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Keeping in touch

I belong to the U.S. though I work as a management consultant in China. Years ago, I went to a Carnatic music concert in Boston. Since then I've been keeping in touch through CDs. I try to come once in two years to the Chennai festival.

With all its quirkiness — the sabha schedules are so unclear on the Internet — you know that you can land in Chennai and be sure of getting tickets for any concert.

Carnatic music satisfies the basic human desire for melody. Though instrumental music is easier for people like me, I think that the voice-and-violin combination is unbeatable.

I have read a lot about the Tamils. It is lovely to see a community preserving its heritage.

There is continuity in your living tradition here, unlike China, which has seen a rupture with its old culture. Traditional music and art are not easily accessible in China.

Paul Dipaola,
Shanghai.

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