The Hindu : New Delhi News : Celebrating Veena Navrathri

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 14, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Celebrating Veena Navrathri

Madhur Tankha

IGNCA organises National Festival of Veena in Chennai

The nine-day festival will be a symbol of the musical and spiritual traditions of India.

NEW DELHI: To revive and rejuvenate all vanishing and languishing arts, the New Delhi-based Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts along with Veena Foundation and local music sabhas is organising “Veena Navarathri” in the traditional “guru-shishya parampara” in Chennai from September 13 to 21.

Over 50 distinguished artistes and accompanists will participate in the unique festival. Visualised by late L.M. Singhvi, the founder president of the Veena Foundation and a former president of IGNCA Trust, the event is a tribute to his revered memory.

Pointing out that Veena represents the confluence of the science of musical sounds and the Indian philosophy of tranquillity and peace, V. Raghurama Ayyar, Veena Foundation secretary-general and advisor to IGNCA, says it is a fitting vehicle for spiritual expression.

According to IGNCA member-secretary K.K. Chakravarty, the Veena is the most ancient musical instrument in the country. “It has always been lovingly dedicated by maestros to establish communion with the supreme being. IGNCA has been holding such festivals periodically to revive and rejuvenate the vanishing traditions both in the North and the South.”

The nine-day festival will be inaugurated in Chennai with a Veena recital by the Karaikudi traditionalist Rajeshwari Padmanabhan and her disciples C. Vaishnavi and V. Srinivasan. This will be followed the next day by the Lalgudi tradition represented by Padmavati Ananthagopalan and her disciples at Narada Gana Sabha.

There will be a power-point presentation on the late maestro Balachander on September 15, followed by Veena recital by distinguished disciple S. Kannan. The presentation has been organised by Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha of Chennai. Emani Sankara Shastri and his “Chitta Babu” tradition will be represented by Suma Sudhindra of Bangalore at Narada Gana Sabha on September 16.

The celebrated Veena Vidushi, Kalpakam Swaminathan will give a special recital on September 17 followed by her disciple Revathi Krishna. Next day at the Krishna Gana Sabha, the Kalashetra tradition will be presented by R. Parthasarathi and his disciple Anantha Narayanan. The Travancore tradition (Swathi Thirunal) set by late K.S. Narayan Swami will be represented by R. Venkataraman and his disciple Geeta Krishnamurti on September 19.

Ravi Kiran of international fame will present a programme on Chitra Veena along with his disciple Shivakumar of Tiruchi on Veena. On the concluding day, the Dikshitar tradition will be presented by Jeyraj Krishnan and his wife Jayashree along with their disciples Revathi Sadasivam and Veena Venkataramani of Delhi.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi