Some pictures and Notes on Music

This is the Tata Indica, a roomy Indian-made sedan: Diesel (for being kinder to the environment), and 4-years old (for making us sweat less about dents and dings which are wont to happen by driving in a sea of vehicles just inches around you!). It is parked in the parking space at the ground level of the apartment builidng.

Below is the apartment building with the Rain Tree to its left. I have a supermarket, a vegetable "mandi" (market), a pharmacy, and Hamsadhwani, a music club, all within walking distance.

The Music Scene:

I caught the tail end of the "music season," a month-long mega music and dance festival in Chennai. It coincides with the south Indian calendar month of Margazhi that runs from Dec 15 to Jan 14. Our South-Indian music professors from Wesleyan, Balu and David, were also featured, although I did not get to hear them. Recently, more Hindustani music is also featured. Over 90 programs of music or dance take place around the city each day. People literally "concert-hop," enjoying good food, music and company. Hamsadhwani, a music club next door, is currently hosting the NRI festival (Feb-April) featuring a lot of familiar names from the US: Rajeshwari Satish, Radhika Murali, and LA names like Geetha Bennet.

We were in Mylapore at my parents in law's home till the 15th of January. Their neighbors, a couple of lawyers, hosted their own private Margazhi festival, having lined up very talented emerging artists for a an hour long performance from 5:30-6:30 a.m. Yes, we get up at the crack of dawn in Margzhi and worship the Lord, go to temples and draw spectacular "Kolams" or drawings by our doorsteps. The tradition of placing a pumpkin flower on cow dung appears to have disappeared as cows have moved out of the city, as have small farms. As I was pretty jet-lagged at that point and was getting up between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m., I was pleased to take advantage of this musical feast right next door.

The setting was perfect. The room usually smelled divine with incense and fresh flowers, the Gods had 30 or so Kerala oil lamps lit around them (the only lighting in the room), and the artist sang only to the drone of the tambura - with no accompaniments. It was a far superior experience to the concert hall setting. I heard Amrutha Murali, Dr. Ganesh (the Late Maharajapuram's student), Gayathri Girish, and 23-year old Ajay Nambudhri - all very talented and excellent!

I finally made contact with Mrs. Suguna Varadhachari, the lady I am hoping to persuade to be my teacher for the next year and further shape my music. I attended her performance on Saturday evening. She sang the following for the Thyagaraja Festival at the Asthika Samajam in Thiruvanmayur:

1.Theradheeyaga radha - Gowlipanthu
2. Bhuvini dhasudane - SriRanjani
3. Epapamujesithe Rama - Atana (a very succint and clean raga alapana)
4. A superb Kalyani raga alapana, followed by Evara madhugudura
5. Brisk Koluvaiyundate in Devagandhari (?)
6. an outstanding Madhyamavathi - so full of clarity, very inspired - Venkatesha ninu sevimpanu. Did a neraval in "bhagavadha priya Thyagaraja." Wonderful, wonderful!
and finally 7. In Huseni - Emanive kinthune

I have since chatted with her and she has asked me to come and sing for her before she can commit to anything. She is also a very busy person, juggling family, teaching and her own performances. I am still stricken with my "December throat," severe dry cough for several weeks, followed by an even more severe chest conjestion, cold, and cough. As my cousin Natraj said, I sound like the hero's father in the last scene of a Hindhi movie!!! We'll see how this pans out....

Yesterday, I heard Sanjay Subramanian along with a 1000 other people! Hamsadhwani music club is also a beautiful open air setting with flowering bushes all around you. The mango tree is in flower right now, and supposedly smells wonderful (I can't attest to that with my plugged up nasal passages!) and is a visual treat. Rajani has begun to ask for mangoes already! There are mountains of watermelon at every street corner these days.

Sanjay was flanked by two of his NRI (non-resident Indian) students and sang with his usual elan. He is now clean shaven and gone also is his shoulder-length hair. I enjoyed his ShankaraBharanam and Abogi (SriLakshmi varaham), not so his Hamir Kalyani. He also sang an RTP in Dhenuka, one of my favorites.

More in the next!