Chowdiah Memorial Hall, the iconic cultural centre of Bengaluru shaped like a violin and named after the great violinist T. Chowdiah houses a small treasure trove that not many know of… a museum of ancient instruments.
As the centre observes the late Chowdiah’s 48th death anniversary on January 19, the trustees hope to expand this modest museum that currently houses nearly 25 instruments.
The idea of a museum struck when the Chowdiah Memorial Hall received his seven-stringed German violin from his granddaughter Sheela Boriah nearly two years ago. For the Academy of Music running the Chowdiah Hall that took shape after K.K. Murthy visualised a violin-shaped building and made it a reality, it was a new responsibility of preserving the prized possession. They went a step ahead by setting up a museum of old and rare instruments called ‘Medha’. On display here are 3-ft rosewood Miraj tanpura, a decorative Rudra veena and Saraswati veena among others.
Says Subbaraj Urs, Secretary, Academy of Music, “Although we prominently display Chowdiah’s violin during our Annual Music Fest in November for public to appreciate, we will soon have a focussed and decorative niche for the stringed gem at the museum. It was the first of its kind crafted in seven strings that helped a natural amplification during mike-less days from the 1920s.”
“I have heard that it took a great deal of time for Chowdiah’s guru Bidaram Krishnappa to accept the novelty, although the veteran had along with Veene Seshanna later appreciated the painstaking effort,” says flautist Mysore A. Chandan Kumar, great grandson of Chowdiah.
