The figures behind the festival
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During December-January, the daily routine of Chennai citizens will change to take in as much of the cultural bonanza as possible. KAUSALYA SANTHANAM talks to the secretaries of sabhas, who work relentlessly for the success of the festival.
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THE SABHAS make the season happen. The programmes that go on with clockwork precision, the canteens that serve a continuous stream of delicacies, the carefully planned arrangements on the stage... come December and the conjurer seems to bring the concerts out of a hat. But months of toil and meticulous preparation go behind the winter festival in Chennai. The beavers are the sabha functionaries, the persons who ensure that things fall in place and remain so day after day, recital after recital — for a month and more. They are men who are generally neither seen nor heard in the media. But they wield considerable power and can make or break an aspiring artiste depending on the opportunities given to perform.
K. Hariharan.
The majority of the secretaries are veterans in the field. Many of them have grown up in the environs of the sabha and have rubbed shoulders with artistes since they were children. Some of them have had the example of their father or an uncle to guide them while others have learnt the ropes on their own. But all of them (quite a few pushing 80) are willing to spend considerable time and energy in pursuing their passion of promoting the music, dance and theatre though their organisations.
The Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha is the oldest surviving one in the city. It is 104 years old, a fact that is a matter of much pride to its secretaries K. Hariharan and M. Krishnamurthy. But at present they have no auditorium of their own and have to stage their concerts in rented venues. ``We attract the best talent however," they state.
Eighty-one-year-old `Kartik' Rajagopal has been in the field for 54 years and is the senior-most. He and his friend M. R. Krishnamurthi who were founder members of the Mylapore Fine Arts Club parted ways with it and founded the Kartik Fine Arts in 1975. ``We conduct three festivals during the season, one devoted to music, another to dance and the third (which is held in Anna Nagar) to Tamil Isai."
R. Yagnaraman (84) has been secretary of the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in T. Nagar since 1957. ``When it was started, there were hardly four or five sabhas," he says. ``We have no canteen facilities and our ethnic auditorium was constructed with Nalli Kuppusami Chetty 's generous help only recently. But the sabha attracts the best musicians and those who were chosen through our talent promotion scheme are veterans today." The Nritya Choodamani award which the sabha bestows on dancers is highly prized.
S. Krishnaswamy of the Narada Gana Sabha which was established in 1958, is a lawyer like Yagnaraman and many other sabha secretaries. The Narada Gana Sabha is also very much into dance. The programmes it conducts as also its comfortable, impressive hall attract audiences throughout the year.
R. Ramachandran (81) who founded Hamsadwani in Adyar says it was started to provide music to those in the area as the other sabhas were far way. ``You don't have to cross our bridge is our motto. And we don't hold the festival in December as the city has a surfeit of music at that time." The Hamsadhwani festival is from February to April. The sabha also enables NRIs to gain a platform to showcase their talent.
S. Natarajan.
S. V. Krishnan of Nada Inbam, who has converted the ground floor of his house in Mylapore into the Raga Sudha Hall, is emphatic that the music he promotes is the classical, gamaka oriented kind and not the fast paced, brigha laden ``cacophony so much in vogue today."
J. Krishnamachary of Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha is proud that Vani Mahal (their auditorium which was rebuilt recently) is a landmark in T. Nagar and had hosted the concert of veterans such as Ariyakkudi in its inaugural year.
The others who answered the questions severally are Lion Natarajan of the Nungambakkam Cultural Academy, R. Srinivasan and K. S. Subramanian of Nadopasana and R. Kuppuswamy of R. R. Sabha.
Krishnamurthi.
What are the problems faced in running a sabha and what are the organisational problems especially during the music season — venue, selection of artistes, stage arrangements, mushrooming of sabhas?
`Kartik' Rajagopal: We are more a drama-oriented organisation. All the mainstream Tamil plays are inaugurated in our sabha and we hold a drama festival during the summer when nine new plays are presented. We don't have a hall of our own but we are able to hire one according to our need and it works out fine. To run a sabha you should be flexible and work like a family. You should also promote fresh talent.
Yagnaraman: Organisations that receive sponsorship conduct programmes free and the ``all are welcome" syndrome poses a problem to sabhas that charge tickets. Still people come to our sabha for programmes of quality.
Krishnaswamy.
Everyone encourages music but not dance and so I started the Natya Kala Conference ... 2004 marks the 24th year of the conference.
Krishnaswamy: The problems depend on the nature of the institution. Only five or six sabhas are permanent ones that conduct programmes throughout the year. The others spring up during the festival and we are not able to get good artistes as they are booked and overstrained. Our sabha conducts the festival only for 15 days. There are young artistes from abroad who spend a lot of money to give a programme — 500 dollars is nothing for them. Some sabhas lend them their banner and admission is free. It is a vicious cycle. I feel this will reach a saturation point sooner or later.
Krishnan: The venue is important. If it is not accessible, the shape of the hall is awkward or the stage is too high, listeners will find it difficult to attend and enjoy the concerts. The selection of artistes is equally important.
Luckily, I don't depend on gate collection. I have the support of very good musicians and therefore am able to present chaste music by classical musicians.
Krishnamurthy and Hariharan: We have been associated with the sabha from the time we were in school. One needs a lot of patience to be a secretary and a lot of time as well. We were not able to get the lease of the building we occupied extended and so we have to hold our monthly programmes in the MFAC and fix other programmes according to the availability of a hall. Parking space presents a problem during the festival. We have to spend at least Rs. 40,000 per day during the season apart from advertisement charges and hall rent. Many sabhas come up in December and then vanish. Sponsorship is not a problem once you build up trust.
Yagnaraman.
R. Ramachandran: We did not have any teething problems. The Youth Hostel later provided an open-air venue and the acoustics is good. Starting with 300 members, we now have more than 1,000. We have stood firm against having canteen arrangements as it distracts attention from the music. The mushrooming of sabhas is because sponsors support fly-by-night operators. Sponsorship must go to recognised sabhas
Krishnamachary: We are a 60 year old sabha and in 2002 we put up this grand building. We all live nearby and so it is easy to manage the sabha. I have been a secretary here for the last 20 years. The response to the festival has grown greatly. But many artistes today expect a great deal of hospitality and publicity. Dance does not draw much of an audience. Many artistes such as the present Chief Minister, Hemamalini, Waheeda Rahman and Revathi had their arangetram here.
`Lion' Natarajan: We hold programmes in music, dance and drama during the season and we present 15 plays during the festival. No other sabha does this. Work of this kind needs undivided attention. Our sabha is 35 years old. One should always be available and be prepared for any contingency. We had 600 members at one time but now we have 200 as TV has taken a toll.
R. Srinivasan and K. S. Subramanian of Nadopasana say the sabha was started in 1968 with the objective of promoting Carnatic music at a time when there was a craze for dance and drama. "We don't present so called popular artistes but those who are talented and can't find a platform. We have shifted our festival to February March for the past two years since the proliferation of festivals has scattered audiences. We depend on well-wishers. There is a slump in attendance in the last few years."
Krishnamachary.
R. Kuppuswamy of R. R. Sabha says the building is 75 years old. We are demolishing it and raising a modern one in its place. Our premises are lent regularly to other sabhas. Even the Music Academy held its programmes here before constructing its own auditorium. The other secretary of the sabha is V. Narayanan. Apart from music, dance and drama, we hold a upanyasam festival in January and the series is very well attended.
Should the festival be staggered through the year? Has it become counterproductive — almost empty halls, repetitive recitals, too many performances?
Yagnaraman: This is a favourite topic for discussion best held in the drawing rooms of the elite.
How good is the networking among sabhas?
There is none, say a couple of them. The Federation of Sabhas has no teeth and has just a few members says Ramachandran while Yagnaraman says it was active while he was president but its momentum has petered out
Awards... do they mean anything at all, what are the criteria for the selection of artistes? One sees the same recipients in almost every sabha.
Ramachandran: Only a few awards carry recognition. We give a cash award of Rs. 10,000 to a good musician who is in indigent circumstances.
Krishnan: Awards are often manipulated.
Rajagopal: We give awards for dance and music only to those below 35 years and so there is no way of their being repeated in any other sabha. We give it to only older people for Tamil Isai.
Krishnamachary: There is no senior artiste who has not received some award or other.
Ramachandran.
How good is Corporate assistance? Has sponsorship picked up?
Ramachandran: We get very good sponsorship from leading industrial houses. Just as you ask Krishnan the question he gets a cheque from a leading corporate house and there lies the answer.
Natarajan: Finance companies were helping us in the past. Now sponsorship has come down greatly.
How good is the support of the Government during the festival?
Kartik Rajagopal.
Krishnaswamy: The Government does not help in any way. Red tape curbs enthusiasm. The Government talks about a Ministry of Culture but they don't even provide a bus after 8 p.m. during the festival.
Krishnamurthy: Not much. If we are given land on Greenways Road, we can raise funds to construct our own building. The government can give financial assistance or matching grant.
Krishnan: The Government is decent and gives many scholarships. It has a minimal role to play anyway in the promotion of culture. Why are there very few women sabha secretaries?
Almost all: It is a 24-hour job. It is not only arduous and often thankless but one has to meet all sorts of people as well.
How do you answer the charge that sabhas are dominated by a section of society and that they have a stranglehold on the culture of the city?
All: Nobody prevents others from coming in and organising events. To the sabha secretaries the organising of programmes and their success is as vital as the oxygen they breathe. It is voluntary work. The reward is in watching the crowds come in and though unstated, the authority vested in them.
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