Interview with  VEENA VIDUSHI SMT. VIDHYA SHANKAR

who was presented the MUDHRA AWARD OF EXCELLENCE 2001

 
Radha : Basically , was music there in your family or did it come to you by your own efforts?


Music was there in our family. My father Sri C.S.Iyer was an Accountant General and an irrepressible musicologist and violin player, he learnt music under Sri. Sabesa Iyer. My grandfather had the opportunity to hear stalwarts like Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer and his interest in music was so much that he got himself a violin for playing. My father who heard him also attempted to play it (in fact my father got interested in music at the age of thirty five only).He became interested in the scientific aspects of music and attempted notating with the help of Sabesa Iyer.
 
Radha : How many brothers and sisters are you?


We are ten, all of us were initiated into music by my father but I was the only one to take music full time. Though all of us were taught to play either the violin or veena, we did start by learning vocal music only. I started learning veena from when I was just eight year old. There is a very interesting event I'd like to narrate. Once my father was trying to notate the kriti Eliyene(composed by Anayya) as Sabesa Iyer was singing it. In the charanam, my father was hesitant to write the notation for a particular line and I instantly notated according to my intution. Then Sabesa Iyer told my father to notate it the way I had sung. What I want to focus is that Sabesa Iyer was a scientist among musicians. I will relate another instance. My father was playing the first phrase of the Ata tala Bhairavi Varnam: ni sa ri ga sa ri - ga ri ga ga ri. Our guru remarked that while playing the 'ri' the panchama string of the violing should not be played simultaneously. What he wanted to emphasise was that this would make the rishaba to get a higher reach. I feel this is one of the greatest truth expounding the placement of the tissruti and chatusruti rishaba. My theory is that anything artistutic cannot be stagnant and it cannot be without a scientific basis. Since everything in music has a scientific base, study of musicology is a must.
Radha :

About your formal education...


My father always felt that for any field, a gneral background of other subjects is essential. So, he insisted that I become a graduate and I did this course at Queen Mary's College.
Radha :

Would your father take you to live concerts?


Oh Yes! He felt that we could know the good and bad of music only by listening to all artists. But, he was particularly fond of Ariyakudi's music and took us to wherever he performed. Personally, I was more fond of Musiri's music. My father used to offer valuable comments and he was very blatant in pointing out even the wrongs in music. For example, he did not approve of the seven string violin of Chowdiah and even argued with him about this.
 
Radha : How did your father manage to find time for music amidst his busy office schedule?

Yes, it was really amazing. He would get up early in the morning, practice the violin and then play tennis and leave for office by 8 o' Clock. He used to return from office by about 3 P.M. and then continue with various other work - he was a non-stop worker.
 
Radha : How were you particular influenced to work on Shyama Sastri's compositions?

In my college days, T L Venkatrama Iyer taught me music, twice a week for 5 years. He used to strongly object to my writing down the lyrics or notation. Some days he used to teach 4-5 songs in one class, sometimes he used to go with just one line for two hours. I used to retain all the songs in mind and then notate it in small slips of paper. My father saw these slips and asked me to study notation signs and write down the notation for all the songs in a systematic manner. Later I released these kritis of Shyama Sastri in three volumes.
 
Radha : How did you develop a flair for Sanskrit?


I learnt it from my school level. Infact, I have had a great passion for Sanskrit right from childhood. Even now when I need to learn a song, I write it down in Sanskrit only.
Radha :

Could you detail more on your book on Shyama Sastri's kritis?



Yes, apart from notating, I have also furnished detailed meaning of the songs. Initially, I translated six songs and Mudicondan Venkatrama Iyer on seeing it commended me for the excellent work and said I must do the translation for all the songs. So, I used to get up daily at 3o'Clock in the morning and work on these kritis. I also want to give detailed translation for Thyagaraja kritis, specially the Divya nama kritis, which though simple in content are so replete with meaning.
 
Radha : About your veena techniques....
I insist that we must first vocalise what we want to play.
Radha : You created this novel idea of making Sabhas record live concerts for Doordarshan?

The book 'Aesthetic and Scientific values in Carnatic Music' is a compilation of the lecture demonstrations presented by me at the annual conferences of the Music Academy from 1946-1996. Another book' The Art and Science of Carnatic Music' is a compilation of a series of lectures I gave at the Kalpakkam Atomic Energy Centre, Tamilnadu. This book explains the art of music from the aesthetic point of view and at the same time takes the reader step by step, to an understanding of music as a science.
 
Radha : Did you have an interest in musicology from an early age?

I have read many Sanskrit treatises. Specially the Natya Sastra, I read it with the help of a Sanskrit Pandit to understand it in greater detail.
 
Radha :

Does a study of musicology have an impact on one's own performance ?

It improves one's knowledge and helps think about the subject from various angles but one of course does not put these theories verbatim into practice.
  
Radha : You have also published compositions of Subbaraya Sastri and Annaswamy Sastri....


Yes. Since I have learnt under the Shyama Sastri School, I also got to learn these kritis authentically and so I have put them to notation. You may be surprised to know that in the kriti Palimsu Kamakshi (Madhyamavati) of Shyama Sastri the madhyamakala passage in the charanam ' Kanaka giri sadana' is an added contribution of Annaswamy Sastri. It is not there in the original kriti.
 
Radha : About your study of Muthuswamy Dikshitar's compositions....

Yes, I have studied his compositions in depth because of my love for Sanskrit. One point I would like to mention is that because this language does not generally lend scope for personal touches, it has a special grandeur and dignity.
 
Radha : About yourself as a concert performer.....


I have never had a craze to be a performer but have availed opportunities as they came to me.
Baskar :

Do you have disciples?

 
Yes, I have a set of students who perform group music on specific occassions. I am ever ready to teach any aspiring student.
Radha :

What are your other interests apart from music?


By nature, I would like to see what is beautiful and do what is nice.