capital to perform at the Vishnu Digambar Jayanti Sangeet Samaroh 2009 at the Kamani auditorium Sunday.

The vocalist is known for introducing 'Abhangs' -- short Marathi devotional songs -- in classical Carnatic recitals and setting rare Tamil literary texts to music.

Sairam attributes the revival of the popularity of Carnatic music among the youth to two factors -- 'the open air classical concerts in cities like Bangalore and Chennai and the change in repertoire by eminent vocalists to make the music more contemporary and relevant.

'Bangalore has the Habba, an open air park festival of music and arts. This year it was held in February. In Chennai, Kanimozhi, daughter of (Tamil Nadu Chief Minister) M. Karunanidhi, organises the Chennai Sangamam, a festival of classical music and performing arts. I performed live in a park this year,' she said.

Sairam improvises on her repertoire to reach out to the youth.

'Usually, I lace my selection with a bit of variety and lighter ragas. For instance, at the end of my recital, I sing a small (very brief) but a delightful Tamil folk song -- a conversation between mother Yashoda and baby Krishna. It is sung as a dialogue and people sit through the two-hour concert just to listen to the number, 'Maad Meikum Kanne', which has become a kind of anthem at my concerts. The audience flocks to the stage to sing along with me,' she said.