Vignesh was just five when his father, mridangam artiste Mumbai Shankaranarayanan, introduced him to tiny versions of instruments such as mridangam and violin. Vignesh chose vocal music instead. He started training under Vidya Harikrishnan and today, this teenager is a regular at major festivals and sabhas of Mumbai.
Recipient of CCRT (Centre for Cultural Resources and Training) scholarship for vocal music from the Central Ministry of Culture, Vignesh has an impressive curriculum vitae (CV) that includes awards and accolades, such as the Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar award from Sri Sharada Sangeetha Vidyalaya and the Silver Lamp from Shanmukhananda, six prizes in six categories from Vashi Fine Arts, to name a few.
Performance experience
He was part of the Sangam festival 2016 at the NCPA, hosted by the Shankar Mahadevan Academy, and he was able to impress the noted musician.
Vignesh has performed at the major temple festivals of Karnataka, Hyderabad, Maharashtra and Kerala. He was selected as the best vocalist by Banyan Tree in the ‘under 15’ category, ‘Tender Roots,’ and was part of an ensemble of Indian and World music. The group also performed in Bengaluru under the auspices of Bhoomija Trust.
Three concerts in a row during Navaratri at three temples this year and a concert on October 29 at the Rasika Ranjani Sabha, Ghatkopar, have boosted the morale of this young vocalist.
Vignesh’s day starts at 5 a.m. and at 6 he is off for classes. He scored 94 per cent in ICSE (Arya Vidya Mandir) and has chosen science stream at SIES College. He plans to be a doctor or pharmacologist, but will not give up his musical pursuit. “Music calms me and improves my memory ,” he says.
With supportive parents, a guru who is always ready to guide and several performance opportunities, the going has been good for Vignesh. “He is focused and makes us proud with his achievements,” says his mother.
“My teacher was keen that the foundation should be strong thanks to which I am now able to comprehend the nuances. She helps me prepare for my performances,” says Vignesh. Besides his guru, his favourite musician is Sanjay Subrahmanyan.
Vignesh also learns the violin from Vidwan S. V. Ramachandran. He is a self-taught ganjira player and has performed as an accompanist.
“I first played ganjira for Shreya Devnath (solo violin) at BARC. A taste for kanakku and listening to my father’s mridangam sollus help in swara configurations,” he says.
Vignesh believes in listening as an important tool for learning and so attends concerts regularly.
