A Tanpura Made in Pennsylvania

A scientific rethink of a craft steeped in tradition, when unencumbered by hallowed strictures, can shatter long-held beliefs, shed valuable insight and provide illuminating perspective. Dr. Bhushan M. Jayarao of The Pennsylvania State University, a non-musician, has constructed a tuneful tanpura in State College PA, USA, with local materials and…

Legacy – a boon or a bane?

Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (SSI) strode Carnatic music like a colossus. However, none in his family followed in his footsteps. His eldest daughter, Santha Kasy Aiyar, explains, “My father was categorically against his family pursuing music professionally. He felt musicians were perceived as lower in the social ladder than those formally…

G. Guru Prasanna

After having performed concerts for many years, the 24-year-old student approached the new Guru. “You should not touch the mridangam for five years. I have to teach you new fingering.” G. Guru Prasanna, whose musical trajectory has seen him play multiple instruments initially, before settling on the kanjira, says, “I…

Vignesh Ishwar

At weddings, she noticed that the normally restless child never asked to be taken home – he would run around and stand happily by the nAdhaswaram ensemble. Taking this as a sign, Vignesh Ishwar’s grandmother, Sarada Krishnan, enrolled him for vocal lessons at age 4. The teacher was recalcitrant initially,…

Watery thoughts

As the rain keeps pelting down in Madras from Cyclone Nivar, with bursts of hyper loud thunder and incredible flashes of lightning, looking at my waterlogged street and my semi-inundated yard with the ever looming threat of a power outage, I get a few distinct memories, all associated with water.…

Anantha R. Krishnan

Most know Anantha R. Krishnan (Anantharaman Krishnan) as a skilled mridangist and the grandson of Sangita Kalanidhi Palghat R. Raghu. However, the Ivy League educated Anantha cannot be encapsulated in a single sentence. He is an artiste who looks at art itself with broad horizons – well beyond the mridangam…