Mysuru: The 6th annual ‘Veena Gaana Sambhrama,’ a two-day Veena festival organised by Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha, will be held on May 20 and 21 from 6 pm onwards.

This festival is held to commemorate the birth anniversary of Vidwan M.J. Sreenivasa Iyengar (1924 – 2013), who was one of the foremost exponents of Veena of the famed ‘Mysore School of Veena playing’, during the latter half of the 20th Century and an acclaimed guru.

This year’s ‘Veena Gana Sambhrama’ features two Veena concerts, both being held at Mysuru Vasudevacharya Bhavana, JLB road, Lakshmipuram.

The concert on 20th will be given by Vidu. Emani Kalyani, daughter of the legendary artiste Emani Shankara Shastry, accompanied by Vid. Anooru Ananthakrishna Sharma  and Vid. G.S. Ramanujam.

The concert on 21st will feature Vidu. Shubha Santosh, a rising star in the MJS School of Veena playing, accompanied by Vid. A. Radhesh  and Vid. Sharath Kaushik. Both the concerts are open to  music-lovers.

About the artistes

Vidushi Emani Kalyani Lakshminarayana, daughter and disciple of Mahamahopadhyaya Padmasri Emani Shankara Shastry, has been performing since the early seventies (first alongside his father) as a much-sought-after Veena artiste of eminence.

An A-Top artiste of AIR and DD, she has been performing regularly across the country and has travelled extensively over the globe, popularising and spreading the fragrance of Indian classical music.

She has been conferred with numerous awards including Lifetime Achievement Award by ZZZ Radio, Melbourne. She has been featured in the National Programme of Music and the  Radio Sangeet Sammelan festivals of AIR & Doordarshan – Delhi and Chennai Kendras, quite often.

Vidushi Shubha Santhosh, a fast rising star in the classical music arena of Karnataka, belongs to the ‘Mysuru Veena parampare’ and is a firm link in the MJS (M.J. Sreenivasa Iyengar) style of performing. She has been tutored by late Vid. H. Srinivasa Murthachar and Vidu. Sudha Vadiraj, both disciples of Vid. MJS. Her musical skills have further been nurtured by Vid. H.S. Sudhindra, a name very dear to all the artistes of Karnataka.

A B-high artiste of AIR, Vidu. Shubha has been performing all over the State and at many places over the country, including Chennai and Mumbai. She has also recently performed at Auckland (New Zealand). As a student of Veena earlier, she had received scholarships from the Department of Culture, Government of India. She has won many awards including ‘Ananya Pratibhe’ and Lalitha Padmanabhan award from Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai.

Shubha is actively involved in the management of Suswaralaya College of Music, Bengaluru, headed by Vid. H.S. Sudhindra. She is also involved in conceptualisation and development of music for many Dasasahitya projects.