Singer plays 67 songs on Veena, sets record
South Indian musician Vaikkom Vijayalakshmi — who turned an inspiration for many by calling off her marriage after her fiancé forced her to give up her singing career — on Sunday set a world record by reciting 67 songs on Gayathri Veena in a five-hour music concert in Kochi.
The visually-impaired singer has become the fastest musician in the world to play 67 songs, beating the existing record of 51 songs on a single sitting. She was presented with a Universal Record Forum award and organisers said they would officially inform the Guninness Book of World Records about the feat.
Though the initial plan was to play 52 songs but she continued with her performance and concluded her performance after playing the 67th song.
An expert at playing the rare musical instrument Gaythri Veena, she made heads turn right from her first song as a playback singer five years ago. She also popularised Gayathi Veena also known as Ek Tantri Veena (an instrument with the single string).
“It is a dream come true for me. I dedicate this feat to my gurus and parents,” said the singer, also a state-award winner. The singer had called off her wedding two weeks ago after her fiancé reportedly asked her to give up concerts and take up a job of a music teacher in a college. “I have no regrets in choosing music over marriage,” the singer had said after calling off her marriage.