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Sri Annamacharya Project of North America (SAPNA), 26-year-old Indian classical performing arts organization based in Chicago, and SRI Foundation organized the Seventh International Veena Conference and Festival at Ravindra Bharathi in Hyderabad, India, Feb. 22. The grand finale was a musical “conversation” between Saraswathi and Mohan veenas. Chief guests were K. V. Ramanachary, senior adviser to the Telangana government, and Padmasri Dr. G N Rao, founder-chairman of L. V. Prasad Eye Institute.
“Veena Symphony 2015” kicked off with a salutation (vandana) to the Guru by students of Madhuri Ramavarapu, veena artiste and teacher from Vizag, Andhra Pradesh. Two eminent artistes were conferred SAPNA’s ‘Sri Kala Purna’ awards: Emani Kalyani, as the only torch-bearer of the Emani School, and Shobha Raju, for popularizing Annamacharya compositions. Kalyani gave a brief solo recital in the Emani style.
SAPNA released two books: “Naadaanandam,” a gold-medal winning Sanskrit Ph.D. thesis on musicology by Sarada Purna Sonty, and “Jayam,” a compilation of verses celebrating goddess of learning, Saraswathi. Vedamataram and Vishwanadha Shobhanadri Charitable Trust jointly awarded Sonty “Bharatiya Pratibha Puraskaram” for literary contributions to Sanskrit and musicology. Vedala Srinivas Acharya, professor at Oklahoma University, delivered a guest lecture and recited his Sanskrit poetry.
Grammy Winning Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt enraptured the audience with the delicate and spontaneous glides (meend) of raag Shyam Kalyan on his Mohana Veena. He was joined in “conversation” by Carnatic artistes from different regions and styles on Saraswathi Veena: festival program director Saraswathi Ranganathan (Chicago), Revathy Krishna (Chennai) and Ramavarapu (Vizag). Their lively exchanges and onstage camaraderie with Pandit-ji around raag Keeravani, now popular also in Hindustani music, and his Grammy-winning composition “Meeting by the River” brought the curtain down to a standing ovation. Percussion artistes Himanshu Mahant (tabla), Jaya Bhaskar (mridangam), Bangalore V. Praveen (mridangam) and Ravi Tejasvi (ghatam) displayed mastery and infectious energy.
“Veena is as old as the Vedas yet as modern as tomorrow,” declared late maestro Chitti Babu. SAPNA, brainchild of Dr. Sriram and Sarada Sonty, which has been curating the Festival for six years, is now focused on promoting modern sounds while perpetuating its ancient art and technique.
