NEWS & NOTES Radel festival showcases digital veena veena festival organised by weakness in her fingers, by adopting a elaborate Suddha Saveri (Dharini Radel – pioneers in digital unique style. She trains with vidwan telusukonti), Saveri (Sankari sankuru), Indian musical instruments A. Ananthapadmanabhan of Trissoor. Kalyani (Kamalaambaam) and the A– was held at the Bharatiya Vidya The highlights of her concert were the Kharaharapriya ragam-tanam-pallavi. Bhavan Mini Hall, Mylapore, ragam-tanam-pallavi in Charukesi Mannarkoil Balaji and Trichy Murali Chennai, between 8 and 11 January. and a delicate rendition of Krishna provided depth, weight and fireworks The festival featured less known but nee begane baro (Yamunakalyani). as well. talented veena artists. The concert every B. Ganapathiraman and Madipakkam Monday’s evening concert featured a day was preceded by the playing of rare Murali provided appropriate support. veena duet by the brother-sister duo archival recordings of veena music of On Sunday, the morning concert S.P. Ramh and Pavithra Mahesh. The old masters with a quiz attached. All featured G.R.S. Murthy, the salient raga-s highlighted were Sreeranjani, the artists played the Radel electronic feature of whose style was the Kalyanavasantam and a grand veena ‘Sunadavinodini’. extremely soft plucking and traditional Shanmukhapriya as the main raga. The festival opened to a cracker treatment of raga-s and kriti-s. The The festival culminated with a concert of a concert by young Bhavani main gems in this concert were the by N. Anantha Narayanan who Prasad, who showed mastery over Neetimati favourite Mohanakara and picturised through his veena play, the the instrument – using the unusual the elaboration of Begada preceding raga-s Dhanyasi (Sangeeta gnanamu) pitch of G and producing a sweet the kriti Neeve raakula. Mannarkoil Varali (Mamava Meenakshi) and sound. The accompanists Poongulam Balaji and Papanasam Sethuraman Sankarabharanam (ragam-tanam). Subramaniam (mridanga) and K.V. provided excellent accompaniment. The audience response, although Gopalakrishnan (khanjira) provided The evening concert on Sunday slow to pick up on the first day, was depth and lilt to the main artist while was the highlight of the festival, extremely good on the other three showcasing their talent effectively a marathon four-and-a-half hour days. They had opportunities to watch during the tani avartanam. concert by the veena couple Jayasri a few live demonstrations of Radel The evening concert introduced a and Jeyaraaj. Eleven items were products including the patented prodigious talent from Mangalore: played, and most of them were taken digital veena. Some youngsters won visually challenged Manipal Aruna up for detailed treatment. The concert prizes in the quiz preceding the Kumari. This musician has overcome opened with a graceful navaragamalika concerts. not only blindness but also a chronic varnam, and the highlights were an A CORRESPONDENT Jayasri and Jeyaraaj, Mannarkoil Balaji and Trichy Murali 10 SRUTI March 2011.