Why we should do more for the Veena

[Rsachi]

Dear rasikas,
I am penning my thoughts that have been jostling for expression for some time but have reached the critical mass this morning.

I believe we need to do more for the Veena.

I believe that in fostering the music of the Veena, we will be doing a fundamental service to ourselves in strengthening the basics of Carnatic music and also reviving the art of the greatest string instrument invented in India long back. Obviously this is a subject for debate and I welcome more competent, persuasive and influential rasikas to contribute to the discussion.

I list below my own thoughts:
1. The Veena is an ancient Indian instrument identified with Vedas, classical music and creativity. The most ancient texts refer to the instrument as the one played by Saraswati, Narada, Shiva and Ravana, among others.
2. The famous words of Sage Yagnavalkya are: "veenaavaadanatatwagnah shruti-jaati-visharadah taalagnascha aprayaasena mokshamaargam niyachati" meaning that one adept in the Veena, classical music of ragas and talas, will take the path to liberation easily.
3. In the hands of Saraswati, it is held delicately, and played with feminine grace, in the hands of a Ravana or such, it is full of masculine vigour...so versatile!
4. All great Carnatic musicians have extolled the Veena, including Thyagaraja and Dikshitar, himself a great vainika.
5. When a Veena maestro attributed the felicity of MSS's music by stating that she had a built-in Veena in her vocal chords, he was idiomatically stating that a mastery of the Veena and its nuances will strengthen one's overall mastery of vocal music.
6. Listen to this track: http://is.gd/eMxqZN How exquisitely the KSN Veena embellishes the vocal music of SSI! The Veena can add great weight and depth to vocal music. In fact, many great musicians have sung while playing the Veena themselves. This is impossible perhaps with other instruments. And the ergonomic arrangement of the Veena as we hold it today helps to give space to vocalisation easily, and it looks also beautiful. I remember Smt Rajeshwari Padmanabhan was so good singing along with the Veena.
7. If we give the right place to the Veena, we will have more great maestros like S. Balachander. Listen to this track: http://is.gd/qhocVy. He does incredible improvisation, and in fact the violinist and mridangist have to exert themselves to keep up with him. (I am not sure, is it raga bhavapriya?)
8. Carnatic music is based on 22 srutis. The instrument which readily expresses gamaka music is the Veena. I remember the lec-dems of Smt. Vidya Sankar in this regard.
9. The Veena has a built-in rhythmic element, thanks to the tala strings. It makes it a one-man symphony.
10. In the hands of a Chitti Babu, it sounds incredibly sweet, even merely playing a scale makes great music.
11. It adds so much lustre to even light music. The other night, Ilayaraja's orchestra had Rajhesh Vaidhya centre-stage with the Veena. On request, he played a great two-minute Kapi. The effect was profound.
12. We lament the decibelisation and electronification of our music in general. The right antidote is the Veena. It immediately ushers us into a soirée, with such a profound intimacy with the artiste. It makes for real naada yoga.
13. In the right hands, the Veena can sparkle so well, from the Varnam to the Tillana. A great Veena exponent is Smt. Jayanthi. I really wish her Veena had a higher pitch and a more vibrant metallic timbre (a la Chitti Babu) but still her music is SO EXPRESSIVE AS IT IS. She was also an exquisitely beautiful presence on the stage some time back with her Veena in BGS.
14. Indian culture was always rooted in subtlety and refinement.

The Gayatri is whispered into one's ears during upanayana. We have oil lamps in the sanctum sanctorum. We have the subtle fragrance of flowers, not nose-dazzling attars. The Veena is the epitome of subtlety. By relegating it, by drowning its music with decibels and keyboards and such, we have driven it to nearly being qualified as an endangered species. No wonder we now want to go back to soukhyam, raga music and such.

An easy way? Encourage more youngsters to take to the Veena. Celebrate this great instrument. Attend Veena concerts. Recognise talent. Let us not wait for another avatar of another mahavidwan like Balachander to crusade for the Veena. Let us give Veena a chance. We will surely have many more great Veena maestros. And go back to the roots of Carnatic music.

PS: am I raising a subject already discussed here? Are people likely to go into a debate on what is the right definition of a Veena? Are people going to argue about its construction deficiencies, transportation unfriendliness etc.? I don't know. But I still feel what I wrote here is worth a revisit/consideration. And while we are at it, why not improve the mechanics and quality issues of the Veena and its sound reproduction?

[sureshvv]

One thing I have observed (and strengthened during the recent Veena festival) is that the instrument needs a great deal of mastery. Very few are able to play it to at least concert level perfection.

PS: I feel your pain!

[PUNARVASU]

Rsachi, echoing my sentiments.

[Nick H]

Should we listen to the veena with, or without, electronic assistance?

Is it possible to play it, in the way that we have become accustomed to hearing it, without electronic pickup and speaker?

How was this handled in the past?

Edit with another question, of a less technical nature?

Why Veena multiplayer marathons, half-hour per person? When did this start, and why does it seem to be particularly a veena thing?

Sorry: all questions and no answers in this post!

[Rsachi]

dear Nick,
can try answering some:
the veena was essentially a chamber concert instrument. it was played by plucking with fingers- and by a few using their natural nails. using clips and contact mikes came much later. each such addition palpably changed the tone.
veena chamber music and radio/studio recordings sound exquisite, especially when played with minimal deviations from finger plucking. I have heard the veena in such settings and just loved the experience.
don't know about relay playing.

[srikant1987]

1) Instrumentalists, in general, need to know many subtle things which may be taken for granted by vocalists. They need to be able to 'explicate' the music on their instruments. On veenai this need is even more pronounced. A related aspect is the rigorous discipline and colossal practice necessary.

2) It should be noted, however, that an instrument, after all, is just an instrument! It is the person playing it that has flesh, blood and a soul. And it is advised that we love people, not things.

[Rsachi]

Srikant,
well put! I remember listening dumbfounded to Chitti Babu the first time, and later going near the stage, and marvelling at his cute black veena and how it was just a mute thing until he played it. He played Mamavatu Sri Sarasvati that day in Mysore, 1966/1967.

[varsha]

Moving on from Why to
What we can do more for the Veena.
My two cents.
1.Start a Veena fan club
2.Look for donations in multiples of rs 5000
3.Invite Artists to be part of the group without donating .
They could offer to perform for whatever turns out to be "possible" figure
4.Remove regional bias by including artists of all the southern states .
5.Get key volunteers from this group in Bangalore Chennai Trivandrum and Hyderabad.
6.Host concerts once a month . Make sure Arists dont play in the city they are based in.
7.Club members to travel as a group to all cities to participate - as much as possible
8.Use accompanying artists from the forum to cut costs .
9.Make the discussions transparent , by discussing in this forum.
Remember . The Veena artists have proven to be shy lot and refrained from self promotions.
So it is our duty to make sure they are comfortable .
10.Avoid distractions like for / against digital
11.Ensure three hour programs
12.Ensure no lecturing - by anyone - in between krithis . The instrument should talk.
13.Ensure that Artists go into a zone of their own - issues like ambience of the place , not asking for popular krithis
14.Ensure that these are recorded for posterity .
15.Invite Senior Vidwans in the respective vicinities - to play or just grace the occasion .
16....

I am willing to take one weekend off in such a planned manner , every month . Willing to put in Rs 10000 every year .

[Rsachi]

I am looking forward to this veena trio concert on this Saturday at Ranjani Fine Arts:
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=20061

Blr AIR 100.1 FM broadcast many fine Veena concerts recently..by these artistes.

[Sreeni Rajarao]

In response to Varsha's plan in post # 8 - What we can do more for the Veena:

Great Plan!

I am in, in cash and kind, and whenever I am in India, in person!

[srikant1987]

Varsha,

That is some solid idea!

However, I have some reservation on including all four Southern capitals in the activities. While I don't like it very much, Hyderabad might even need a generic Carmatic music campaign to begin with. Not to say that there aren't excellent veena vidwans in all four States.

Also traveling criss-cross, even "as much as possible", is a very heavy demand on the fans. (Hyderabad is also rather far away!)

I don't understand why you want to host the artistes outside their hometown: I find it particularly depressing that Sri A Shankar Raman IN BANGALORE, or Smt R Ramani IN CHENNAI often get very thin audiences!

It might be good to start in Chennai or Bengaluru, then include the other city, then Trivandrum / Kochi / Kozhikode and Hyderabad.

[Rsachi]

Srikant1987,
Are you coming to the Ranjani Fine Arts concert this Saturday? It will be good to connect on this there.

[CRama]

This subject has been discussed at length many times earlier. It is easy to give wonderful ideas sitting before the computer in the office or at the cosy home. But how many members of the rasikas group attend Veena concerts. In fact, in the earlier days I was also not attending veena concerts.While attending the veena concerts in the Veena festival I was touched by their dedication and commitment towards the art irrespective of the crowd and also amazed by their skill and dexterity in handling the tough instrument. Then I started attending the veena concerts. So let us start supporting veena by attending Veena concerts

[srikant1987]

CRama, later yesterday, I too thought the same thing.

Perhaps the Fan Club Varsha talked of forming could only attend existing (i.e., organized-by-others) veena concerts as a group, that (itself) will be a nice thing. In proportion to other music programmes, there is scope for more veena concerts, but perhaps what's more important is for veena concerts that are happening as such to be attended well.

That can also be done as individuals, of course, but being in a group might "nudge" the less enthusiastic to attend a few more concerts.

Rsachi, I might come. That hall is placed a little weirdly in the city, what with lake-views and clubhouses but Sri D Balakrishna and Smt Manjula Surendra are excellent vaiNikas ... I would have preferred solo concerts instead, actually!

[Rsachi]

Please see:
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=20061