AN INTERVIEW WITH THE MOHAN VEENA PLAYER

Chennai: Amid the chaos of big and small black guitar cases, a neatly wrapped dotara (Baul instrument) hanging from a pink wall, traditional dry grass mats and a cot, the distinct and melodic tunes of the rare Mohan veena reverberate. Swiftly running his fingers on this 20-string instrument is Poly Varghese, a Kerala-born musician known to be among the niche group of artists who play the modified Archtop guitar which was handcrafted by his guru Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Varghese’s long journey as a Carnatic mridangist slowly ended after his chance encounter with the unique instrument.