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Smt.Vasantha Saravanan is a well-known pioneer among the veena players in South India. The eldest daughter of Bhikshandar Koil G. Rajagopala Pillai, a landlord and ardent patron of music, Vasantha started her musical training under the tutelage of Shri Valladi Krishna Iyer. He taught her vocal music, which proved beneficial, later on when she chose veena to gain proficiency in. Her association with the veena began at the age of 12 and it continues to be her prime love.

Vasantha Saravanan’s father was a great patron of art and played host to a number of top musicians of the times, to name a few, Musiri Subramania Pillai, Madurai Mani Iyer and Sathoor Subramaniam. The musicians who visited her house taught her few songs and so her wide repertoire and style.

Much of the songs were learnt from Marungapuri Gopala Krishna Iyer. He was a violinist and the songs he played on the violin were dutifully voiced on the veena. Her father was also one of the motivators. She says “my father used to ask me to practice till my fingers ached and literally bled”. Her tutelage for the veena began with Shri Desamangalam Subramania Iyer a renowned veena player of his times. The late Shri K.S. Narayanswami the renowned veena player, also his student, played along with her before him several times.

After her marriage in 1943, Vasantha Saravanan entered the A.I. R. as an artiste and continued to be one till 2001. She proudly says that she was interviewed and selected by the music critic Subbudu, which is a no mean task. Vasantha Saravanan has been the recipient of many titles namely the ‘Vainika Jyothi’ given by Swami Sivananda, when she played in front of 25 distinguished persons at his ashram in Rishikesh. The title ‘Veena Vidya Saraswathi’ was given by the Sri Kalahasti temple where she gave a concert along with her students, and the ‘Yaaz Isai Vani’was accorded in Chennai.

Vasantha has given a number of concerts at the rotary and lions club, Madras and also in a number of temples. She has been featured by the prestigious Music Academy in the morning slot when she played some of the rare kritis of Shri Muthuswamy Dikshatar along with her daughter Smt. Raji Ramachandran. The two have also given a couple of regular concerts at the Indian Fine Arts Society and the Tamil Isai Sangam. She has also played along with her daughter and disciples Sudha , Padmasini and Shyamala, a few of her own compositions, in the Indian Fine Arts Society and vocally rendered them at the Tamil Isai Sangam.

Classical music has not been her only forte. She has accompanied the ‘Thevaram’ (songs of the saivaite saints) group of Smt.Saroja Sundaram in nearly 300 concerts traversing many South Indian temples. A composer in her own right, she has to her credit 64 devotional songs in various ragas and a tillana in the raga Hamsanadam. These have been put together in a book ‘Keerthanai Malai’ and were released in the year 1987 by the late veena maestro S.Balachander at Shri Thyagaraja Vidwat Samajam. A cassette has also been released in 1997 by Shri T.N. Seshagoplan of her compositions sung by her daughters Smt. Raji Ramachandran and Smt. Mathangi Veerabahu, accompanied by her on the veena. This is now available in the form of a CD in the U.S.

“My compositions were not set and written but were spontaneous evolutions in the presence of the divine when I visited the temples” she says. Her husband T.S.Saravanan has also played a major role in promoting her musical career and her long standing students have been her daughter Raji Ramachandran and Padmasini.

Here are a few excerpts from an interview with her.

Is it possible to incorporate the vocal style of playing in the veena?

Ans. Yes. If the person is an experienced musician with a good knowledge of vocal music, then he/ she can bring out the song as sung vocally, with the same nuances , on the veena. For example Dikshatar kirtanas and the padams can be brought out effectively on the veena.

Violin has a continuous musical sound whereas in the veena it is discontinuous.

Ans. The tonal quality of the instruments differs. Violin is based on bowing and veena on plucking of the strings. If one pluck of the strings (single meetu) traverses many notes then the sound is continuous. So reduction of the number of ‘meetu’ achieves continuity in sound.

What is the Tanjavur bani?

Ans. It is the style of playing the song as sung vocally. It is called the Dhanammal style and is unique to Tamilnadu. This can be clearly observed when padams are played. The same ‘Gamaka’ style as in a vocal rendition can be seen here. My style of playing belongs to the Dhanammal School.

What is the importance of the ‘tanam’ on the veena?

Ans.Tanam… ‘pradanam’. The veena is most suitable for bringing out the intricacies and beauty of a tanam.

Can you relate any unforgettable experience related to your musical pursuits?

Ans. “I shall tell you about my composition ‘Akhila Loka Janani’ in raga Anadabhairavi set to misra chapu tala. I was in the habit of visiting the Tiruvanaikaval temple every Friday. It so happened that one week I was unable to visit it. Filled with remorse, I sat down at home closed my eyes and brought the idol in the temple into my mind. Immediately the words of the song flowed, in Sanskrit and I noted it down later.
A few years later I had been to attend a marriage in the Kollengode maharaja’s family in Kerala. There I met Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar and on his invitation I visited his house. There when he asked me to sing a song I sang this piece. His eyes were filled with tears at the end of it and he said. “ambaleye paarthuten.. “I have seen the goddess” I was really happy and moved.”.

Why is the number of veena concerts coming down?

Ans.Veena is an instrument, which involves tremendous and arduous practice. It is difficult to transport and so few people opt to learn it and out of these few, few come on to the concert platform. So the number of concerts is less. Also now patronage for the instrument is less.

For more details, contact – Smt. Mathangi Veerabahu, Tel: (630) 852 4010 –Illinois (U.S.)
Smt. Raji Ramachandran, 6225116 - (Chennai, India).

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