hi all,
Life has taught us lot of things...we have been shocked, had our quota of fun, and also impressed and impacted from the everyday news...The panchantra stories to the chicken soup to the today's real life stories...
This is from our desk...shanvy and vysan
Life has taught us lot of things...we have been shocked, had our quota of fun, and also impressed and impacted from the everyday news...The panchantra stories to the chicken soup to the today's real life stories...
This is from our desk...shanvy and vysan
The city prepares so do I..,
The Chennai city being beautified, is a regular news to many by now. Marina beach looks cool, many of you would have been there. At the same time, the roads look yucky as my kids would say, after the frequent night downpours. (Deputy CM do something sir!).
But there is something buzzing in the air isn’t it. Something more than the new year sale, Christmas, Winter Vacations and the cost of Living.
Just 2/3 days to go for the margazhi to start. Yes..! Margazhi, the month that Krishna said was his, the month that is cooler in a ever hot Chennai, a month that vibrates everywhere with music in all its glory and aplomb. All the sabhas are getting ready. The connoisseurs of music are taking notes of the concerts and concert schedules that are being announced though the cost of the tickets make them search for free to all concerts too.
The music season started as a weekly ritual in the 18th century, where the concerts happened in the temples, and in the homes of the affluent. With the formation of the East India Company, we have Christmas and Christmas celebrations joining this music season.
Slowly with more people getting interested in the performing arts of dance and music, we did need a better and bigger place, lead to the formation of Madras music academy, in the month of December way back in the late 20’s as a result of a decision at the all India music conference. Today it is a institution in it’s own right. Music Academy is known to have a great library for the aspiring artists. The day you are able to perform here, symbolizes your arriving on the scene. Well that is another story for another day.
I was talking about the concert halls or sabhas as we chennaites fondly call them. The sabhas are going to be star catchers/sun catchers whatever we would like them to. since some of the performers are beyond the star status.
The rustle of silk sarees, the heady scent of jasmine, the aroma of filter coffee/kaapi, and the shuttle busses that help the connoisseurs from one sabha to the other. Well did I forget, the group of people from the US, who vacation in this season, and are found in most of the elite sabhas with their state of art ipods/mp4.( nothing less from our local chennaites. nowadays..)
Oh..! a simple pious, divine, music season has become a commercial event according to one school of thought. Maybe there is truth in this. There is another school that says, with the advent many sabhas, in the suburbs, and in chennai, there is a better platform for any person who wishes to showcase his talent.
The temples in my area also have put up their list, tempting me a lot.
Sudha Ragunathan, sowmya, and the new upcoming Manasi, Niveditha, where do I start and stop..the choice is endless. The dance dramas, the harikathas, the bhajans everything is tempting. The news in the circuit is about a special celebration of the doyens of Carnatic music.
This year we do have competitions and performances by the Choirs of Chennai. There have been inter-school carol competitions too
Well what will a person whose mobility has become limited do (myself with a ligament tear), tuning the TV, taking note of webcast, Cleaning the radio at the bedside, putting in new batteries (taking no chances you see), a book and a pencil (I don’t have much faith on my pens, that stop writing at an important moment.). Well already we have been having curtain raisers on TV time wars.
Looking forward to my FIL accounting of what is happening, the hot pongal from temples, the fogs, the dews, the jokes (magazines do have margazhi theme), the beautiful kolams and kolam competitions…
Where did my mp3 of thiruppavai and thiruvempavai go hiding..Margazhi thingal…well let me go searching..
Did I miss something??
But there is something buzzing in the air isn’t it. Something more than the new year sale, Christmas, Winter Vacations and the cost of Living.
Just 2/3 days to go for the margazhi to start. Yes..! Margazhi, the month that Krishna said was his, the month that is cooler in a ever hot Chennai, a month that vibrates everywhere with music in all its glory and aplomb. All the sabhas are getting ready. The connoisseurs of music are taking notes of the concerts and concert schedules that are being announced though the cost of the tickets make them search for free to all concerts too.
The music season started as a weekly ritual in the 18th century, where the concerts happened in the temples, and in the homes of the affluent. With the formation of the East India Company, we have Christmas and Christmas celebrations joining this music season.
Slowly with more people getting interested in the performing arts of dance and music, we did need a better and bigger place, lead to the formation of Madras music academy, in the month of December way back in the late 20’s as a result of a decision at the all India music conference. Today it is a institution in it’s own right. Music Academy is known to have a great library for the aspiring artists. The day you are able to perform here, symbolizes your arriving on the scene. Well that is another story for another day.
I was talking about the concert halls or sabhas as we chennaites fondly call them. The sabhas are going to be star catchers/sun catchers whatever we would like them to. since some of the performers are beyond the star status.
The rustle of silk sarees, the heady scent of jasmine, the aroma of filter coffee/kaapi, and the shuttle busses that help the connoisseurs from one sabha to the other. Well did I forget, the group of people from the US, who vacation in this season, and are found in most of the elite sabhas with their state of art ipods/mp4.( nothing less from our local chennaites. nowadays..)
Oh..! a simple pious, divine, music season has become a commercial event according to one school of thought. Maybe there is truth in this. There is another school that says, with the advent many sabhas, in the suburbs, and in chennai, there is a better platform for any person who wishes to showcase his talent.
The temples in my area also have put up their list, tempting me a lot.
Sudha Ragunathan, sowmya, and the new upcoming Manasi, Niveditha, where do I start and stop..the choice is endless. The dance dramas, the harikathas, the bhajans everything is tempting. The news in the circuit is about a special celebration of the doyens of Carnatic music.
This year we do have competitions and performances by the Choirs of Chennai. There have been inter-school carol competitions too
Well what will a person whose mobility has become limited do (myself with a ligament tear), tuning the TV, taking note of webcast, Cleaning the radio at the bedside, putting in new batteries (taking no chances you see), a book and a pencil (I don’t have much faith on my pens, that stop writing at an important moment.). Well already we have been having curtain raisers on TV time wars.
Looking forward to my FIL accounting of what is happening, the hot pongal from temples, the fogs, the dews, the jokes (magazines do have margazhi theme), the beautiful kolams and kolam competitions…
Where did my mp3 of thiruppavai and thiruvempavai go hiding..Margazhi thingal…well let me go searching..
Did I miss something??
Total Comments 24
Comments
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Shanvy,
Apt blog! I watched Maargazhi raagam movie yesterday at Satyam - and it was simply mindblowing. With your list of margazhi season specials - do add the gnanambikas and arusuvai arasu canteens! Sudha vitalum viduven, suda suda bonda vidave matten
ArchPosted 13th December 2009 at 10:48 PM by archana.kc
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Dear Shanvy
I have heard about this kutcheri season in Madras many times but only last year I managed to be part of the festivities for a few days. I had the luxury of walking down the road along with my MIL to attend some of the programmes at Bharat Kalachar. I quite enjoyed the experience and got to see some fantastic performances and the atmosphere too was exciting with pattu sarees and mallippu and kolusu. The only condition we had was during the break, I had to get some hot keera vadai / vazhakka bajji and bonda for my FIL!Posted 14th December 2009 at 12:13 AM by knot2share
Updated 14th December 2009 at 12:14 AM by knot2share - Dear Shanvy,
What a delightful description of the 'December season' in Chennai (Madras in those days),
Evokes memories of MLV's Thiruppavai and Thiruvempavai relayed on the radio in the early morning... big kolams outside the houses, a thoroughly spiritual atmosphere...
Outstanding artistes performing in the Music Academy, Krishna Gana Sabha, etc etc and lecture-demonstrations in the mornings for lay-persons like me to get some knowledge of Ragams and Talams and Paddathis, not to mention padams and javalis...
One wall in our kitchen was entirely for hanging the newspaper cuttings and brochures of Sabhas with Katcheri lists, and the names and dates of the concerts to be attended were circled in red ...
Enjoyed your blog so much, dear Shan...
Love,
PadmaPosted 14th December 2009 at 03:22 AM by Padmasrinivas - Dear Shanvy,
This is new info for me and thanks a lot for that. So december is a month to look forward to with so many festivities taking place. Hve never been to chennai yet but if I get a chance may be will plan it for december, what say???Posted 15th December 2009 at 07:40 AM by Sheebavinod -
Marghazhi na...adhu kutcheri, Pongal, Thiruppavai, Thiruvembavai season dhan..
Missing a lot here...but your blog brought back the memories..thank you Shanthi.
Um..you are right about the pen..pencil is the best..
sriniketanPosted 15th December 2009 at 05:51 PM by Sriniketan
