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Teenager creates a record in violin marathon
FOR A docile 16-year-old, this Kerala girl packs in quite a punch. While most teenagers her age have a tough time staying up all night for good grades, Aathira Krishna decided to burn the midnight oil for a completely different reason.
Around this time last year, this young girl from Alapuzha was busy practicing for her marathon 32- hour violin recital that was to be held in the memory of her grandfather, Gopala Pillai, at Soorya Dance and Music Festival in Trivandrum. A little nervous but quite determined, she played 901 compositions of Carnatic music through the day and night, realising that her target had been achieved only when she received a standing ovation.
But the real applaud came in this year, when her name was officially added to the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest violin marathon by an individual. "It was a dream come true for me. I was not hoping to break any records but simply pay homage to my grandfather, whose seventh death anniversary it was. But it does feel good that I managed to achieve it,'' she says.
Coming from a family of musicians, Aathira started training in music from an early age. Her grandfather, an acclaimed musician was her first teacher, with her musician father taking on the guru's responsibilities as time passed.
"For me music was always an obvious choice. I grew up in a musical environment, with my grandfather and father leading me. I started with Carnatic vocal but with time realised that I enjoyed playing the Violin much more,'' says Aaathira.
From being honoured with the National Balasree Honour at the age of 13 to being give the title of "Musical Gem of India'' by former first lady Usha Narayanan, recognition has been as much a part of this teenager's life as has been hard work and dedication.
Breaking the record was not all that easy an affair. " I did not have any problems with sleep during the concert. But after the event, I was not able to sleep for a good some months during the night. It took quite a bit of time to come back to the normal routine,'' reveals Aathira.
But what has given her the latest high is her meeting with President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, this week. "It was a great experience for me as I gave a special violin recital for him on his birthday. I idolise him and he was very encouraging. For me, it is the best performance ever given,'' gushes the teenager.
By Lakshmi B. Ghosh
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