As music healed and restored
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
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It has been light at the end of the tunnel for Shanti Mahesh, whose every nerve throbs with music.
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REVIVAL: Shanti Mahesh (right) at the function.
Hers is a story of perseverance and enduring faith — a testimonial to the power of music to heal, to resurrect and to restore. Shanti Mahesh once believed that life was handed to her on a silver platter. Tenth generation inheritor of the renowned Karaikkudi vainika tradition, her every sleeping and waking moment was pervaded by music. Her grandmother and first guru, Karaikkudi Lakshmi Ammal fed the child with the choicest tidbits of melody.
`She would render a phrase and immediately give its swara format, laying the foundation for swara gnana.' The nurturing continued under the expert tutelage of Ramanathapuram C.S.Sankarasivam and Sharadha Gopalam, her aunts, Shashikala Sooryanarayanan and Rajeswari Padmanabhan and her uncle, Karaikkudi Subramaniam, paving the way for a B.A. and M.A. in music, followed by a UGC Research Fellowship.
Shanti's husband, K.V.Mahesh, an All-India rank holder in A.C.A. and an accomplished mridangam artiste, encouraged the completion of her doctorate in music. We were partners in the truest sense. He provided accompaniment during concerts and undertook the computerisation of my entire thesis.'
More than a career
Being an A-Grade artiste of All India Radio brought enough concert opportunities, but it was always the learning and pursuit of music in its purest form which beckoned more than a glittering performing career.
Then, tragedy struck. A road accident claimed Mahesh's life and left Shanti's hanging by a thread. Post surgery, she lay in a coma with partial paralysis. Again, it was music, played by her despairing family, which dispelled the darkness, but very slowly. The road to recovery was long and hard, lasting eleven years.
``I owe so much to the support of my parents and parents in-law. Hope bloomed when my veena playing abilities returned intact. My voice is also improving. I believe that in the fullness of time, music will heal me completely."
The release, recently, of her book `Raga - An Insight' amidst a distinguished gathering of musicians and musicologists such as S.Rajam, S.R.Janakiraman and Prameela Gurumurthy, is a milestone in Shanti's musical journey. `It is an abstract from my Ph.D. thesis `An Exploration of the Concept of Raga in Karnatak Music' under the guidance of Prof. Vasant C. Ranade. Of the 27 ragas analysed, this publication deals with five - Bhairavi, Kalyani, Khambodi, Sahana and Sankarabharanam, using descriptive notation to illustrate phrases'. Shanti adds, ``Raga bhava manifests through creativity with ragatva, not mere scalar expression. This study aspires to convey the practical concept as seen in performing art." The book is dedicated to Mahesh.
Shanti is currently a lecturer at the Mother Teresa Women's University. What are her guiding forces? ``It is important to work towards a goal, as the effort gains greater meaning. Also important is the inspiration provided by role models. For me, it has always been my gurus." The book, accompanied by a CD is a valuable addition to the rasikas' library. For details, contact 24329878. E-mail: admin@brhaddhvani.org.
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