MY FESTIVAL - VEENA E.GAYATRI
`The veena is not extinct'
I don't remember whether it was 1970 or 71, but it was the year in which D.K.Pattammal was awarded the Sangita Kalanidhi title.
On the day of my concert at the Academy, I remember vividly, there was a big traffic jam and I was virtually carried into the auditorium for my performance.
My mother later told me that the chaos was because of me, as people had thronged the place just to witness my playing and have a close look at me, the child prodigy.
Music Festival has always been a thing that I eagerly look forward to. As I love vintage stuff, I always make it to concerts of doyens. I have a lot of favourites some of whom are no more and I miss them a lot. The list is quite long.
As my parents were musicians they were happy to take me to concerts of giants. Though half-yearly exams fell during December season they never insisted on my staying back at home even if there was an exam the next day as they considered exposing me to the music of great artistes would help me hone my skills.
Emani Shankara Sastry who rarely performed even during his heyday, gave an electrifying concert during one of the December festival concerts which is still etched in my memory.
Voleti's concerts at the Academy and a few other Sabhas were meditative. The Hindolam of maestro Balamuralikrishna at one of the festival concerts in the 1970s was electrifying. I'm yet to hear such a beautiful sketch of Hindolam. .
Today the trend is changing. It is the number of concerts that matters. ``How many are you performing this year," they ask.
The quality is lost. Whereas earlier, there were fewer Sabhas and only the best got to perform and the stuff was always qualitatively very high.
What saddens me most is about the veena being pushed to the background by sabhas on the grounds that it is a chamber instrument and not fit for playing in large halls.
Of course I do get a lot of offers during the season but I am choosy. Sabhas should remember that veena is not extinct and listening to it from accomplished artistes will prove to be a meditative experience.
(As told to V. Balasubramanian)
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