KOCHI: Playback singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi on Sunday set a new world record by playing the maximum number of songs in the shortest time on a single string musical instrument. She played various classical and filmy songs on the Gayathri veena continuously for over five hours and in the process became the first person to achieve the feat.
The music maestro, who is visually impaired, broke the record by playing a total of 69 songs on the instrument during a programme here. Even though Vijayalakshmi managed to enter the record books when the 51st song was completed, she went on till the 69th song.
Several awards have come Vijayalakshmi’s way. Besides singing for the Malayalam movies,she has rendered songs in Tamil and Telugu films. Moreover, Vijayalakshmi has conducted several Gayathri veena recitals. The instrument gifted by a well-wisher was modified by Vijayalakshmi’s father, Muraleedharan.