Margazhi Musings 2019: A Round-up

Another music season has just ended with the dawn of the year 2020. A fabulous season indeed in all respects! Here are my personal views after covering 46 concerts at 11 sabhas.  

Sabhas – Some have excellent facilities. Few others refuse to shake the past and continue with old infrastructure with the problems carried from the yesteryears. They hardly pay attention to the acoustics. The first fifteen minutes of every concert is taken up by the performing artists and the sound engineers in trying to get the sound system right.

Best Acoustics was witnessed in Vani Mahal, Academy and NGS. In terms of the stage design, NGS takes the honours as it is beautifully decorated.

Ticketing –   Most sabhas have made tickets available online and can be bought with BookMyShow app.  Others continue with traditional across-the-counter ticketing only. Academy continues to sell  season passes in advance but the tickets for the specific concerts are sold on the same day.  The rasikas queue up at the Academy ticket counter, as early as 3 AM for concerts of Sanjay!

The best approach is when both online & in-person purchase is made available well in advance.

Most sabhas mention only the row number in their tickets. The seat numbers are not mentioned. The problem, with this approach, is that you need to rush in order to grab the right seat. Also, quite a few of them have the tendency of creating one more VIP row, with plastic chairs, by subtly pushing the front row a yard behind!

Move over Sabhas. Please adopt a specific seat number-based ticketing. Do not create additional rows. 

We had a good experience of this when we booked tickets for the new year concert at Pethachi Hall. All seats are numbered.

The seasonal passes, offered by sabhas, continue to be value for money.

Artists – Typically for Sanjay and Ranjani-Gayatri, it has always been a full house! In fact, even the dais becomes full. All other experienced artists command a set of loyal followers but may not be up to the brim. Sanjay commands such a loyal following who chase him wherever he goes in India. That is a very rare and unheard of feat in the world of Carnatic music. If you want to see a Formula 1 in carnatic music, go tune into Saketaraman's concerts. His Ragam-Thanam-Pallavi is spectacular as he unleashes his imagination yet sticks to the Manodharma of singing.

If Carnatic music is religion, then Sanjay is God.

In the younger category, I saw several artists giving very good performances. Ashwath Narayanan commands a great following. In NGS mini hall, he performed to a packed hall with audience overflowing the seating capacity. Vignesh Iswar’s concert witnessed a full house at Academy. Kruthi Bhat has started commanding such a set of rasikas. Some artists experimented a lot and gave a feast to the rasikas like Bharat Sundar.  I also came across more youngsters who are unafraid and ready to experiment with changing times. But remaining 90% of the programmes run only to a thinly populated hall!

I wish the sabha people take two minutes to announce the list of artists and their background. I saw this happening in Meenakshi College, Charsur, Vani Mahal etc. If the sabha doesn’t do, I think it is the responsibility of the vocalist to do the honours.  

Programme - Now, let’s come to the programme itself. Here the selection of songs, ragams and the order become very important. Every artist has a vast collection of composers, kritis and consequently the language to choose from. As a thumb rule, the top artists get it right. Many young artists did not. They choose some numbers that may not do justice to their breadth of expertise. Perhaps they want to show that they can sing the kritis of Sangeetha Mummoorthys with elan or there is a desire to get accepted. Can’t find fault though! But, what prevents the established ones from venturing out, dishing out some unexplored kritis? Here is where I find more challenges.

Still the Mummorthy kritis rule the roost. What about Tamil Sirgazhi Moovar (Muthu Thandavar, Marimutha Pillai and Arunachala Kavirayar)? Very few artists step out. What about composers outside Papanasam Sivan and Gopalakrishna Bharati? It is a BIG NO! Tamil Kritis occupy (Leave the Tamil Isai Sangam outside for you cannot sing anything other than Tamil there. It is their raison d’etre) hardly 10 to 20%. I am witness to more concerts that involved no Tamil at all. I hope I am not sounding chauvinistic here. Of course, music transcends languages. But are the rasikas not entitled to more Tamil Kritis where they can participate and enjoy the meaning too? Here, I find only Sanjay, Bharat Sundar and Vijay Siva not being afraid of singing Tamil Kriti. I had the privilege of listening to Bharat Sundar’s own Tamil composition on Panchaboothas. Amazing talent! Sanjay digs up more and more unheard of Tamil songs including from Mazhavai Bharati, Kuthambai Siddhar, Vedanayakam Pillai, Bharati Dasan etc.

In today’s world of IP fights, if the artists take a moment to mention the song, composer, ragam, will that affect their performance? No, I don’t expect a LecDem from them. A mere mention will do! There are artists who mention this fairly consistently and Prince Rama Varma comes to my mind. He also adds an anecdote where relevant.

Rasikas – One can see a visible demographic change in the audience. If you expect to see only the elderly or middle aged rasikas, be prepared to be surprised. Unlike yester-years, it is a welcome trend to see lot of youth taking fancy to the music season.  They also tend to behave well . I hardly noticed anyone walking away during the Thani!

Food - Finally, let’s go to the canteens. Sabha canteens have provided a platform for many caterers to become famous and grab as many marriage orders as possible based on word of mouth. There are some who have sort of patented their sabhas. Mountbatten Mani Iyer has been serving in Parthasarathy Sabha for quite some time and is easily the costliest! But count on him to be innovative. Mint Padmanabha Iyer who ruled Academy is absent this year and I spotted an equally expensive Balaji Caterers. Sri Sasthalaya continues in NGS. Meenambiga serves in both KGS and Mylapore Fine Arts. Pethachi has been taken over by Sastha caterers. Of course, they count on the fact that the rasikas (both music as well food) wouldn’t mind splurging during the season and they are proved right if I have to judge by the queue waiting for the meals. For the tiffin items, you can always go and try at many places. Don’t forget the Huggi, the Karnataka special Pongal dish, served only at Karnataka Sangha School ground by Sri Raghavendra caterers. My all-time favourite is the “Ilaneer Payasam”, served cold at NGS. That has, I was told, acquired a cult status. It is on every table!

Finally, all the rasikas must thank some of the sabhas who try to bring music/ discourse to rasikas completely free. To cite a few, Chennai Fine Arts at Sastry Hall, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan preceding the music season, Charsur, Arkay Ramakrishnan who even live-streamed for the benefit of many who couldn’t make it to their third floor hall, Meenakshi Sundarajan Fine Arts Academy, Sri Rama Bhakta Jana Samajam at Avichi School provided ample opportunities to listen to the leading stars. The new addition is Sastra Satsangh, under the initiative of Shri Vaidhyasubrahmanyan. It has encouraged many youngsters and more important brought the splendid Mr Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan for a pioneering discourse on various Sthalams. He is a treasure trove of knowledge and has quickly established connect with audience. I am sure we would get to see him more and more. He has provided a welcome addition to the discourse arena dominated by Dushyant Sridhar and Vishakha Hari.

Some questions to ponder still. Why is that:

• Some of the carpets (jamakkalams) on the dais remain unwashed and not taut?

• The cables / wires are loosely kept on the floor and pose a threat to the artists who dare to walk around the dais?

• Sabhas cannot allow the tickets to be booked online?

• Ticketing system cannot mention the seat number?

• Sabha or the Vocalist cannot introduce the artists on stage?

• Vocalists cannot mention the song and thank its composer?

• Tamil kritis are still fighting for a place in the artists’ portfolio?

• No one even attempts to sing a Tiruvempavai song?

Category	Prize goes to
The Superstar	Sanjay Subrahmanyan
Tomorrow’s Superstars	Bharat Sundar, Kunnakkudy BMK, Akkarai Sisters
The Traditionalist	Vijay Siva
The Experimenter	Saketharaman
The Young Brigade	Ashwath Narayanan, Vignesh Iswar, Kruthi Bhat, Sriranjani Santhanagopalan, Anahita / Apoorva
Best Discourse	Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan
Best Historian	Dr Chitra Madhavan
Underrated Vocalist	Palghat Dr Ramprasad
Best seating	Academy
Best Acoustics	Vani Mahal
Best Canteen (Overall spread, variety, price)	Sastha @Pethachi and Sri Sasthalaya @NGS
Favourite Items	Ilaneer Payasam @ NGS Vazhaipoo Vadai @ Pethachi

Margazhi Musings 2019: A multitude of Talent

Artist	Commentary
V. Krupaa Lakshmi 17th Dec 2019 Vani Mahal Violin – T.Kishore Mridangam – Shankar Prasad	It was Ms V.Krupaa Lakshmi at Vani Mahal. When I was entering the hall, I happened to meet Kaustubh, a first-year engineering student in Hong Kong and a classmate of my son Saishankar. Kaustubh Chandamouli has given many a concert on his own and a promising youngster. He expressed surprise at seeing me in this concert. I explained the background to my choice. It turns out that Krupaa Lakshmi is the daughter of his music teacher. As usual, the mini hall was barely occupied testing the fortitude of these youngsters. She started off with a Sriranjani kriti of Papanasam Sivan Gaja vadana Karuna Sadana. Puliyur Doraiswamy Iyer’s Nattai kriti Sarsiruha Sana came next. She did a decent rendition. Thyagaraja’s Manasa etulortune in Malayamarutham filled the hall. She tried to do niraval with Kalpanaswarams at Kalilo rajasa tamasa gunamulu. I am afraid that was a little below part. Perhaps, stage blues? A Rudrapriya was chosen next with lot of scope for Chittaswarams. Amba paradevate anadi Shiva sahite was attempted next. This was followed by a Kalyani alapanaa. The sahityam was Kamalambam Bhajare re manasa of Dikshitar. I felt her alapanaa was good. The violin support was excellent outshining the vocalist. The thani was decent too. The mridangist came to bloom only during the thani. A Behag thillana was chosen next before Mangalam. It is very important that they plan the kritis and practise them well. Practice and control over the laya are extremely important. Moreover, it is an art to get along with co-artists and make the concert as enjoyable as possible. I am sure she will do an impressive job in her other concerts. Rating: *
Amritavarshini 24th Dec 2019 Vani Mahal Violin – Ganeshkumar Mridangam – Rohit Ashok	With 7 concerts under her belt and a disciple of Smt Gayatri Venkatraghavan, there is a palpable set of expectations. But the crowd was sparse. A Hamsadwani started the proceedings in the form of Varana mukha of Koteeswara Iyer. Sogasuga mridanga talamu of Thyagaraja in Sriranjani came next.  A peppy Swati Tirunaal’s Kuntalavaraali Bhogeendra Shayinam filled up the gap before a detailed Kalyani Nidhi Chala Sukhama was taken up. A nice song of Ulundurpet Shanmugam Avalthan anaithaiyum attubaval. It was a ragamalika varnam that has Anandabhairavi, Mohanam, Bageshri and Bhupalam. Thirumarugal Ganesh provided a good support on violin. However, Rohit Ashok was found wanting. He spent more time in adjusting his mridangam than participating in the concert unfortunately. Good song selection given the time constraint of 90 minutes. Rating: *
Aditya Madhavan 25th Dec 2019 Sivagami Pethachi Violin – Shivakumar Anantharaman Mridangam – Prashanth	The concert, supposed to begin at 14:15 Hrs, started 15 minutes later. The acoustics still is a problem. The mridangist begged the sound engineer to come to his rescue. That didn’t happen for a long time. Sang a few kritis - a Kanada varnam Nera nammiti (Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar) and an Abhogi Sabapathikku (Gopalakrishna Bharati) followed by others. Need more practise as well as voice control. Selection of kritis didn’t do justice to the vocalist. He has seven concerts this season and should strive to utilize to the full. He is a keen learner too. I spotted him at KGS during Sanjay’s concert and had some interesting conversation with him. Rating: -
Vignesh Iswar 26th Dec 2019 Academy Violin – Vittal Rangan Mridangam – Akshay Anand Kanjira – G.Ananthakrishnan	2 hours gives reasonable time for the vocalist even to attempt an RTP which Vignesh did. Blessed with a great voice, his song selection is good. Raksha Petare Doraku of Thyagaraja in Bhairavi and Shankari Shankuru Chandramukhi of Shyma Sastry in Saveri stood out. Vittal Rangan was superb too ably supported by Akshay. He has a charming stage presence. The kritis allowed him to traverse the octaves effortlessly. His diction and brigas are good. No wonder he is a disciple of Anantharama Bhagavatar and T.M.Krishna. He is an artist to watch out for. He has 17 concerts this season and is a testimony to his growing stature. Rating: **
Sriram Parthasarathy 27th Dec 2019 Sastry Hall Violin – Vittal Rangan Mridangam – Vineet Ghatam – Hariharasubramanian	I wonder why the famed and energetic Sriram P has got only 3 concerts this season. Anyway, I was determined to enjoy one of his and headed towards Sastry Hall, where Chennai Fine Arts is doing a stellar job. Of course, the hall is not conducive for acoustics. Braving all odds, we went in. Sriram wasn’t feeling well from the looks. It was confirmed when he announced that he had been suffering from flu for the last 2 days and he didn’t want to disappoint the rasikas. Kudos to that indeed. Starting off with a Mohanakalyani varnam, he went on to Shobillu of Thyagaraja in Jaganmohini. Then came a very good alapanaa in Karaharapriya. Tanjore Shankar Iyer’s Maduram Maduram Shri Rama Namam was rendered beautifully. An excellent Poorvikalyani alapanaa followed it. Both Sriram and Vittal Rangan brought out the best in each other. As expected, the niraval was at Paramatmudu Jeevatmudu. The Thani was not all that good. Perhaps, Vineet was lost. A Bindumalini kriti of Thyagaraja enta muddo enta sogaso was next. After a viruttam, a fantastic Desh of Tanjore Shankara Iyer’s rama namama tudi maname was rendered. It was so nice indeed. It was the first time, I was listening to the Ghatam artist Hariharasubramaniam. He gave a very good support. Sriram P remains quite underappreciated! He stood by the rasikas. His song selection could have been better. Rating: *
Sriranjani Santhanagopalan 29th Dec 2019 Vidya Bharati Violin – Ananthakrishnan Mridangam – Delhi Sairam Kanjira – KVG	Started with a majestic Durbar varnam of Turvottiyur Thyagayya Chalamela Jesevara. Brilliantly rendered, Papanasam Sivan’s Lathangi kriti Venkata Raman un Tiruvilayadalai was next. An Ahiri followed. As expected, it was Shyama Sastry’s Mayamma. After some tukkadas, Reetigowlai was taken up for delineation. Good job from the vocalist as well as the violinist. The kriti was the one that extolls Thyagaraja Swamy by Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar “Sadguru Swamiki”. After a Thevaram viruttam, Aadum Chidambaramo filled the audience. With an MDR’s Thillana, the concert concluded. Overall quite decent crowd at Vidya Bharati. Ananthu was excellent at violin. Delhi Sairam and KVG gave a tough fight. Overall, a pleasant concert. Towards the end, another Vidwan Shri Suryaprakash came and nodded his approval too. Rating: **
S. Malavika 22nd Dec 2019 Academy Violin – Shraddha Ravikumar Mridangam – Kartik Ganeshraman	Being a Sunday, she started with the Sowrashtram number Suryamoorthe Namostute of Dikshitar. A decent job indeed. Abhogi followed it in the form of Nekkurigi unnai of Papanasam Sivan. Then came Mayamma, an Ahiri Kriti of Shyama Sastry. She rendered a peppy Malavi kriti of Thyagaraja Nenarunchinaanu Annitiki. It was Kalyani that stole the show. The chosen Kriti was Bhajare re re citta Balambikam of Dikshitar. Overall, a good job. Violin and Mridangam support could have been better. She has good prospects. Rating: *
Sushma Somasekaran 28th Dec 2019 Academy Violin – Deepika Mridangam – Saishankar	Her Varaali alapanaa was good. She took Mamava Meenakshi of Dikshitar for elaboration. I felt the pronunciation of certain lines could have been better especially at “Digvijaya Pratapini.” The Yadukulakambhoji kriti Kumaran taal paninde tuti of Papanasam Sivan was rendered well. The alapanaa of Karaharapriya was good ably supported by the violinist. Chakkani Raja called for a nicer rendition. I suspect her voice played a little truant. Rating: -
Nisha Rajagopalan 30th Dec 2019 Narada Gana Sabha Violin – R.K.Shriramkumar Mridangam – J.Vaidyanathan Ghatam – G.Ravichandran	I was surprised to find a very sparse crowd at the main hall of Narada Gana Sabha. That the hall is huge accentuates the emptiness. For me, Shriramkumar, at violin, is a delight to listen too. She started with a Saveri varnam and went on to Thaygaraja’s Kaapi Mivalla Gunadosamemi Shri Rama. A beautiful Varaali alapanaa came next. The Sahityam was Kamakshi Bangaru Nannu Brovane. Excellent violin by Shriramkumar. A delightful Brindavana Sarangaa lulled us by taking us to Nagapattinam Soundararaja Perumal Temple. Dikshitar’s melodious kriti extolling the Perumal brought out the best in all the artists. After that, she thought should up the ante and resorted to a Kanada kriti of Papansam Sivan’s Saravana Bhava Guhane. A Marathi Abhang Vrindavani Venu Vaje followed. She took up a few more before concluding with a fabulous Manji of Gopalakrishna Bharati Varugalamo. Rating: *
Amrita Murali 31st Dec 2019 Narada Gana Sabha Violin – M.Rajeev Mridangam – Arun Prakash Kanjira – Aniruddh Athreya	Thyagaraja’s Malayamarutham began the proceedings. It was Manasa etulortune. An Anadabhairavi followed in the form of Shyama Sastry’s Himachala Tanaya. Skipping the first and second, she went straight to the third Charanam. Of course, it is the choice of the singer based on her preferences. Niraval was at the Pallavi lines. Rajeev gave a great support to the songs. A Kanada alapanaa was in the air. I am afraid it is not that wholesome. However, it was Rajeev who rose to the occasion with his sancharams. Dikshitar’s Shri Matrubhootham wafted in the air. Amrita did a very good rendition indeed. Gopalakrishna Bharati’s Enneramum undan Sannidiyil melted our hearts next. Dasar’s Venkataramanane Baro was chosen next as an interlude perhaps. An RTP was next and inevitable. The alapanaa of Kaapi was extremely good. The Violin was even better. Amazing ability of Rajeev to bring out the nuances of the ragam.  The chosen Pallavi lines were “Pithambara Priya Nayika Maampatu Radhika” and they rang nice in the air. The brief Thani given to Arun Prakash and Aniruddh was never wasted with the audience longing for more. With a beautiful rendition of the Hamirkalyani kriti of Shringeri Acharya Shri Chandrasekharendra Bharati Swamiji “Shaarade karunaanidhe sakalaanavaamba”, she proceeded to sing a Yamunakalyani kriti Krishna nee begane baaro before winding up with a Mangalam. Song selection could be better. I wish more time was planned for thani. It is also a pity that there was only one Tamil kriti in the entire proceedings. Rating: *