Dr. Suma Sudhindra

Dr. Suma Sudhindra is the foremost exponent of the Veena in her generation of Musicians. A very rare blend of the classical conservatism with a belief in evolving to the present, her range of work has extended from the scholarly to performances of immaculate skill and creative contours. Keen on making a global presence Suma’s works of experimentation have been applauded all over the world and this vibrant exponent of the emani Chittibabu style is making the sounds of the veena a phenomenon of universal appeal. Her recent contribution to the music world is her own new innovation ‘The Tarangini Veena’ which has made a tremendous impact in the music circles. She received “Rajyotsava Award” from Karnataka Government in the year 2001. She is also a recipient of  “ Kalaimamani” award from Tamilnadu  Government .

A tireless amount of energy and dedication find Suma entrenched today deeply within her various roles of a classical soloist, a contemporary composer, cultural activist, administrator, teacher, organizer and performer, where she integrates these roles for the faith of music in her journey of artistic explorations.

Veena is the oldest of Indian musical instruments and the instrument most representative of southern India. It is about 150 cm in length and has twenty-four metal frets. Four of the seven metal strings are placed above the frets, while the remaining three are open strings. These three open strings have the important functions of providing drone and also indicating the beats of the rhythmic pattern (Tala) being performed.