Propagation, Research and Preservation of the Performing Arts and Traditions of South India
The Music Academy, Madras is happy to announce its collaboration with KVB Kala, the CSR wing of Karur Vysya Bank, on a comprehensive initiative dedicated to the propagation, research and preservation of the performing arts and traditions of South India.
This collaboration brings together the Music Academy’s decades of scholarship and institutional stewardship with KVB Kala’s commitment to social and cultural responsibility, in a shared endeavour to safeguard and nurture South India’s rich artistic heritage for generations to come.
The initiative encompasses three programmes, each addressing a vital dimension of this shared vision.
- Propagation, sustenance and revival of South Indian classical music and dance traditions and support the wellbeing of artists. Focus on supporting the continuity and growth of traditional and classical art forms through performances, lecdems and workshops. Offer recognition to artists in need and honour their contributions to the arts.
- Research, documentation, publication, dissemination and preservation of traditional and oral knowledge systems. Advance scholarly research into South Indian classical performing arts and make this knowledge widely accessible through publications that enrich both academic and public understanding. Systematic documenting and archiving of oral traditions, techniques and knowledge passed down through generations, ensuring that this intangible heritage is not lost to time.
- Expanding inclusive access to South Indian classical music and dance traditions, their knowledge and learning, among rural and underprivileged students. Introduce South Indian classical music forms and music research to rural and underprivileged student communities, widening access to and appreciation of these art forms across all sections of society.
Through this partnership, the Music Academy and KVB Kala reaffirm their shared commitment to ensuring that the classical performing arts and traditions of South India are propagated, studied and preserved for future generations.
For more information about this initiative, please look out for updates on the website of the Music Academy.
Endowment Programme
FRIDAY, 11TH SEPTEMBER 2026, 6.00 PM – 7.30 PM
VENUE: KASTURI SRINIVASAN HALL, THE MUSIC ACADEMY MADRAS
The Music Academy presents Veena Endowment instituted by Sri. Shankar Annaswamy in memory of his sister Late Smt. Nagalakshmi Anantharaman. The programme is supported by KVB CSR Initiative.
About the programme
The veena is an ancient instrument and in recent years, several artists have taken to it. While vocalists receive many opportunities to perform, the vainika often has a long wait.
This endowment provides talented artists with a stage and helps in giving them greater visibility.
Artists of the day
Guhan R Venkataraman (Veena)
Guhan Venkataraman is a vainika of the Karaikkudi parampara. He began learning the veena from his mother, Vid. Lakshmi Venkataraman, at age eight and continued his discipleship under Kalaimamani Vid. Ranganayaki Rajagopalan. He continues to refine his scholarship and repertoire under the tutelage of Sangita Kalanidhi Vid. R. K. Shriramkumar and Vid. Delhi P. Sunder Rajan.
He participated in the Music Academy’s 2013 Spirit of Youth festival and has subsequently been featured in numerous solo and primetime concerts in India during the December Season, at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana and other organizations and locales worldwide. He has performed alongside many reputed artists, including Vid. Sikkil Gurucharan, Vid. Shashank Subramanyam, and Vid. V. V. Subrahmanyam.
Vignesh Venkataraman (Mridangam)
Guhan will be accompanied on the mridangam by his brother Vignesh Venkataraman, disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Vid. Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman. Vignesh was initiated into playing mridangam by Vid. Anand Iyer, also from the same school. He has accompanied various artists, including many senior musicians, in numerous concerts all over the world. He won the Best Mridangist award at the Spirit of Youth festival held by the Music Academy Madras in 2013.
N Phanindra (Ghatam)
Accompanying them on the ghatam is N Phanindra, disciple of Vid. Giridhar Udupa. He has been practising ghatam since the age of 18, and has been performing for the past 15 years.
