Guest guest Posted September 20, 2008 Report Share Posted September 20, 2008 Light and Love Below is a beautiful story in short about blind artist “When I was about 15, I took part in the Thiruvayyar music festival in Tamil Nadu. Generally, only great music maestros get to play in that festival. But fortunately, I got a chance to play the veena and was much appreciated by the audience. That’s the most memorable moment of my life,” narrates Aruna Kumari, perhaps India’s only blind veena artiste. Born in 1966, she lost her vision at the age of 7 years in 1973 due to bilateral retinal detachment. All medical treatments failed. Her parents then suggested that she should learn Carnatic classical music. She began learning veena under Vidushi K R Lakshmi Iyengar and violin under Vidwan K Raghavendra Bhat. She has passed all the grade levels of music examinations with honours and distinction. Aruna began her career by singing Sai Baba bhajans, inspired by the philosophy of Sai Baba. In March 2008, she received the Indira Gandhi Mahila Shiromani Award instituted by the International Integrity peace and friendship society, Bangalore chapter. Aruna has also participated in many music festivals all over India and is credited with more than 250 veena solo concerts of around two-three hour durations in cities all over Karnataka and India. Today, Aruna teaches the veena, violin as well as singing to a few students. Her mission is to revive the popularity of the veena by conducting veena concerts and fusion music programmes at temples, public functions etc, and to teach music to propagate it amongst the youth. The source: "Deccan Herald," Saturday, September 20, 2008 http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Sep202008/she2008091990983.asp Namaste - Reet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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