And, the story continues...

Like preparing for a journey and looking forward to a visit of a dear one, gearing up for the music performance in auditoriums - in itself is full of excitement. I was there in Chennai, during November and lucky that I could fill my ears with some of the best of season's best music in Bharatiya Vidya bhavan's programmes.
The only concert of Abhishek Raghuram that I could enjoy was at this venue. A brilliant performance, a delight to the heart and the mind at the same time!
" Entharo mahanubhavo"  - He sang it in an entirely different way; the raga essaying, the song and later embellishments - no doubt that this was the 'pièce de résistance' of the programme!
My eyes welled up listening to that deeply meditative and spiritual Sree. I really didn't want to come out of that experience! " இதமான தென்றல் காற்றில் மெல்ல மிதந்து வரும் பிச்சிப் பூவின் வாசம் போல"  'Santhana gopala krishnam upasmahe ' in Kamas and the thillana கோலவள்ளி  குஞ்சரி ...' - each one shone like the precious stones in a beautifully designed neck piece.
I prepared myself for some pushing, bumping and playing musical chair to get a seat for Ra Ga's kutcheri but the crowd that day was beyond any imagination!  The huge auditorium at Bhavan was overflowing - upstairs hall, side wings all filled  and even the outside open space, the staircase, steps at the entrance, tables in the lobby --oof!
It was like a chocolate-loving kid being offered boxes and boxes of chocolates - as I could absorb the multiple sights and colours. All sorts of people - tall and short, young and old, students and rasikas, ladies dressed to the hilt and the casually attired youngsters,people freshly made up for the evening and the tired looking ones straight from work (I was in that category) -  were calling out for attention!
I would have happily listened to the kutcheri from outside but for the constant movement and loud talking(not to forget the selfie loving ladies and others who were trying to peep into my notebook to see what I was writing!)
A Bhakthi -filled 'Chidambara Natarajam Asraye' in Kedaram marked the beginning.The sisters' dedication and hard work is something remarkable. They bring some rarely sung compositions, rare ragas to the public.Their presentation, without compromising traditional values brings out the novelty of innovation. Here they presented Jayachamaraja Odeyar's composition," Amba Shri Rajarajeswari" in Bhogavasantham - a panchama varjya ragam. They do announce if any rare raga is taken up but it was not audible outside. Anyhow, thanks to technology, I was able to glean the information about the ragam from google!Next is again such a rare ragam - Lalithapanchamam and it was 'Paramapurusham' by Swati thirunal.
Then came the star of the day - Kambhoji! How do they do that smooth gliding between mandra sthayi and tarasthayi! within minutes, the swaras tumbled down like a gurgling stream and the raga came alive in all its glory! and that soul stirring song - 'O... Ranagsayee' followed! When they can sustain on the note of Sa or Ga for long in sync with shruti, I just am lost in the hypnotic music - no me, no others, no past!
The audience simply were bought into their virutham singing with a free rein for manodharma singing in ragamalika - "ஆதியாய், நடுவுமாய், அளவிலா அளவுமாகி ", followed by "ஆண்டவன் தரிசனமே, த்யாகேசன் தாண்டவ தரிசனமே".
The Abhang" Janma janma was a fitting finale to the evening's programme.  

The call of December

The cool early morning and evening air with a little welcome bite! Ah...my mind and body gear up for the brief 'winter' in our parts of the country!
The mood of celebration, festivals, parties, feasts go together with a mood of introspection, devotion and Bhakthi.
Where else you can see such strange combinations than in the state's capital - அட , நம்ம சென்னை தாங்க!
I have not forgotten the most important ingredient of Chennai winter,  besides the real and false threats of the visits of cyclones and then the most needed rains - yes, music season, it is!
When in Tiruvannamalai, the months of November and December are much cooler than Chennai and  the ambiance is something else yet, I miss the Sabha hopping - observing the different kinds of people(audience),  occasional sharing of tips about ragas and most importantly the live performances!
This season, I could listen to a number of kutcheries live if not sabha hopping!
There were some regular faces - (pretty thrilled to remember those personalities!!). Then there were young students, the "hep" maamis, globe trotting seniors, discerning listeners.... list goes on!.
 But music flows in and around all these and listening to the creative raga essaying and swara singing amidst all these is an experience that is like an addiction sometimes!.
Yet, there are questions that kept creeping out of the deep corners of my mind now and then - waiting to be noticed and dealt with. Like this question - the crowd for artists like the RaGa sisters, Abhishek Raghuram and Trissur brothers - were all those people, Hmm..., there for the music? Think of those two women, who lifted themselves up on a low table in the lobby, chatting happily, taking selfies and asking me, "is it Ananthabhairavi?" when RaGa sisters began singing "எப்படி மனம் துணிந்ததோ" with such emotion!(Huseni)
(Thanks to them and all those who share the great knowledge of music in social media, I came to know about the association of both ragas and some similar characteristic phrases or 'ஸ்வர பிரயோகங்கள்'.)
The usual question - Does this divine music not appeal to people from different age groups, different social/economic strata?
"Me too" has certainly cast a pall over the concert festivities.  Though nothing has been discussed or even whispered around, It did affect my 100% enjoyment though, when any artist from the list was performing.When people were ready to discount or brush off the complaints and distress calls of women I felt uneasy and sometimes guilty listening to them. (Am I stirring up a hornet's nest?)
That apart, tuning into the connoisseurs''  critiquing performances of the artists  in other Sabhas or overhearing 'news from abroad', listening to the comments about "today's special' in the canteen  - don't they all make the season interesting!
But, "Where is the music in here?"- You are wondering, right?
What about this being the curtain raiser, a teaser?(!!)