'Vainika Veena Jyothi' Smt.Vasantha Saravanan ....

"Great lives don't just happen. They are made." An old adage but how true! It is only in moments of trials and tribulations that the human spirit in all its glory triumphs over the adversities of life that comes in its way.

It is these stories of great human endeavours that inspire and motivate us to triumph over life. Stories of ordinary men and women, who through their extraordinary will and strength show us that if there is passion and determination, nothing is impossible, even at the grand old age of eighty.

One such true story is that of this remarkable woman, Smt. Vasantha Saravanan, a Veena vidhushi par excellence. A name well-known to connoisseurs of South Indian classical music. A woman who inspires not only through her musical talent but also through her indomitable spirit which allowed her to overcome all odds. Allowed her to continue to delight music audiences the world over inspite of a stroke that afflicted her playing arm at the age of seventy.

She proved beyond a doubt, beyond even what the doctors had to say, that 'where there is a will, there will always be a way.'

At the age of eighty and still going strong, this fragile woman continues to do what she had always done and wanted to do - play the veena with passion and devotion.

A passion that she has remained steadfast to since the tender age of twelve when she started playing the Veena under the tutelage of Shri Desamangalam Subramania Iyer, a renowned Veena player of his times. This passion for music was also reinforced by her parents, G.

Rajagopala Pillai and Akilandammal of Bhikshandar Koil, great patrons of this art and the great musicians who used to gather in her house in the early 40's. Hence, her deep knowledge, wide repertoire and rich style.

Her father was her keen admirer but a stern taskmaster. He motivated her. She says "my father used to ask me to practice till my fingers ached and literally bled".

She continued and still continues to show the same devotion and passion to this 'divine instrument' the Veena, which she fondly calls her 'first love.' Although she has been the recipient of many prestigious awards and honours including the title of 'Vainika Jyothi', among others, what she values even more is the power of her music to bring joy and divinity to the people who listen to her Veena. For her, music is a divine experience, a soul-stirring sensation that knows no boundaries and no limits.

At the age of eighty and still going strong, the spirit of Vasantha Sarvanan still continues to reverberate through her Veena strings. And it continues to strike a chord in the hearts of all of us who believe in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit over adversity.

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