Kanyakumari’s star-spangled career

Leading Carnatic violinist and guru A. Kanyakumari was recently mentioned in the Congressional Record, the official written record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. Raja Krishnamoorthi, of the House of Representatives, representing the state of Illinois’ 8th District, incorporated this recognition on August 6, in the Extensions of Remarks section, “to honor the life and talent of Avasarala Kanyakumari, a revered master violinist, composer and teacher”.

After providing a background of Kanyakumari’s training and her renown as a soloist and accompanist, Rep. Krishnamoorthi mentioned some of the awards she has received — Padma Shri, Kalaimamani and Sangita Kalanidhi. Then, referring to her teaching, he said, “She offers her services without charge, as her way of paying it forward and honouring the contributions made by her teachers to developing her talents. And Kanyakumari is a wonderful musical ambassador, sharing the beauty of the Carnatic tradition with music lovers all over the world.”

In his remarks, Rep. Krishnamoorthi stated, “I was especially moved by a recent rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ on this Fourth of July, performed by Kanyakumari and her student disciples.” The Fourth of July is the U.S. Independence Day and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is the country’s national anthem.

Kanyakumari and about 40 of her students from several countries, including India, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States, performed ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ on several violins, a piano, a veena, a double bass and a guitar. Each person recorded their part individually. They were subsequently edited and put together by Nandhika Venkatraman, S. Sayee Rakshith, Shilpa Venkatesh and K. Sathyanarayanan, all of whom also played in the recording. Rep. Krishnamoorthi shared the recording on his Facebook page on July 5. Kanyakumari’s student, Kamalakiran Vinjamuri, based in the Washington DC area, said that it was played at the Indian Embassy as well, adding that she had first performed it at a concert in 2015 at The Kennedy Center.

Speaking about this rendition, Kanyakumari said. “America has always welcomed me. This was my way of expressing gratitude to the country in its 245th year of independence. 2021 also marks 45 years since I first visited with M.L. Vasanthakumari amma on the invitation of P. Rajagopalan of the Carnatic Music Association of North America (CMANA). I have been performing in the U.S. regularly since.”

About the mention in Congress, she said, “This is the first time such an honour has been bestowed. It is a tremendous recognition, not just for me, but for the art form, for Indian classical musicians and the organisations that promote them.”

Rep. Krishnamoorthi said, “It was my pleasure to introduce a statement into the Congressional Record in recognition of the work of Ms. Avasarala Kanyakumari. Like many others, my family frequently listened to her recordings, along with a range of musical genres, including Indian classical music. I’m grateful for the opportunity to recognise artistes who enrich our lives and culture, and Kanyakumari has clearly done so.”

The author writes on classical music and musicians.