Now in her prime, Jayanthi Kumaresh is indisputably the most highly prized veena player in India. She is the great-niece of legendary violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman with whom she played in trios, and she began to study this large traditional lute from the age of four with a great performer of the instrument, Padmavathy Ananthagopalan, her great-aunt. She also ranks among the very few disciples of S. Balachander, who brilliantly reformed the veena known as sarasvati, which young girls from a good background have to master before they get married. The tremendous variety of Jayanthi’s style gives intense life to this domestic instrument, which is too often neglected in festivals where vocals have the best share. Thanks to her restrained intensity, she guides the audience towards the delights of dreams. Thanks to her incredible mastery, she brings to a climax the excitement of swinging Carnatic rhythms.
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