Veena
Credit: DH Photo
Visitors who came to see the gold mines in KGF invariably stayed with us, and we took pride in hosting musicians, magicians, child prodigies, and even newspaper editors. Neelamma Kadambi was one such visitor. She was an AIR artist and a renowned veena player. She brought her lovely Veena, which found pride of place in our living room. We had seen it only in magazines and heard its melody on the radio. Here it was now, majestic with its ivory-inlaid kudam resting on our carpeted floor!
My sister Kshama, who loved music, sat in front of it and tried to play, though imperfectly, Kayoushri Gowri, which was the official anthem of erstwhile Mysore State. At that moment, I was bitten by the veena bug and decided I would also play this instrument one day. After college and engineering studies, which left me no time to realise my dream, I joined the Air Force, and time became a luxury. But my secret desire to become a veena player persisted. The moment came when I was posted to Bangalore for three years.
My very first task was to buy a veena. But I had no idea about its selection. Does one just go to a music store and ask for a veena? Are there norms concerning its size, its strings, and its wooden base? I had no clue. My brother suggested that I seek the help of Vidwan Doreswamy Iyengar, who was the AIR music director. The rest of the family pooh-poohed at the idea. Approach a vidwan of his stature to select a veena for a novice?
But I was determined. I went to Malleswaram on my scooter to meet him. The vidwan was getting ready to go to his office. When I told him the purpose of my visit, he had only one question.
"How did you come?" I pointed to my scooter. The maestro sat on the pillion without a word and told me to go to Balepet. We stopped at Aruna Musicals, where Doreswami Iyengar asked the proprietor to show him all the instruments he had. Sitting on a mat on the floor of the shop, the Asthana Vidwan of the Mysore palace tested each of them carefully before choosing one. Hardly waiting to hear my words of gratitude, the music director then hurried back to his office.
Many years have passed since. I donated the veena, which was my companion for more than forty years, to a sangeetha sabha. While the songs I learned to play on it have receded in my memory, what is firmly etched is the warmth of Padma Bhushan, Sangeetha Kalanidhi, and Asthaana Vidwan Doreswamy Iyengar, who thought it fit to give his time to choose an instrument for a novice wanting to buy and play on a veena.