Veena Duet By Jayanthi Kumaresh And Padmavati Ananthagopalan

Lalgudi Jayaraman's sister and his niece. Both direct descendants of disciples of Saint Thyagaraja himself. This festival is getting inexorably better.

Kalasagaram, on the occasion of its 39th Annual Cultural Festival Of Music, Dance And Drama from 24th November to 3rd December, is organising a veena duet recital by Veenai Jayanthi Kumaresh and Padmavathy Ananthagopalan today, the 4th day, at Bhagyalakshmi Kalabhavan in the Keyes Girls' High School. The duo will be supported by Bangalore Arjun Kumar on the mridangam and Nemani Somayajulu on the ghatam.

Padmavathi plays the veena in the Gayaki style. She emulates all the nuances and gamakas found in the vocal music. She has specialised in Thanam playing and has established a style of her own. She is an A-grade artist in the AIR and TV networks. She has performed all over India and abroad.

Padmavathi is one of the leading and seniormost vainikas, and hails from a family of musicians. Her ancestors are the direct disciples of Saint Thyagaraja, and it is no wonder that music runs in her blood. The only veena player in a family of violinists, Padmavathi is the sister of the illustrious violin maestro, Lalgudi G Jayaraman.

Padmavathi was meticulously trained by her father, V R Gopala Iyer. She started performing at the young age of 12. She considers Padmabhushan Late Dr S Balachander as her Manasika Guru - her source of inspiration. He had sent her on a teaching assignment to Singapore for a period of 8 years, to work as a professor for vocal and veena, along with her husband, A S Ananthagopalan, who also worked as a professor for violin at the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society.

She returned to India in 1983, and established a school exclusively for music in 1988 known as Sri Sadguru Sangita Vidyalaya, which has turned out highly proficient students during the past 10 years.

Born in a family where music runs in the blood, Jayanthi Kumaresh, niece of the violin legend Lalgudi G Jayaraman, is the disciple of her aunt Padmavathy Ananthagopalan. She followed the traditional Gurukula system of learning music and flowered into a concert artist at the age of 16.

Jayanthi had the rare privilege of being one of the select few disciples of veena virtuoso Dr S Balachander. Being one of his favorite disciples, she imbibed the innovative technicalities of his style of playing.

Jayanthi started her concert career playing with her guru Padmavathi Ananthagopalan. The duo performed widely all over India and abroad, fetching themselves rave reviews and acclaim.

Kalasagaram is a South-Indian cultural association situated in the East Nehru Nagar of East Marredpally, and has been organising Carnatic music concerts for more than 35 years. The concerts are always held in the Keyes High School campus in the open-air theater. The singers are generally from outside Hyderabad, usually amateurs and upcoming artistes, and quite competent. Kalasagaram also occasionally stages South-Indian classical dances and Tamil plays.

The entry to this cultural festival is by daily donor passes of Rs. 100, Rs. 50 & Rs. 25 per head. Season passes are also available for Rs. 400, Rs. 300 & Rs. 200 per head. Please contact Rajagopalan of Kalasagaram at 2773-1775 for further details.