MY FESTIVAL
It's like writing an examination
T.N. Seshagopalan
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What I particularly like is audience involvement, especially youngsters who want to know the nuances.
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Come December and it's examination time for musicians participating in the Chennai Music Fair. By taking part in other kutcheries through the year, you are discovering your potential and capability and trying to improve your repertoire.
It isn't an exaggeration when I say musicians get their progress report and passport to fly places after getting graded at the music season. This is the reputation the December Festival has gained over the years.
And why not? From a mere 10 sabhas during the early 1970s, to a staggering few hundreds now, one finds melody even in Chennai's breeze during the Margazhi Festival.
I congratulate the sabhas which are doing a fantastic job. It is no mean task to organise such prolonged events, with the popular sabha canteens cooking up exciting fare of another kind.
You get the feel of the festival as you go around the city — discourses, bhajans, namasankeerthanams, concerts, dance, lec-dems and so on.
The morning, afternoon and evening concerts give opportunities to artistes of every grade. So in a way the season is a great leveller. For senior musicians it is a golden opportunity to assess the taste of his/her rasikas in each sabha, an experience that helps in introspection. December is also the season when fans flood you with queries about your new package. This time I'm offering two specials (apart from the novel items I have in my regular concerts). The thematic one for Tamil Isai Sangam is `Mudhal Moonru Azhwargal.' Here I have selected hymns from Naalaayara Divya Prabandham and set them to tune. The other is Tiruppavai Gana Manjari for Parthasarathy Swami Sabha.
I have 24 concerts this season. I always try to give a different musical-menu in each sabha. But I don't plan, not in the strict sense, anyway. "It's so long since we have heard Chakravaham," commented someone in my last concert. I obliged him. What I particularly like is audience involvement, especially youngsters who want to know the nuances.
I remember a bunch of them who were curious about griha-bedham with respect to Abhogi and the resultant Valaji when sung in Madyamashruthi. This was something unbelievable! What I don't like is the music from cell-phones that is jarring and people walking out during tani-avarthanams. Some people are overawed by the sheer spread of the December Festival. I think Chennai offers a unique blend that adds pep to the melody.
(As told to RANJANI GOVIND)
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