On a mission to popularise the ancient veena

How does one get the techno music-loving, rap-singing millennials to appreciate the veena? Dr Jayanthi Kumaresh, a veena maestro who has been playing the instrument since she was all of three, is always looking to create different experiences through music to captivate the listeners — both young and old. Born into a family of musicians, Jayanthi, the niece of renowned violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman, ensures she connects with the audiences not just through concerts, but also through means like her educational web series, Cup O’ Carnatic. Through the series, she spreads knowledge on veena and Carnatic music for the tech-savvy, elaborating on subjects like introducing music to the kids of the current generation, identifying ragas, etc.

The month of Margazhi, however, is an exciting time for her to create music, she says. “Usually, the concerts I perform in a month are across different cities, so the efforts I make are to gauge the audiences in these different locations. During Margazhi season, I give at least 10-12 concerts in Chennai alone. Many of the audiences also tend to attend multiple concerts. So, I tailor the content to create different experiences. People from all over the country, who would have attended my concerts, flock to Chennai during the season, which makes it veryexciting,” Jayanthi tells DT Next in a conversation.

To make the concerts exciting, she attempts different formats — lecture demonstrations, collaborations with other artistes like ‘Strings Attached’, performances with her husband and violin virtuoso, Kumaresh, veena concert at a movie theatre in the city on December 25 as part of MadRasana Festival, a city-based classical arts outfit, among others.

“My aim is to popularise the veena across the globe. The veena is the national instrument of India and I take a lot of pride in introducing it to kids,” asserts Jayanthi, who has also collaborated with the tabla legendZakir Hussain of Hindustani classical music style.

“For a concert ideated by Bollywood music director Shantanu Moitra on January 18 in Mumbai, I will be performing along with Kaushiki Chakraborty (vocals), Rakesh Chaurasia (flautist), Ambi Subramaniam (violin) celebrating India’s recent moon mission, Chandrayaan-2,”she shares.

Introduced to music as a child by her mother Lalgudi Rajalakshmi, Jayanthi excelled the instrument under the tutelage of her maternal aunt, Padmavathy Ananthagopalan, as well as veena maestro Dr S Balachander. Social media has been helping in spreading the nuances of music to everybody, she admits.

“It (social media) is like a bridge and a tool that removes the smoke and mirrors. I see many young people too attending my concerts. Carnatic music is turning into a very happening space. Young people are no longer just accompanying their parents to Carnatic concerts, I see that they are instead attending them with their friends too. The digital medium has allowed making music more accessible,starting from announcing the concerts,” she remarks.