An Announcement from TM Krishna

[melam72]

Magsasay-awardee social activist TM Krishna has announced that, going forward, he will be giving a tani avartanam to his tambura artistes, in the concerts he performs in the side.

In what seems to be the natural consequence in the change of events that seems to have lost a musician of great repute and knowledge to the murky, yet perennial, glacier of social 'activism', TM Krishna has announced that, going forward, he will dedicate an entire tani avartanam to the tambura artist.

In a statement to our intrepid reporter over the phone from Ennore Creek, he declared "The tambura artist is a much maligned concept in Carnatic music. Back in the era of Sonti Venkatasubbiah and Karvetinagar Govindasami, they used to begin the concert with a tani avartanam by the tambura artist, to exhibit the talents of the tambura artist. Yet, today, it is not the case. Due to audience insensitivity, Brahminical dominance of Carnatic music, and the Ariyakudi Concert paddhati, all of that is disappeared and replaced with 'Make-in-India' branded Radel Mirage Shampuras. But in my concerts, the tambura artist will have the pride of the place!", before disappearing into another film shoot involving him singing a Pallavi on the state of Ennore.

Krishna's comment has been met by universal acclaim by his standard accompanists. Said K Arun Prakash, mridangist, "I always enjoy playing with Krishna because it is so easy. I get to pick what talam I want for Tani Avarthanam and I just have to caress the mridangam or not touch it at all because he is in his raga alapanas. This makes life just a lot easier. Thanks, Krishna!!!".

Meanwhile, reports by the Chennai traffic police report a heavy traffic jam near Aashiana apartments, Venus Colony, involving a proliferation of tambura artists keen to play for Krishna. Perhaps, inspired by this 'trend', our insiders report that the Hindu November Music Festival involves a 'Tambura Yagna'- an orchestra of tamburas playing an infinite tani avarthanam, orchestrated by social activist, author, Magsasay-awardee, and sometime vidwan TM Krishna, which would be accompanied by a speech involving a critique of the name of 'The Hindu' for being too sectarian.

[melam72]

(This was satire)

[vasanthakokilam]

Melam, you do not have to say it is satire You are our Onion

[devan]

Onion or Poondu.

[melam72]

Onion or Poondu.

Onion or Poondu, I make a great a rasam

And, as they say in tamil - Poda Vengayam

[devan]

As they in tamil also,"poda punakku".

[Sachi_R]

In another release, Sri TMK has confirmed that he will use his slot at Tiruvayyaiaru Aradhana to present a Goshti Tambura Vadana to please the Saint.
He has claimed that the Saint deserves treatment, given how he has allowed so many Goshti gayana sessions largely without any attention to sruti let alone Tamburas, to regale him for the past 100+ years. And the next stop for TMK will be the United Nations Assembly.

[ratanabhinav]

deleted

[ram1999]

If the above happens (??), he may have to strategize to bring the audience into the hall on time and shut the doors to avoid walkouts as tambura thani would be at the beginning. in the normal thaniavarthanms walkout happens after an hour or so after the start of the concert.

[pattamaa]

:LOL:

How about just playing electronic tanpura as tani avarthanam ? After all it is electronic world, and there are many avatars of electronic tanpura !!!!!

Since it is also called drone, TMK will fly a drone (unmanned vehicle for those who don't know... like drone cameras)... and play drone from the drone... for those audience have hearing problem, or can't hear sruti properly, can make best use of this offer

Needless to say, this unique innovation is being nominated for nobel prize...

we are giving out too many ideas here for the artist...

[vasanthakokilam]

People, I wrote that Melam does not even need to mention the original post as Satire since it is self explanatory but are some of you all taking Melam's stuff seriously? Please don't. It is just for some humor at the expense of TMK. (and Don't take this any mean lengths which will spoil the fun.)

[kvchellappa]

Satire will fall flat if it does not have an element of 'reality.' If the original is in the realm of harmless satire, so are the add-ons.

[shankarank]

Lets do a recursion or reflexive inversion of this satire.

Once T.M Krishna in one of his tours - in the garb of giving prominence to his accompanists - as he felt they were losing all recognition - announced and allowed them to take leads in some songs ( which included Mridangam doing a tani of taLam of the Mridangist's choice etc.).

It essentially turned on its head the old quip : Mridangam paTTukku vAsikkamal avA pATTuku vasikkara ( Mridangists play on their own rather than accompany the song). He unwittingly created a satire on prior era of his music and rasikas ( or travesty for the future era of his - whichever way you take it) that "Mridangam taniyA vAsittAl tAn Mridangam " ( Mridangam - if played on its own - is only then Mridangam).

Like Instruments don't have their own story in CM! - a lament that we often hear from him !

adu mAAAtiri...! Likewise ... he would be saying in the satirical , virtual, virtually real, parallel universe spawned by our fellow forumite melam72 : inimEl ( from now on) tambura taniyA mITTinAttAn Sruti!! ( Only if tambura is strummed alone will you ever hear Sruti !!!).

That would be a recursive , reflexive satirical inversion of the imaginary space that melam72 envisioned!

After a while it would be pretty unclear as to who is creating a satire on who - surreal !!

[shankarank]

An inversive reflection will likely play out in the "bhas" - I removed the "sa" as that is really something "sa"cred and now without "sa" no cred also left!

As Tambura strums for 30 minutes into IST at the start of the event - listeners will trickle in slowly - and as (the mridanga) tani starts later on - an inversion of the same will be played out.

[sankark]

Magsasay-awardee social activist TM Krishna has announced that, going forward, he will be giving a tani avartanam to his tambura artistes, in the concerts he performs in the side.

......

Meanwhile, reports by the Chennai traffic police report a heavy traffic jam near Aashiana apartments, Venus Colony, involving a proliferation of tambura artists keen to play for Krishna. Perhaps, inspired by this 'trend', our insiders report that the Hindu November Music Festival involves a 'Tambura Yagna'- an orchestra of tamburas playing an infinite tani avarthanam, orchestrated by social activist, author, Magsasay-awardee, and sometime vidwan TM Krishna, which would be accompanied by a speech involving a critique of the name of 'The Hindu' for being too sectarian.

sir, please take a bow. superb writing!

[Nick H]

People, I wrote that Melam does not even need to mention the original post as Satire since it is self explanatory but are some of you all taking Melam's stuff seriously? Please don't. It is just for some humor at the expense of TMK. (and Don't take this any mean lengths which will spoil the fun.)

It is the best advice. Useful information. Can I get it on youtube?

[ram1999]

People, I wrote that Melam does not even need to mention the original post as Satire since it is self explanatory but are some of you all taking Melam's stuff seriously? Please don't. It is just for some humor at the expense of TMK. (and Don't take this any mean lengths which will spoil the fun.)

i wouldnt be surprised if this really happens. And that too fairly soon

[Sivaramakrishnan]

TMK must be laughing to himself!

[melam72]

youtube?

That is probably what TM Krishna calls The Hindu

[melam72]

so many Goshti gayana sessions largely without any attention to sruti let alone Tamburas

And why is that? Because we have sidelined Nagaswaram artistes who (as we all know) embody the tambura, because they were not Brahmins! It is all fault! Let us hate ourselves!

[arasi]

MELam in full force, now that it's
vELai* for vacation, no classes--
tALam provided by us all, he rules--

So long as it's in humor's cause--
Not in demeaning musicians,
Go on, tani mELam, say the rest

Give a rest to artistes' reputations
Forgive them for what irks you
Let them march to their mELam!

Spotlight nAdasvaram, vINA, vENu!
Speak to bring them to focus!
Stay as effective, for causes worthy!


vELai: time--our history teacher's vacation time.

[shankarank]

Stay as effective, for causes worthy!

Before we get into causes , we need to be sure as to why or if at all they are worthy to start with . Anyways I needed that piece of advice as I have merged into the reflexive, inversive, recursive, satirical world with TMK. So no more - well I cannot promise that

[vgovindan]

$2 billion worth of US drones are coming!

[Sachi_R]

The reason the tambura is called a drone is because of so many similarities:
1. Both are like alien creatures.
2. Nobody is sure what they are doing here.
3. Some unseen or unknown guy is pulling the strings.
4. Actors and singers ignore them completely, lest it spoil the show.
5. They can be zapped/radelled by on-site scramblers.
6. They are seen coming and leaving after the show unheralded and unsung.
7. There is a facelessness to the drone.
8. Trump and a few others say, more the drones, the better.
9. US is going to patent the tambura=drone sooner than later.
10. Both are becoming smaller and easily transportable.

I remember a celebrity of central Chennai (Mylapore or thereabouts) once applied for special Z Security citing possible drone terror attacks.

[shankarank]

$2 Billion drones up in the sky needed to keep away the so called pure drones in the north from invading the south - ooh - ooh!