Shine on you crazy diamond

Bangalore: With gleaming eyes and a sprightly smile, C Triveni Vinod welcomes us with a firm handshake into her colourful and spanking clean office. Colourful because her paintings adorn the walls, lean on the massive glass window and nudge out every square inch of the wall by the door.

We're seated on the third floor of her carpeted office at the Touchstone building of
C Krishnaiah Chetty & Sons, where the multi-talented daughter-in-law of the Chetty jewellers family gives a peek into her art, and shares her views on creativity and life.

"Before that, tell me something about yourself," her inquisitive eyes lighten up brushing aside our first questions. "People," she says, "have stories to tell. We can learn so much by just listening to them. I'm a people person. I love meeting new people. It inspires all my work."

What also inspires Vinod, who hails from Shimoga, is the raw beauty of natural gemstones and colourful stones shining through a carefully crafted piece of jewellery.

Look closely enough and in her artwork are gems and precious stones twinkling through the rich, bold brushstrokes. Not too overpowering to take away from the art itself, but just enough to add a dash of brilliance and uniqueness to the work. Malachite, turquoise, agate, amethyst, lapis lazuli, diamonds and Japan pearls are some of the precious gems she works with.

Of the over 100 paintings and the 15 art shows in and out of India, Vinod has conceptualised several series; including the 'five elements of nature', '12 gems of the year', 'identity' and 'worshipping around the world'.

She has been invited to the US and France, and in India, by the Uttaranchal governor, for sell-out shows. All earnings from her art go to charity, her pet cause being "senior citizens' rights". "This is my way of giving back to society. It's charity work, so I don't have a gallery," she says.

At one of her latest art shows at a star hotel recently, Vinod invited 18-year-old violinist Aneesh Vidyashankar to give a recital. "I want to give art patrons a unique blend of art and live music," she says. Vidyashankar, young and raring to experiment with different genres of music, was game. "I walked around the hall, took in the energy from the paintings and played what I thought went with the mood and ambience," he says. Vinod explains that she was testing the waters to see how the audience takes to the idea. "And it worked amazingly," she says, and now wants Vidyashankar to play at her art shows.

Vinod is no novice to music herself having learnt to play the veena. She also dabbled in ink and nib painting for a few years. "When I got married and moved to Bangalore, my mother-in-law encouraged me to continue to play the veena and paint," she says. But family responsibilities took priority. "When my sons turned eight and 10 years, I started to play the veena again. And I began painting about six years ago," says this 44-year-old director of C Krishnaiah Chetty & Sons.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

How To Save A Life-Violin

How To Save A Life

Aneesh Vidyashankar at a performance at the Christ College auditorium. A fusion between him and Jonathan for the song 'How To Save A Life'-by The Fray*.

"Royal" Challenge...!

Aneesh,after the concert at the Bangalore Palace with MD of The Brigade Group (M.R. Jaishankar)..flanked by his parents
Location:Bangalore Palace,courtyard.

When the violin speaks. Mid Day article 5/March/2008

Author: Priyadarshini Nandy Date: 05 Mar 2008

He’s no different from a teenager who loves hanging out with friends. But give him a fiddle and stick, Aneesh transforms into a mature musician

I’d never met a “prodigy” before. I didn’t know if they’re supposed to exude some kind of an aura that makes everyone around them think that they’re special.

So when I heard of Aneesh, a 17-year-old “prodigy”, a genius at the violin with super control over the strings and so on, I was perhaps expecting more than what met the eye.

He is, after all just 17 — loves his computer, cars, racing, and the usual things one would identify with a boy his age.

Aneesh has his father LSR Vidyashankar as his guru and under his tutelage, performed solo for the first time at the age of eight.

Since then, he’s had several concerts to his credit — with solo performances at ISKCON, Mysore Music Association, Ramanavami festivals, Bangalore Gayana Samaj, Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bangalore Club, Devnandan Ubhayaker Yuva Sangeet Utsav, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, SVN Music Academy, Karnataka Gana Kala Parishat, Percussive Arts Centre, Indian Institute of World Culture, Art festival sponsored by Toursim Dept, Govt of Karnataka amongst others.

With accolades and appreciations under his belt, Aneesh has launched his first album “Pure Expressions” recently; it has some very fashionable tunes such as Vathapi, Jagada Nanda Karaka, Om Jai Jagadeesh and Raghupati Raghava.

Ask him and he’ll tell you that music comes to him naturally. “I wasn’t influenced by my father’s playing or anything. Yes, it’s true that I was inspired by him but I just picked up the instrument by instinct,” says Aneesh. “People say they’ve been moved by my playing.”

Aneesh wants what every musician wants — to impress people with his music, to charm them, make them wonder how a boy his age can play complex tunes with ease. And along with all this, he surely wants the recognition and fame.

A life of a musician can’t be easy — what starts of as an easy achievement gets tougher with time as more and more competition sets in. Aneesh has surely had fortune on his side.

With very little negative feedback to bog him down, he’s found himself at a spot where everyone appreciates him and that, he’ll tell you himself. We just hope it continues to stay that way!

World renowned "YOGA LEGEND" Dr.Bks Iyengar with Prodigy Aneesh Vidyshankar

Belur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, (also known as Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar) (Born December 14, 1918 in Belur, Karnataka, India) is the founder of Iyengar Yoga. He is considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world and has been practicing and teaching yoga for more than 89 years. He has written many books on yogic practice and philosophy, and is best known for his books Light on Yoga, Light on Pranayama, and Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. He has also written several definitive yoga texts. Iyengar yoga centers are located throughout the world, and it is believed that millions of students practice Iyengar Yoga.He just turned 90yrs this december.

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Bhushan in 2002.Here with Prodigy Aneesh Vidyashankar ,guru Vidyashankar and mother Jyothi after a concert at the fecilitation of Dr Bks iyengar at the Ramatheertha seva forum and the Nirmala Yoga Kuteeram at Bangalore on the 28th Feb 2008.