{"id":171391450,"date":"2025-09-15T09:36:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T13:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/?p=171391450"},"modified":"2026-02-12T05:00:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:00:34","slug":"from-medicine-to-music-a-journey-with-the-veena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/from-medicine-to-music-a-journey-with-the-veena\/","title":{"rendered":"From Medicine to Music: A Journey with the Veena"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this exclusive conversation, Dr. Lushen Govender \u2014 Veena artist, Emergency Medical Specialist, and Psychiatrist-in-Training \u2014 shares his inspiring journey from medical school to Carnatic music, weaving together two worlds of healing: psychiatry and the Veena.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q. You\u2019re a qualified medical doctor, yet you’ve chosen to dedicate yourself to the Veena. How do you see these two worlds, healing through medicine and healing through music, intersecting in your journey?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A:\u00a0<\/strong>That\u2019s a question I\u2019ve often asked myself, because as artists, I believe part of our work is to integrate all aspects of who we are into one whole. For me, that\u2019s what drew me to psychiatry. It offers a holistic way of caring for people, and it naturally opens doors to music therapy. My dream is to one day create a holistic medical centre where psychiatry and music therapy come together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, it\u2019s not an easy path, but I\u2019ve realized that life itself is weaving the two threads\u2014medicine and music\u2014together quite organically. A very personal experience shaped this vision for me. Last year, I was invited to perform on the Veena for Sister Shivani of the Brahma Kumaris during her talk in South Africa. Her message on mindfulness resonated deeply with my own vision of integrating music and psychiatry. Afterwards, I was blessed to meet her briefly. She gave me an affirmation that I now keep on my wall:\u00a0\u201cHe works through me, healing minds and hearts through music and psychiatry.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That moment felt like a blessing, almost a Diksha, and since then it has become my guiding mantra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: Let\u2019s shift to your music. Who is your Guru, and what is the tradition you follow?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0My Guru Sri. Ananta Narayanan is a disciple of Padma Bhushan P.S. Narayanaswamy, whose lineage goes back through Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer to Saint Tyagaraja. He was Narayanaswamy Sir\u2019s only Veena student, though he also trained extensively in vocal music. He has been a lecturer at Kalakshetra for 21 years and is now retired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What has been your most transformative lesson from your Guru?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A:<\/strong>\u00a0Humility. Without a doubt<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indian musicians are oceans of knowledge. They dedicate their entire lives to study and practice. And yet, the greater their knowledge, the greater their humility. That has been my biggest lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I did my Arangetram, it was my first time performing and being part of a live Veena concert. That tells you how scarce Veena performances are in South Africa. Until then, I was self-studying\u2014borrowing CDs, making trips to India to search for a teacher. Meeting my Guru felt like finally finding the guidance I had been yearning for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But more than music, he taught me that the beginning of true learning is realizing how little you actually know. That shift in perspective was transformative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: You are now establishing the\u00a0<\/strong>Ananta Shravanti Institute<\/strong><\/em>. What is your vision for it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A:<\/strong> Honestly, it feels like an enormous task. Even in India, instrumental music is considered a challenge. But we have to start somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My vision is to connect South African students to Gurus in India and build a small but dedicated community of Veena players here. Veena and vocal music go hand in hand, so both will be part of the training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If, in a few years, we can have even five Veena players in South Africa\u2014artists who can perform in temples, accompany Arangetrams, and let audiences hear the sound of this sacred instrument\u2014I will feel my mission has succeeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: For an international diaspora audience, why do you think engaging with traditional instruments like the Veena is still important?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A:<\/strong> The Veena is not just for the Indian diaspora\u2014it belongs to humanity. For those of us living far from India, yes, it connects us to our roots. But its reach is far deeper. The Veena traces back to the S\u0101maveda<\/em>, and just as the Vedas are not the heritage of Indians alone, the Veena is not limited to a single people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In today\u2019s fast-paced world, the Veena offers grounding, peace, and solace. It has carried me through many moments\u2014long nights of medical study, exhausting hospital shifts, even the grief of losing patients. Each time I play, it becomes a source of healing and renewal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like any s\u0101dhana<\/em>\u2014whether dance, yoga, or music\u2014the Veena is more than an art form. It is a path of inner transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: What thoughts of gratitude or reflection would you like to leave with us?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A:<\/strong> I am deeply grateful to the senior artists of South Africa\u2014dancers, musicians, teachers\u2014who have laid the groundwork for Indian classical arts here. Without their dedication, there would be no foundation for us to build on. And I would like to thank all the artists My Guru Prof Ananta Narayanan, Vidwan Sivanathan Pillay, Shri Shanjeet Teeluck, Shri Vishen Kemraj, Shruti Teeluck, Ravi Rugbeer, Smt. Roshelle Nardhamuni, Smt Seema Lala, Smt Verushka Pather, Dr Vishkir Dayanand who are all involved in this inaugural performance happening during this month of September 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The name Ananta Shravanti<\/em> itself came from my Guru, suggested by a Sanskrit scholar at Kalakshetra. Shravanti<\/em> means the flow of knowledge, and is also another name for Saraswati. Ananta<\/em> means bliss, and also honors my Guru\u2019s name. The vision is for this institute to be more than mine\u2014it should be a living institution that can grow beyond me, carried by many hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, my aspiration is simple: to continue the Guru\u2013Shishya parampara in my small way. If I can leave behind a handful of dedicated Veena players who carry this tradition forward in South Africa, my work will be complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seema Lala in Conversation with Dr. Lushen Govender \u2014 Johannesburg, 14 September 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":171391509,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171391450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171391450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171391450"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171391450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171391936,"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171391450\/revisions\/171391936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171391509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171391450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171391450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediamax.design\/gia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171391450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}