At the age of eighteen Meena left for India, spending six months in her birth town Bangalore where she was introduced into the basics of South Indian music.
She then became a border at the prestigious Casterton school ( a private school for girls ) in the north of England, famous for the well known Brontë sisters and book authors, who attended the school in the 19th century.( Charlotte Brontë’s account of “Jane Eyre” was based in the grounds of Casterton School ).
Meena passed her A-levels in 1996. At the suggestion of Casterton’s head of music Mr. David Chapman and the violinist Mr. James Westall, Meena continued her music studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire, whose president is Sir Simon Rattle who later became musical director of the Berlin Philharmonic. Meena owes inspirations and encouragement to him.
During her time at the conservatoire, Meena also played under the baton of the Estonian Paavo Järvi. Furthermore her violin teachers included Philippe Graffin ( Paris Conservatoire ), the American Jacqueline Ross ( The Juilliard School, New York), Nic Fallowfield, but most of all, the London based violinist Clive Lander, who she owes most.
Meena left the conservatoire in the year 2002, having graduated with the Bachelor of music with Honours, the Postgraduate Diploma and the Master of Arts in World Music in her chosen thesis title “ The healing powers of Indian music”.
She continued her studies with Professor Dr. Rüdiger Görner at Aston University in Birmingham at the department of Languages and European Studies where she was awarded a second Master degree with distinction. ( Thesis : “ The late Beethoven in the time of the French Revolution and Restoration ”).
Meena is currently pursuing a PhD in her chosen topic of “ Musicians during the Holocaust “ at Birmingham University.
