SARASWATI VEENA-19

RENOWNED VEENA GURU SMT. RAMAVARAPU VIJAYALAKSHMI WITH THE TRADITIONAL BOBBILLI SARASWATI VEENA

An original Saraswati Veena is made out of seasoned, pure Jackwood. Jackwood is specifically used for making divine instruments like Veena, Thavil, Mridangam, Udukku etc.because of its divine charecteristics and features. The wood grains have the ability to absorb and project the pranic energy of the Veena practitioner.

The whole intention of using Jackwood is for the Veena practitioner to benefit spiritually by interacting with the divine properties of Jackwood grains. The true resonance of Veena naadham emanating from the combined energies of the practitioner's life-force energy and the Jackwood grains is the TRUE TONE of the Veena.

Veenas by using magnetic mikes (thereby suspending the all-important and core essential role of Jackwood grains in nurturing the true tone of Saraswati Veena) fail to achieve the true tone. A Veena aspirant has to take care not to be lured by the mere label of ‘Saraswati Veena’. The aspirant has to primarily understand the dynamics of Saraswati Veena in order to identify the real Veena.

The existing scenario of all Veenas (Electric Veenas and abnormal shaped/small-sized Veenas) being showcased as "Saraswati Veena" has resulted in an absence of demarcation between Electric/abnormal shaped/sized Veenas and original Saraswati Veenas. Today the responsibility of identifying the difference between a  true tone Veena and an artificially processed magnetic-mike-Veena (which suspends the core of Veena) has fallen upon Veena aspirants, music organisations and music lovers.

The regular, normal size of Sarswati Veena (Thanjavur, Bobbilli, Mysore and Trivandrum Veenas) is between 4.3 inches to 5 feet in length and definitely not less than 4 feet. The original size does not facilitate acrobatics/gimmicks on Veena by way of abnormal speeds. Veena being divine is designed for controlled and disciplined playing. The austerity of Veena-tapas lies in combining the energies of the practitioner and the of the Saraswati Veena.

P.S: According to traditional Veena technicians, bronze (kanchu in telugu, vengalam in tamil) frets and bridge are preferred to brass (itthadi in telugu and pitthalai in tamil) metal for great resonance. In telugu a vibrant voice is compared to a bronze-like voice (kanchu kantham). Therefore bronze is the ideal metal to be used for Veena frets and bridge for bringing out the inner voice of the practitioner.