MADRAS MUSIC MELA 2002

RASIKA TRENDS TODAY

What do Ramanathan Narayanan, 30, from Illinois, 7 year old Vibhaalakshmi from Chennai, and 70 year old Dwaraki Krishnaswamy from Bangalore have in common? Well, they are all winners of the Rasika Awards instituted by Carnatica and Sri Krishna Sweets for the Music festival, December 2002.  The response to this  competitive event was staggering. If these awards were meant to encourage more rasikas to attend concerts and to educate people into analytical listening, then the purpose has been fulfilled in full measure. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we have pioneered a giant step in the field of Carnatic music listening.

More than thousand rasikas entered this event which consisted of filling in the provided booklets with details of the concerts attended. Prizes were given for various categories of rasikas - children, women, NRIs etc. Prizes themselves were plentiful and based on quality as well as quantity. Dr.  D Vaseekaran, for example, took the prize for having attended the maximum number of concerts with a breath-taking 89 concerts! It was heart-warming to read the entries. Many a rasika had filled in three booklets with concerts details. Some had summarized the proceedings of lecture demonstrations. Some had noted minute details like length of the alapana, down to the second! Some rasikas had even noted the time at which they entered the hall, and left it too. Many had included their personal impressions, and experiences which made one feel that they were actually enjoying their job. Which is just what we wanted. Before the actual reporting/analysis of the concerts, the candidates were asked to fill in a little questionnaire. This provided interesting information. For example, Madurai Mani Iyer and GNB featured most in the rasika's preferences of yesteryear artistes. T V Sankaranarayanan, O S Tyagarajan and T N Seshagopalan seemed to be the present day favorites, and amongst the younger set, Sudha Raghunathan, Sanjay Subramanian, T M Krishna, Nityashree, Sowmya and Bombay Jayashree. A thumping majority preferred vocal concerts, quite a few liked instrumental too. Interestingly, there were almost no takers for fusion concerts.

Reading the reviews made one feel that many 'Subbudus' were in the offing! The comments ranged from effusive praise ("No words to describe this concert") to brutal frankness ("I came out after 2-3 pieces as I found nothing interesting in the concert" and "One wonders how such artiste can get a chance at the Music Academy"). One rasika, apparently disappointed with a 'rising star' had this to say - "reportedly talented, not exhibited". There were common grouses. For example, noise pollution, both on and off stage. Many complained of excessive mike volume, excessive violin volume especially in saxophone concerts, and noise in and around the concert hall. For instance, a concert held at the Parthasarathy Swami Sabha was described as 'energetic' and 'brisk in spite of disturbing noise from adjoining cooking hall/stall'! Similarly, a singer at AVM Kalyana Mantapam "performed well in spite of disturbing noise all around due to an imminent megastar concert". Some rasikas seemed to double as psychologists too! A young flutist was thus described -  "Appeared nervous, especially after the arrival of Dr. N Ramani, which seemed to have affected his rhythm and free flow". Some preferred to tread the truthful path. Hence in the column for audience strength, a gentlemen who had euphemistically noted "less than 20", scored it off to mention "practically no audience at all". Now isn't  that a familiar sight at our Sabhas? Something that we aim to put right with more such events.

Many rasikas gave generous accolades to the good performances. Young Charumati Raghuraman on the violin was universally acclaimed with "a kutti ponnu's scintillating violin support". Many gave rave reviews about the Malladi Brothers. One rasika described them as the emerging Alathur Brothers, and wished them to move down to Chennai from Vijayawada to give regular concerts. The yesteryear stars continued to weave their magic as was seen from the Vintage Legends programmes of Carnatica.  Madurai Mani Iyer, Ariyakudi and Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, all found a place in the rasika's hearts. Yet, the absence of youngsters at these programmes was lamented. As one participant put it, " More programmes like this will certainly enlighten youngsters. Unfortunately, hardly any youngsters could be seen around, as 90% crowd were above 60+ who had come to have the reminiscence of the great masters." Some of the rasikas seemed to feel themselves part of the concert itself. An elderly gentleman almost seemed to speak to the artistes as he constantly mentioned in his reviews "keep it up"! Some good artistes were felt to "deserve more performances and patronage". One rasika had a word of caution to a member of a violin duet - "his tendency to sing as he plays should be curtailed". Similar sentiments were expressed by others too. Politics seemed to enter music sometimes, if the following comment on a senior percussionist who gave a lec-dem was to be considered - "He used this podium to settle scores with people he did not like". Another rasika stated the importance of food when, appreciating Neyveli Santanagopalan's lec-dem, he opined, "Excellent anecdotes on 'sappadu' and 'sangeetam' which go hand in hand". Yet another rasika gave a lengthy description on the importance of dress in the present day concert scenario where silk, jari and gold are ever important, even the nail-polish matching with the sari! Sherlock Holmes, are you listening?

The importance of the voice was universally stated, from the youngest rasika upwards. The singers with sore-throats were mercilessly criticized, one wondered why they had not changed their programmed dates (That is Margazhi for you). Similarly, rasikas did not seem too fond of excessive hand and facial movements. One little rasika specifically stated "did not do action" as one of her criteria for her preference for Sudha. Stage manners too seemed to play a part. Many lady vocalists were attributed "pleasing stage manners" as a reason for their success. One rasika complained of 'bits' used by the artiste, and frankly said that it gave a very bad impression. Excesses in tempo, both fast and slow came in for comment. A comment on a leading vidwan read, "A few songs were very fast and hence the bhavam couldn't be enjoyed". On the other hand, a slow paced concert had the following remark, "People were dozing". A senior mega star was accused of Americanism in his rendering of Ma Janaki as Ma Jana ki Cheta! Many of the rasikas proved to be remarkably well informed. They certainly couldn't be taken for a ride - "Calculations in Neraval and Swara will make the concert interesting but concentrating on that alone will spoil the bhavam of the raga and overdoing it will spoil the whole concert, and then, "missed a few sollus" (referring to a ghatam artiste). Analytical comments on the Pallavi session were made by quite a few rasikas. One curious factor was the way the same concert was analysed in diametrically opposite ways by different rasikas. The very artiste who was lauded as 'par excellence' by one, would be accused of  'sruti misalignments' by the others. The violinist who was acclaimed as the saviour of a concert was described, in a different review of the same concert as loud and harsh.

Could we forget our sponsors, Sri Krishna Sweets? One rasika had this to say, "As sweet as Lord Krishna himself!" While on the whole, the reviews were neatly thought out and expressed, there were a few gaffes that couldn't not prevent us from smiling a bit - "Nadupai" was noted as "Marupai", Durai Swaminathan, who unfortunately passed away last year, was said to be an accompanist, and Ranjani and Gayatri were referred to as Nandini and Gayatri (are they being confused with the other violin duo?).

On a more serious note, the reports of audience participation at concerts were predictable, yet disturbing. While lecture demonstrations had on the average over 200 participants at the Music Academy, the scenario was not so good at many other places. As for the concerts themselves, the top ranking artistes drew huge crowds at most places. The middle category had on an average 200-300 listeners at 'prime' locations, that too provided the timing was convenient. Alas, the majority of concerts by 'non-stars' both meritorious and otherwise had pathetic attendance. One rasika, appreciative of a flute recital at Sriragam Fine Arts, lamented that only 12 rasikas had had  the privilege to listen to such a good concert. Subtract from this figure the number of family members and invitees, not to mention the organisers. The bare facts are a little scary. It is precisely for this that Carnatica has come out with the Rasika diary. To encourage people to listen, to observe, to savour the beauties of this wonderful system that is ours. Yet, the awards serve more than just that. Thanks to this effort, we have with us a sort of database that can be preserved in the archives of the kutcheri scenario forever. It also is a concrete testimony of audience tastes in this generation, and could prove as an eye-opener for artistes who would be open to criticism. More importantly, it is a standing proof of the fact that tastes differ, and hence, arguments and defenses for or against artistes and 'patantaras' are meaningless. We thank the participants for their overwhelming response. Not just for their wonderful efforts. But for showing us that Carnatic music is surely in safe hands not only today, but for generations to come.

Posted on January 21, 2003

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