Biography

Madhuvanti Pal, formerly Madhuvanti Murali Mohan, was born in Kolkata in 1992 to a family of teachers dating back four generations. Her mother and father (teachers themselves) instilled a passion for learning in her from an early age. Whether in painting or sculpting, modeling or music, they always encouraged her to pursue her creativity. 

She began her musical life with khayal—a major form of North Indian classical music—at the age of 12. After studying for years as a vocalist and violinist, she felt drawn to an incredibly rare instrument: the rudra veena. This curiosity led her to Pt. Bala Chander, a disciple of Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar. Under his strict tutelage, Madhuvanti learned the essentials of dhrupad and the rudra veena, but couldn’t afford an instrument for herself.

In 2012, she began studying with Vidushi Mita Nag, the renowned Bishnupur sitar player. Encouraged by her new guru, Madhuvanti acquired her very first rudra veena. And it was terrible.

After years of study and struggle with a bad instrument, she set out on a journey to build her own veena. She traveled to Udaipur to learn veena building from Pt. Rajshekar Vyas, a man who dedicated his life to preserving the secrets of this artform. With his help, she built her first rudra veena from bamboo. 

Over the years, her skill as a rudra veena builder grew, so much so that she has since developed her own unique approach. Her instruments are noted for being lighter and easier to play than typical Dagar veenas while still retaining great sonic depth and beauty.

Madhuvanti has recently created the Rudra Veena Gurukul in Kolkata where she teaches students from around the world. Drawing from her family lineage of teachers, she pursues her craft as a guru with as much passion as she does her own performance. If you’re interested in studying with her, click here.