Strings and Stories: Nirmala Rajashekar     

Shankar Ramachandran

I first met Nirmala Rajashekar nearly 20 years ago when she was suggested to me as an artist to be invited to perform at Columbus, Ohio. Since then, she has performed a number of times for Dhvani India Performing Arts Society of Central Ohio. She has also been a judge at our annual children’s music competition more than once. As a vainika and a concert musician, she has a distinct way of engaging with every member of the audience.  As an empathetic judge, she is willing to talk to all the participating children and their parents with positive and helpful feedback.

One year, I asked if she and mridangam vidwan Tanjavur K. Murugaboopathi would play at two special needs schools in a nearby town. They both agreed. I have always found Nirmala enthusiastic and willing to share her experiences and music on all occasions, no matter how small or humble the venue. I remember that as we were travelling to the schools, she was having a detailed phone call with an organiser about a national veena festival to be held in Chicago. On the way back, she gave a phone interview to a public radio station about the veena.  I recall thinking then, that more than a musician, Nirmala is a non-stop travelling ambassador promoting the veena.  I was happy to learn she was the recipient of the K.S. Narayanaswamy Vaineeka Vidwan Award (2024) from Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha, Mumbai.

Tell us a little about your earliest memories and how you got your start in music and learning to play the veena.

First and foremost, I was fortunate and privileged to have Indian classical and Carnatic music given to me as a child. I came from a family of rasikas. From my grandparents to my uncles and aunts, there was an atmosphere of going to concerts and listening to All India Radio. Even as a child, I used to play pretend singing by standing on a table and singing into a mike. My grandfather observed my interest in music and took me to some teachers near my house in Mylapore. I started my training at age six.  I loved the veena and asked to learn. I am not sure what attracted me to the veena: perhaps the dragon head or was it the tones? I remember our visits to the music hall with my grandfather, mother, and sister in Venus Colony, where there would be sand on the floor. My grandfather bought a five-rupee ticket (a princely sum in those days) and sent me to the front, while the rest of them sat at the back where it was free. My sister would play in the sand with her choppu.

I had watched the style and ease with which E. Gayathri played. S. Balachander, K.S. Narayanaswamy, Chittibabu, R.K. Sooryanarayana: all these artists filled me with a joy, which I cannot explain even now. All I knew was that I wanted to do that one day. They inspired the child in me.

I used to listen to all instrument forms: violin, vocal, nagaswaram, and so on. The greatest of the greats….

Neena Prasad

Revitalising Mohini Attam for a new era     

Anuradha Ramesh

With distinctive grace and dedication, Neena Prasad embodies discipline, scholarship, and a deep conviction in her craft. Trained extensively in multiple classical dance forms such as Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Bharatanatyam, and Mohini Attam under renowned masters, her commitment to the art forms is inspiring. Her work in Mohini Attam—both in performance and theoretical study—and in bridging the divide between the two marks a meaningful contribution to the field.

When she started her dance journey, she chose to follow her passion, and dedicated her early years to learning, and gave performances in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. Rigorous training in both dance forms gave her a solid foundation and a deep awareness of every movement. Her deep-rooted historical and cultural understanding of both these styles has helped her preserve their authenticity and essence.

A defining moment came in 1994 when she performed Kuchipudi and Mohini Attam at the Madurai Tamil Isai Sangam (Sangam). Inspired by encouragement from well-wishers, she began exploring Mohini Attam with a renewed focus. She recognised that Mohini Attam was often undervalued due to the prevalent perception around repetitiveness, and hence, she decided to broaden its scope. She collaborated with Changanasseri Madhavan Nampoothiri, and added new compositions—chollu kattus, jatiswarams, and tillanas—that enriched the rhythmic dimension of her performances. Additionally, she incorporated Carnatic music pieces, such as pada varnams, padams, and kritis, that expanded her repertoire and brought new vibrancy to the form. Her choreographies, driven by curiosity and a creative spirit, have helped in the evolution of Mohini Attam and have captured the attention of audiences worldwide.

As a top-grade artist of Doordarshan and an empanelled artist of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), she has been performing at several art festivals and spaces across the globe, making her a recipient of several awards and accolades. And this Marghazi season, she will receive the Nritya Kalanidhi from the Music Academy in January 2025. 

CENTENARY TRIBUTE

Vedaranyam Vedamurthy                       Lalitha Ram

Among the distinguished nagaswaram artists, Vedaranyam Vedamurthy holds a significant place. Born on 10 September 1924 to Gopalaswami, a nagaswaram player, and Kamu Ammal (daughter of tavil vidwan Ammachatharam Kannuswami Pillai), Vedamurthy carved out a unique identity through the captivating tone and the modifications he made to his instrument. His grandfather, Ammachatharam Kannuswami Pillai, was a master of the tavil, under whom even the great T.N. Rajaratnam Pillai honed his skills. Vedamurthy was trained in both vocal music and nagaswaram by his maternal uncle A.K. Ganesa Pillai. In his early years, Vedamurthy also acted and sang in films, including Thayumanavar, which featured M.M. Dandapani Desikar.

Though he began training under his uncle, Vedamurthy later received advanced lessons from Keeranur Chinnathambi Pillai, and started performing professionally. Known for his command over rhythm, his pallavis and swaras would elevate the atmosphere, and was among the early nagaswaram players to include film songs in his repertoire. His first wife, Ramathilagam, was the daughter of nagaswaram doyen Chidambaram Govindaswamy Pillai, while his second wife, Shanthakumari, was Ramathilagam’s sister.

Vedamurthy’s reputation for tonal sweetness among nagaswaram artists is well acknowledged. However, in the early days, his style was more focused on complex rhythmic patterns. He made significant changes to his nagaswaram—he inserted a metallic extension between the ulavu (the pipe with the holes) and the anasu (the conical section at the end). While this change certainly had an impact on the tone of the instrument, to attribute the captivating ringing tone of his instrument to this modification alone is gross injustice to the efforts that the maestro has put in.