Dehradun: To celebrate India’s classical music heritage, SPIC MACAY Uttarakhand, with the support of the SRF Foundation, hosted a Veena recital by renowned Carnatic artist Vidushi Saraswati Rajagopalan at Summer Valley School, Dehradun, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh today. She was accompanied by Manohar Balatchandirane on Mridangam and Varun Rajasekharan on Ghatam, an ancient South Indian percussion instrument made of clay which produces rhythmic, resonant tones that add rich texture and complexity to Carnatic music ensembles..
The maestro performed on the Saraswati Veena, captivating the audience with a repertoire that reflected her deep mastery and emotional depth. Her performance opened with a composition in Raag Bihag, followed by a Muthuswami Dikshitar piece in Raag Hansdhwani. This was followed by an Aalap in Raag Saraswati, a GN Balasubramaniam composition, and a Raag Dwijavanti piece also by Muthuswami Dikshitar. She continued with a Tyagaraja composition in Raag Nalinakanthi, transitioned into Raag Hindolam—analogous to Raag Malkauns in Hindustani music—and concluded with another evocative Tyagaraja composition.
Speaking about the performance, a student from Summer Valley School shared, “It was magical to experience such divine music live. The way the Veena flowed with the rhythm of the Mridangam and Ghatam was truly mesmerizing. It brought us closer to the richness of our culture.”
Vidushi Saraswati Rajagopalan is acclaimed as one of the foremost exponents of the Veena in the Carnatic tradition. She began performing at the age of 12 and served as a staff artist at AIR for over three decades. Her concerts have been broadcast widely on Doordarshan and Akashvani. A top Grade artist of AIR and an Outstanding Category artist with ICCR, she has trained under Smt. Radhamani Sharma and the legendary Shri K. S. Narayanaswami and Shri T. S. Raghavan. She was conferred the prestigious Kalaimamani Award by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2006.
Manohar Balatchandirane is recognized as one of the finest young Mridangam artists in New Delhi today. He is trained in Carnatic vocal music under Professor Guruvayoor TV Manikandan and has accompanied leading artists such as Padma Shri Geeta Chandran and Padma Bhushan Raja Radha Reddy. Varun Rajasekharan, a disciple of Kalaimamani Shri A. Premkumar, Taalmani Shri P. Vetriboopathy, and Shri Giridhar Udupa, is a prominent ghatam player and multi-percussionist active in the Delhi music circuit.
This performance is part of a multi-day SPIC MACAY circuit in Uttarakhand, which earlier featured a performance at Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun, and will continue with performances at The Doon School on 9th May and Rashtriya Indian Military College on 10th May.
