music season..some excerpts

I just wanted to share my observations and express my views regarding the music concerts. Being a part of the audience with varied tastes and interests I could understand a few things and also learnt to appreciate the finer details of music.

To begin with..
I began attending concerts a couple of years back with my father-in-law.He used to identify each and every raga with expertise.Once he could not attend a concert and
requested me to use his season ticket and attend the same.I happily agreed.I reached the venue ahead of time , found a suitable seat in the front. I was in the midst of elites
exceptionally well versed in music.All of them carried a handbook on ragas,composer,tala.Once the concert began my friendly neighbour enquired.."I have not seen you before, are you new to this sabha?" He continued with enthusiasm.."have you learnt music? Can you identify ragas? I can help you if needed. Don't miss out on the canteen here,it's fabulous".To be frank I was totally lost.. I was not an expert at identifying ragas and I did not have the handbook either.
I looked around and all the ladies who were present were clad in silk sarees and decked with jewellery.I consoled myself saying "This is the elite lounge.. must see how things are in the back rows. "

The next day I purchased a 100 rupee ticket and happily perched myself. My neighbour was a middle aged lady who was busy making a note each time a song began.I was curious and asked her what she was doing.She replied that she was making a note of th songs sung by the musician that day and also gave me some extra piece of info...It seems that she is a fan of the particular singer and would not miss out on his performance. She had already attended his 2 other concerts in other sabhas and sadly commented....."This season he has become repetitive.He sang these 2 songs(she named them!) in the other kutcheries too." I was shocked..I began visualising what amount of prep work each artist had to do each season to avoid such comments.

I also had the privilege of sitting next to a LIC agent during one of the concerts and she tried to persuade me into becoming a policy holder.Looks like they get potential
business in the sabhas.

I also happened to overhear women commenting on the dress sense of the lady musicians.Sudha Raghunathan topped the list followed by Nityasree and Aruna
Sairam.Bombay Jaishree is a simpleton compared to all others.

This year it has not been as eventful...
I saw a number of people from the audience clicking snaps with their mobile and a couple of them had religiously brought in their digital cameras too.
I bumped into a relative who coolly said that she has closed down her kitchen till the season is over.she had a long list of what to attend where, from dawn to dusk.Then
what about food...obviously care of sabha canteens.
So music lovers are thronging the sabhas not just for scintillating performances but also to relish the sabha canteen specials.
Will write about the kutcheries I attended this year in Let us discuss the margazhi kutcheries you have attended/listened...

Ladies if you have met interesting people when you attended concerts do write about it here.
Regards
Honeybee

Dear Sowmya Honey,
Till sometime back, I was such an avid listener to Dec concerts, running between home & Sabha. Mine was Mylapore Fine Arts Club. I will plan cooking, shopping etc for the whole day & get geared up suitably. From 1-2.45 PM, I will listen, rush back home to give V tea & rush back for 3 PM programme.
Same rush between 5 & 6 PM.
I would have loved to try the canteen; but had no company.
I love to identify ragas inspite of "fat books" with me !
Yes, all my silk sarees will get a chance.
After 2-3 yrs, when I was going regularly, small-time musicians used to come to me with a request that I must attend their concerts at such & such a place at such & such a time. I will resist my laughter at the thought(my face was so familiar in MFA) that they must be thinking, I was a music big-wig !
But I used to be literally soaked in music & just loved those 2 weeks.
Well, all good things come to an end in life. I am now happy, going for an occasional programme here & there. My I pod is my most trusted companion !!
Lovely, write up, typical Honeybee Ishtyle !!
Love,
Chithra

hi Sowmya,

Nice to know that your Fil also identifies the ragas with expertise..infact my interest to learn and identify started with my FIL quizzing me continously..which I have mentioned in my blog..

Regarding the events, nowadays i hear there are a people who throng to kutcheries to check out the latest in silk sarees and jewellery....and also heard some negatives..which were very hurting...

This year we have a upcoming artist in the family singing, but could not attend that also.

hi there is a book released about what are the kutcheries in chennai for this season...i just see that and keep waiting for a broadcast/telecast...

will be waiting for your reviews.....

Originally Posted by Chitvish

Dear Sowmya Honey,
Till sometime back, I was such an avid listener to Dec concerts, running between home & Sabha. Mine was Mylapore Fine Arts Club. I will plan cooking, shopping etc for the whole day & get geared up suitably. From 1-2.45 PM, I will listen, rush back home to give V tea & rush back for 3 PM programme.
Same rush between 5 & 6 PM.
I would have loved to try the canteen; but had no company.
I love to identify ragas inspite of "fat books" with me !
Yes, all my silk sarees will get a chance.
After 2-3 yrs, when I was going regularly, small-time musicians used to come to me with a request that I must attend their concerts at such & such a place at such & such a time. I will resist my laughter at the thought(my face was so familiar in MFA) that they must be thinking, I was a music big-wig !
But I used to be literally soaked in music & just loved those 2 weeks.
Well, all good things come to an end in life. I am now happy, going for an occasional programme here & there. My I pod is my most trusted companion !!
Lovely, write up, typical Honeybee Ishtyle !!
Love,
Chithra

Dear Chitra
It was a pleasant surprise to see your comment, that too the very first response to my post.
I totally agree with you that though hectic it's very enjoyable.. shuttling between home and sabha.My preference is krishna gana sabha because their concert timings are ideal.(4.30-7 pm).
So you had created an impression among the budding artists? They must be missing you these days and ning around in search of you.
I stay away from the canteen too .. embarassed to go alone.

Regards
Sowmya

Dear Shanvy
Thanks a lot for peeping in. Yes my FIL encouraged me to attend concerts and he promptly gifted me a "raga identification book" after the first incident.

There is also a change in the dressing trend..
Some are slowly shifting to sil cotton sarees.(May be they can afford more sarees for a fixed budget? )
Youngsters prefer grand kurtis and salwars.

I am still a novice where music is concerned, will soon write about the concerts I attended.

Regards
Sowmya

Dear Honeybee
Nice post.Really enjoyed reading thru.I too had attended couple of kutcheries every year.Not a great connoisseur of music,but like music which is pleasing to the eyes.I used to feel dumb sitting admidst music lovers including my husband who knows a-z about everything in music.My I simply used to lose interest half thru a kutcheri my mind used to wander from what is happening at home to what sari and jewellry the musician is wearing!!!!!!I have tried hard to concentrate but have failed miserably.But I used to feel proud when I tell people how many kutcheris I have atteneded.I really used to feel bad when family discuss about everything about music.Allepey Venkatesan is my mother in law's cousin and T.N.Krishnan's son has married my mother in law's cousin's daughter.So you can well imagine how they are all soaked in music.Anyway I enjoy music without knowing music much as well the delicacies served at the canteens.I remember once my daughter who was in the 6th standard wanted to go to Parthasarthy swami sabha hall as Arusuvai was serving kasi halwa that day.But now she has learnt the little nic nacs of music leaving me alone in a crowd.

Sorry I have made couple of mistakes in my post.I apologise for that.

Dear kanaka
Thanks for your post.Yo have written very frankly about how the mind wanders after some time when one is listening to a concert.It happens to me all the time.. I begin thinking about what to cook the next day ..( wonder if I will ever get out of the habit..)

Regards
Sowmya

Hai Sowmya,
it seems that FILs have a hand in creating interst about the music season.
I did not know about the music season till I came to Chennai. My fil would go on and on about the festival and would read out loud from the Hindu everyday about the previous day's concerts. he would also pass comment on the artists- naughty and nasty too- and had created an interest in the season. It also helped that I had learned classical music for some years. (But I am not an expert, just can enjoy good music).
Then I started to follow the news in various mag. and the Hindu.
Now that the season is longer, we get lots of reviews. I am content now by hearing the music concerts in Jaya and Vijay tvs. May be in the twilight of my life, I may get a chance to be there personally.

Hi varloo
Yes.. FILs are generally the music champions in the family (more over if they hail from thanjavur..)
My MIL even to this day jokes.. "ponnu parka vandhapoo paadina paatu thaan.. ippo vaye thorakarathillai" . With music stalwarts around me I have shut my mouth when they are around! but don't you think the right procedure is to fine tune the little music I have learnt?

Regards
Sowmya