Chennai, Tuesday, July 16, 2024: Veenavaadhini Sampradaya Sangit Trust, Chennai, will begin the grand celebrations of the 250th Birth Anniversary of one of the greatest composers of carnatic music, Nadajyoti Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar, on Guru Purnima this year which falls on July 21st.

Pic Credit – Veenavaadhini Sampradaya Sangit Trust, Chennai.

Muthuswamy Dikshitar was born on 24th March 1775. He was a composer nonpareil who also played the divine instrument, Veena. Nearly 480 of his compositions in a plethora of ragas are available, which serve as a treasure trove for Carnatic music. Veenavaadhini, founded by eminent veena players JT Jeyaraaj Krishnan and JaysriJeyaraaj Krishnan who belong to the Sishya Parampara of Muthuswamy Dikshitar, will kickstart the yearlong celebrations most appropriately at the Murugan Temple in Tiruttani, where Muthuswamy Dikshitar composed his very first song titled “Sri NathadhiGuruguho Jayati Jayati”. Jeyaraaj and Jaysri will be rendering the same songs in the premises of the temple along with their disciples.

Starting with the Tiruttani program in July, Veenavaadhini will feature as part of the yearlong agenda, an upanyasam on Dikshitar by Sri Dushyanth Sridhar, explanatory concerts by senior stalwarts like Neyveli Santhanagopalan and Abhishek Raghuram, an akhandam featuring talented artists, as well as chamber concerts and workshops on Dikshitar kritis in the subsequent months.

The Veenavaadhini team will also endeavour to spread awareness about the importance of Dikshitar’s contribution to the world of music by conducting interactive sessions at educational institutions. There will also be therapy and well-being sessions at senior citizen homes and rehab facilities.

Additionally, competitions on a global level on Dikshitar kritis are being planned for veena and vocal so more people learn and deepen their understanding of the precious knowledge that these compositions have to offer, thereby increasing the overall cultural footprint.

The veena couple Jeyaraaj and Jaysri are disciples of Late A Anantharama Iyer and his sister Late A Champakavalli of Kolkata, who continued the Dikshitar lineage they imbibed from their father Brahmasri A Ananthakrishna Iyer, who underwent Gurukulavasam under Ambi Dikshitar, the great grand nephew of Muthuswamy Dikshitar.

Jeyaraaj and Jaysri through their organization Veenavaadhini have championed the cause of preservation, propagation, and popularization of Dikshitar compositions with particular emphasis on veena renditions. This husband and wife team have shared a wealth of information through “VainikaGaayaka”, a 26-episode series on DD Tamil, featuring Dikshitar compositions with explanations on the musical as well as lyrical and mythological information embedded in these compositions or kritis. Through Veenavaadhini, Jeyaraaj and Jaysri have also been presenting thematic concerts, conducting music festivals promoting Dikshitar compositions, playing and archiving the authentic versions of the compositions on veena for posterity, and showcasing these special compositions to the music world through their VeenaJJ app, available across Android as well as ios platforms. As part of the 250th Birth Anniversary, 250 compositions are being endeavoured to be made available in the VeenaJJ app by the end of the yearlong program.

The couple has also pioneered the concept of retracing the path of pilgrimage of Muthuswamy Dikshitar. Along with their disciples, they have been visiting every single temple and singing every signature composition in the sanctum where the composer intended them to be sung. More than 200 compositions of Dikshitar have been taught by the Veena couple to their disciples all over the globe in the entire process. These compositions will be highlighted in a forthcoming podcast series by Veenavaadhini.