Allam Durgaprasad weaves a rich tapestry of ragas on his atichitraveena

Allam Durgaprasad’s Tyagaraja Jayanti performance astatine Sri Thiagaraja Sangeetha Vidwath Samajam, Mylapore, Chennai. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath

The Chitraveena is an past instrumentality archetypal referenced successful sage Bharata’s seminal treatise Natya Sastra 2 millennia ago. Sarangadeva’s magnum opus Sangita Ratnakara besides alludes to this drawstring instrument. Over the past century, the instrumentality has borne antithetic nomenclatures specified arsenic Gottuvadyam, Chitravina itself, Atichitraveena, Navachitraveena and Vichitraveena, with the past 1 prevalent successful North India. It brings distant the nuanced tapestry of Carnatic euphony with singular organicity — the interplay of plucking and sliding hands seamlessly weaving tonal vitality with the signature gamaka embellishments. Today, a fistful of dedicated practitioners are striving to sphere its bequest and prolong its relevance, yet the instrumentality continues to navigate a precarious existence. 

Published - May 05, 2026 04:24 p.m. IST