“It’s an honour to be compared with flute maestro Mali”

Flautist Master Visveshwar from Chennai was on a high when flute maestro N. Ramani showered praise on the child prodigy by comparing him with his guru T.R. Mahalingam, affectionately called Mali.“I cherish most the eminent flautist Ramani’s remark at the Madras Music Academy during the Spirit of Youth festival in 2010 while presenting the best instrumentalist award,” says the 20-year-old flautist going down the memory lane. “I have not seen my guru Mali playing in his childhood. I think flautist Mali would have played like Visweshwar in his childhood,” flute Ramani, who has introduced long flute into Carnatic music, had said, the young flautist recalled in a conversation with The Hindu here.

Enchanting recital

All India Radio-accredited B-high grade artist floored laymen as well as connoisseurs of art at the music festival organised on the occasion of Dasara by Sri Gayatri Adyatimika Samskritika Mandali.

“Mali, who had revolutionised the style of flute-playing in Carnatic music, is my source of inspiration,” he says. The 20-year-old youth, who has admiration for flautist Shashank, says he wants to carve a niche for himself by developing a style of his own. Visveshwar, who has given over 600 performances, values the confidence reposed in him by AIR senior staff artistes P. Nageswara Rao and N.S.Kalyanram who played violin and mrudangam with him respectively.