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?(!!)
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?(!!)
கருத்துகள் இல்லை:
கருத்துரையிடுக