and was very fulfilling . The Kids series was aimed at familiarising the kids to the Indian ragas and melodies . I used popular stories from Panchatantra and the like and presented them with a narration and a garland of ragas . This received a very heartwarming response from little ones and their parents alike ! The Guess the Raga series on Instagram tickled the brain , humour and creativity of music lovers as they kept guessing the ragas with the clues provided for 50 days straight and at some point in time , this became viral .
The greatest project during the lockdown time was starting the Jayanthi Kumaresh Academy of Veena . I once had a dream to create a Center of Excellence for Veena to make music accessible and to make the voice of the Saraswati Veena be heard by all , to make the Saraswati Veena discoverable worldwide , to make the twang of the Saraswati Veena permeate into every household across the globe . When the world became tightly connected virtually , my dream changed from brick and mortar buildings to pixels and bytes – and that resulted in the birth of the Jayanti Kumaresh academy of Veena .
What is your opinion about fusion music and your memorable experiences during collaborating with international artists ?
When a tree grows , its roots delve deep into the earth to keep it grounded and safe while the branches and leaves are up in the air , exposed to the environment and ecosystem around it . Similarly , the foundation of our music that was acquired through rigorous training and practice from esteemed gurus holds us together like the roots of a tree . The exposed branches and leaves is where we adapt ourselves to the current environment . The deeper the roots , the taller the tree grows !
Collaboration in today ’ s world is no longer an innovation , it has become a way of expression . Not only in the music world , but in everything that we see . Collaboration with different systems is an opportunity for us to show how our music stays relevant with respect to the landscape of the society today . It helps us showcase that Carnatic music is as old as 2000 years and as young as tomorrow . Tradition is only addition . What is innovation today becomes tradition tomorrow . My generation has had the opportunity to listen to the great masters of the past , who used to travel 4 days in a train to present a concert . Whereas today we are able to travel and perform two concerts in two different continents in the same day . With such a unique position , I believe my generation has taken up collaboration more as a way of life . To quote a great musician from the West , “ The best definition of ‘ Classical Music ’ is music of any genre or style that is birthed from a pure and sincere motivation , empowered not by the energies of one ’ s self , but rather by something greater , which exists beyond time , history or culture .” With all this in mind , every classical form is contemporary in that era and becomes traditional in the next era . If it is an idea worth something , it will stand the test of time and will be appreciated and successively recreated generation after generation .
I have had the opportunity to collaborate with musicians from the Hindustani system of music and also musicians from the West . One memorable experience was collaborating with the BBC Philharmonic and performing together at the South Bank for the Darbar festival .
9 . Tell us more about your unique project 45 Ragas which went on for 124 minutes at a stretch ?
Raga Alapana is the pinnacle of an artiste ’ s expression . To draw the rasa and Bhava of the raga extempore within the boundaries of its grammar with precise technique and innovation is the ultimate expression of creativity that is so unique to indian classical music . This album is a live recording of a concert in Chennai where I played 45 ragas non-stop , one after the other , with a single meaningful bridge linking one raga to the next . My inspiration came from a series of 45 raga concerts done by my Guru , the Veena wizard , Dr . S . Balachander . He performed several such concerts without any other accompaniments , with just Veena and the ragas . I played a few such concerts and one of them was also released as an album . 124 minutes nonstop . One artiste , one instrument and 45 ragas .
How do you inspire yourself as an artist during the times of demotivation or innovation ?
The drive to keep getting better motivates me . Listening to inspiring musicians , watching someone practise , compose or teach inspires me . Being in an environment of music 24 / 7 ensures that the motivation is not lost .
The top 5 most important qualities every aspiring Veena artist must have ?
Understanding the instrument Defining what one wants to do with it Willingness to practise Ability to listen , understand and learn Think beyond the frets
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