Another stupid article by the one and only Tmk

[ram1999]

A confused article, too much of analysis leading to paralysis types, makes no sense, utter stupidity and in the lines of confused movies made by kamalhassan such as dasavatharam

http://www.thehindu.com/society/tm-kris ... 384095.ece

[gajaa]

Yes, I read the article yesterday. Was waiting for it to end. I think he's got a compulsive need to write. write anything that hinges on brahminism & carnatic music but doesn't add value to anything. doesn't throw light on something people have ignored. Just write. 'Enakkum nanna english theriyum. Hindu paperla ezhudara alavukku. athuvum mylapore mama mami pathi na, summa ezhudi thalliduven' types. Just ignore.

[ramamatya]

Unable to understand any significant issue in the article. No point, in fact no substance at all. Maybe TMK is starting on his male menopause, who knows !

[sureshvv]

Somewhat funny. Some perceptible vayathu erichal

[Sivaramakrishnan]

The Hindu describes the author in the foot note to the write up thus:

'The writer is a rebel, whether against cultural conventions or injustice or just bad tea'.

I don't understand this!

[jodha]

Interesting.Going by the TMK standards,we have many Mylapore mamas in rasikas.org.So one thing is sure.TMK seriously reads rasikas.

[rajeshnat]

In the softcopy url that Ram1999 shared only the second lower font bold title is shown . That says"Tracing the genealogy and features of that unique species, the Mylapore Music Aficionado"

If you see the hardcopy of Sunday-Jan07,2018 The Hindu paper, the bigger bold title had a phrase . That stated "Mamapore is the capital of carnatica"

TMK is taking a direct dig , we can say impunity at its best.

[ramamatya]

Someone should write an article on the journey of "The Maestro Krishna" to the "The Mental Krishna" . What a pity !

[sureshvv]

If you see the hardcopy of Sunday-Jan07,2018 The Hindu paper, the bigger bold title had a phrase . That stated "Mamapore is the capital of carnatica"

TMK is taking a direct dig , we can say impunity at its best.

Headlines are usually made up by the Editor. TMK may have had nothing to do with that one.

[rajeshnat]

If you see the hardcopy of Sunday-Jan07,2018 The Hindu paper, the bigger bold title had a phrase . That stated "Mamapore is the capital of carnatica"

TMK is taking a direct dig , we can say impunity at its best.

Headlines are usually made up by the Editor. TMK may have had nothing to do with that one.

Suresh,
I have no idea how this works , when I see the author name , I will only hold him/her responsible .Do you think an editor reads all the literary reviews/friday reviews and gives a contextual title for each . I have my doubts.

[shankarank]

Well if the mamas have not reflected on what TMK is saying/doing - they will continue to react in the same mamode!!

There is nothing you can argue with , except saying this is the way it was/is - I mean itihas!

If people are not going to come out of their pseudo-intellectual pigeonhole - TMK will continue to write ringing truths! In their own media alter-ego!

niddura nirAkarinci - not nIdu rAni rAka rinci! The later is a sleepy tAllATTU or lullaby!

[Sachi_R]

I hope Sri. TMK reads this and takes my request on board. He should continue the series and cover the following:
1. Deadly alliance between filter coffee and Mylapore mosquito.
2. The Mamapore quotient in Trinity compositions.
3. Drinking Filter Coffee Is a bad solution to the problem of bad tea.

[Nick H]

Better writing than usual. If it were written by someone else, and leaving out the TMK agenda, it would pass as one of The Hindu's annual attempts at light-hearted comment on the music and the season. Accompanied by the obligatory cartoon.

Rajesh, a lot happens between the keyboard of the author and the printed page. Headlines may or may not bear some resemblance to the author's own title. Except, maybe, for big-issue front page stuff, this is in the hands of the sub-editor. The layout has to be done by column inch. The article must fit the allotted space. Usually this means cutting its length. This is often done without too much thought (plainly, the news sections have to be produced fast, although supplements may be a little more relaxed) and the striking out of words has caused many an author to complain that their meaning is lost... or even changed.

The worrying thing, for me, on this occasion, is not TMK's lack of literary or social-analysis skills... The Mylapore Mam[ai] rasika is an easy-enough stereotype to poke fun at... The worrying thing is that I see myself becoming one!

[ram1999]

If people are not going to come out of their pseudo-intellectual pigeonhole - TMK will continue to write ringing truths! In their own media alter-ego!

Are you implying TMK belongs to the intellectual class

[shankarank]

The answer depends on who all else belong to the intellectual class according to you!

[shankarank]

The worrying thing is that I see myself becoming one!

TMK's article if read "right" ( pardon the pun!) , only conveys how important Ramamurthys and Sundarams have been. If there is no continuous engagement at all levels: organizers, listeners , connoisseurs etc, how can the art grow. This artiste centric creativity and art creation is an incomplete picture. You can perform the art anywhere and to anybody, but people then only see the performance isn't it?!

You have to become (Ahem!) a Mama of pore to appreciate the art

This is without going into the "traditional" aspect of it!

[shankarank]

What about Mamis? Here is a nice picture:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTEgJgjVAAEw0PQ.jpg

[Nick H]

Is that the Mylapore Festival of the last weekend? I'll get to see the kolam display, one day!

[shankarank]

Yeah from the tweet:

https://twitter.com/KiranKS/status/950576371847196672

Here is a better shot:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTGC7zgWsAAb_PA.jpg

[shankarank]

Protecting Carnatic music and our culture - unconsciously, unaware-ly : Biggest achievement of the Mami-a-pore!

Educating a critical thinker nitwit (and then giving him as a svIkAra (dattu) putra (adopted child) of the Marxist, subversive, boutique liberal media) : Biggest failure of Mamapore ( I will exclude the "i" here!! )

[prabuddha]

This is a much milder article than the ones he wrote earlier. But this one does come with a 'to be continued' sticker. Maybe the bile is reserved for the next instalment.

[SrinathK]

IMHO, reading that article, and ignoring all the "vayetterichal" entries seeking a place in the rasikas "Book of rage", it seems like TMK is reading Sachi_R's threads very seriously and has taken a leaf out of the recent trends of the general discussions page.

Meanwhile, before the Mylapore mami cries "sexism" -- I expect part 2 to be about the Mylapore mami and how they can only be found in pairs at the very least, and their ability to discuss a parallel universe with the music acting as the perfect background to ensure that their conversation can proceed uninterrupted, the ending theme of the day centered what pieces of jewellery or designer saree was being worn on stage if the main artiste happens to be a lady as well....

[sureshvv]

Looks like part 2 is awaited eagerly by many

[shankarank]

the ending theme of the day centered what pieces of jewellery or designer saree was being worn on stage if the main artiste happens to be a lady as well....

You see... mamis unconsciously, have a sense of SRngArA, while mamas are clueless conceited by the thing called education [:twisted evil:]. The bhagavtars thought their melodic music of militant type (Prof. Sambamurthy) will carry the day.. unfortunately that has been discredited quite convincingly!. The only thing that achieved finally was mridangam being called not music.. showing its bankruptcy surreally!

Bad debt write off! [:evil mad:]

[Nick H]

... ... ... I expect part 2 to be about the Mylapore mami and how they can only be found in pairs at the very least, and their ability to discuss a parallel universe on their mobile phones.

(bold text added to reflect latest situation)

while mamas are clueless conceited by the thing called education

Yes, shankarank-mama!

[shankarank]

NickH, I have as much clue to understand that mamis have rejected the music of mamas (where they discuss the absent beauty if they ever do the same there!) and discuss beauty during the music of other mamis - where at least some beauty is present , whether it is music or not !

[shankarank]

So here it is:

http://www.thehindu.com/society/which-c ... 430539.ece

I am waiting for a couple on NRI(s) too!

[ratanabhinav]

People like him are attention seeking anti convention personalities who have ASPD I feel , a compulsive need to break social norms/ protocol to seek attention . Here it's the carnatic protocol that's been broken . All bearable to an extent . But why does he personally attack a great vidushi ( MS Amma ) in this field ? Perhaps he is a narcissist !

[Music]

Focusing so much on caste vs carnatic music through articles nurtures casteism even more. Doesn’t serve any purpose. If the goal is to spread carnatic music far and wide, then just do it. Highlighting one particular rasika community in negative light (be it mamas/brahmins/mamis/whatever) is not needed for that.

[shankarank]

May be he is writing his auto-biography who knows. He think he has taken a sanyas or something and he should address himself in Third person , like they do for Acharyas .

Well beyond TMK, the need for saying what he says to attract attention, says a lot about the country , how it has been subverted to harbor a distaste for its own traditions in the last 70 years! That this is directed towards Brahmins, is only because they are an easy target, having occupied positions of power in the bureaucracy.

Envy the basic trait of humans is subtly exploited by Marxism, the most venomous of ideologies, to activate this against anybody at will! It neatly suppresses the colonial history, how the British had a need for crannies and used whoever immediately fit the need without worrying about uplifting anybody etc.

[Nick H]

If this article was written by anyone else, what would you all say? Would you read so much into it? Criticise it so thoroughly? Find so much implied implied?

It is this and only this: The Hindu's annual Season-joke article. Just, someone thought it would be good, this year, to give the job to TMK. It wasn't good. It was, to some extent, a rehash of the same old same old. How can it not be? The same personalities attend the same functions, year in, year out: what's new to say?

I'm supposing that TMK thought he was writing a "funny" article. I don't think he succeeded.

Bad English, of course (another of my rants) is The-Hindu style. Ugly words like contretise (if it is a word); getting idioms wrong )It is wheat from the chaff, not the other way around. Etc. Etc.

Bad writing. Unfunny joke. Is it necessary to say more? No. But this is rasikas.org, and those three initials are the ultimate stimulant. Someone should write a funny article about that

[shankarank]

Of late the rookie Secretary of the two lettered MA is also competing for attention , in case you failed to notice

[ratanabhinav]

Of late the rookie Secretary of the two lettered MA is also competing for attention , in case you failed to notice

Will they both join in for a grand korvai ?

[ratanabhinav]

Focusing so much on caste vs carnatic music through articles nurtures casteism even more. Doesn’t serve any purpose. If the goal is to spread carnatic music far and wide, then just do it. Highlighting one particular rasika community in negative light (be it mamas/brahmins/mamis/whatever) is not needed for that.

But how could he ? We TamBrahms are the very spine and nerves of CM who are major contributors as rasikas and composers , performers . This shows the amount of arrogance that he has . He is attacking and poking fun at the very people who have patronised the art that he follows with passion . Like a traitor . Better luck to him. Let him start his own system of music . Very soon CM would not be his choice. ' Tmk music' or xyz music a new music system he must come up with !

[sureshvv]

We TamBrahms are the very spine and nerves of CM who are major contributors as rasikas and composers , performers .

And if we truly care about this art form, we need to set it free to be practiced and enjoyed by everyone. May be the time has come.

[kvchellappa]

If this article was written by anyone else, what would you all say? Would you read so much into it? Criticise it so thoroughly? Find so much implied implied?

A gutter by any name will stink as badly!
Unfortunately, Shakespeare has not said it.
(I am getting the bad smell from those who smelled it!)

[Nick H]

A gutter by any name will stink as badly!

Nope. It would just be a piece of bad writing, not something emotive like a stinking gutter.

Compare the equivalent offering from The New Indian Express. Also not exactly a brilliant piece of literature (although it has the virtue of being short ). Nobody even noticed it? Quite. That's what I mean.

[sureshvv]

I liked part 2 better than 1. The characters are "real", only the names have been changed to protect the innocent

Rather than criticize or pass judgment, the article tries to describe things as they are with some minor exaggeration for dramatic purposes.

[ratanabhinav]

I liked part 2 better than 1. The characters are "real", only the names have been changed to protect the innocent

I feel there was a reference to his own sishya , Rithvik Raja as Anirudh Ramanan , since Rithvik sings like Semmangudi .

[ratanabhinav]

And if we truly care about this art form, we need to set it free to be practiced and enjoyed by everyone. May be the time has come.

Then we need to stop restricting CM's horizons only to Hindu bhakthi . Make it like HM where you have lyrics in various themes . Change raga names . The whole world would be listening only to CM , probably . It's the Hindu orthodoxy conveyed through the lyrics that stops them from giving it a try because it is in conflict with their own belief systems .

If you feel that the above are the core values that define CM : then anyone and everyone's entry would destroy its core values .

[sureshvv]

There are lot of Hindus outside the TamBram universe. We can start there. Of course, it is really up to them. All we can do is encourage & nurture.

And curate

[ratanabhinav]

There are lot of Hindus outside the TamBram universe. We can start there. Of course, it is really up to them. All we can do is encourage & nurture.

And curate

Would they be in line with the kind of orthodoxy splashed by the lyrics ?

[sureshvv]

May be the unorthodox parts of the lyrics can be given prominence.

[jshrikanth]

I liked part 2 better than 1. The characters are "real", only the names have been changed to protect the innocent

Rather than criticize or pass judgment, the article tries to describe things as they are with some minor exaggeration for dramatic purposes.

I liked Part 2 as well, at first. It seems to be a rather weak attempt at observational humour, on the lines of other articles that crop up every margazhi.

However, despite stylistic differences, the two part are very close in spirit . Part 1 presents the author's views on 'Mamapore' and Carnatic Music, almost as a theoretical framework (heavily influenced by marxist studies, as Shankarank would say ). Part 2 reinforces that by showing how an 'old boy network' of mamas can subtly influence who gets to sing where (at least as far as emerging singers are concerned). And thus perpetuate tradition, but also a lot of implicit biases.

Another observation - though I may be reading too much into it - is the author's ambivalence towards the Mylapore mama. Some passages describe the mama almost affectionately, even admiringly (i don't think it is entirely satire/ irony). But other passages are rather caustic. It is as if the author knows and admires several mamas on an individual personal level (as is to be expected), despite railing against the overall "institutional-community structure" that dominates Carnatic music.

[ramamatya]

Article was good, well-written, fluid, and readable (unlike his other verbal diarrhoea) but the ending didn't tie up right. Govindan mama came across as a flawless character depicting the community, but the last twist of a question was not in line with the flow of the article. If his point was to want more participation of other communities, it is not coming across in the article. If I hated brahmins (not that I do), I wld love them after reading this character. So, tmk lost his central point.

[Nick H]

Article was good, well-written, fluid, and readable

Whoa! I wouldn't go that far. But perhaps you are a kinder critic than I!

I liked part 2 better than 1. The characters are "real", only the names have been changed to protect the innocent

I imagined Harimau and his fellow Harimaus as having the discussion over lunch!

And curate

[sureshvv]

Article was good, well-written, fluid, and readable (unlike his other verbal diarrhoea) but the ending didn't tie up right. Govindan mama came across as a flawless character depicting the community, but the last twist of a question was not in line with the flow of the article.

Mostly agree! The author sounds quite ambivalent & is not able to resolve the two. My take is TMK hangs out with a lot of different people and is very impressionable & has not resolved the dichotomy is his own mind.

Await the next installment of the article entitled:

Govindan mama nallavara kettavara?

[rajeshnat]

In his virtual article TMK has mentioned about krishna gana sabha. We discuss a lot about academy and slots . Let us take the real world of Dec 2017 of krishna gana sabha:

These are the evening slot performers, with each of them slogging with experience and exhibiting high delivery
Sikkilgurucharan
Lalgudi vijayalakshmi -violin
Vijay Siva
Kadri Gopalnath
Aruna Sairam
Chitravina Ravikiran and Lalgudi Krishnan
Malladi Brothers
Hyderabad Brothers
Jayanthi Kumaresh and Kumaresh
Sudha Ragunathan
Sanjay Subrahmanyan
S Sowmya
Neyveli Santhanagopalan
S Saketharaman
Carnatica Brothers
KJ Yesudas

AND
Vignesh Ishwar

Certainly a great talent Vignesh Ishwar, he surely sings well and will surely do well for sure.He has great voice throw and paddhati . But when you compare other artist and Vignesh Ishwar and considering that Vignesh is just entering into concert circuit in afternoon or noon slots only means there is an invisible krishnan mama or govindan Mama some where in Mylapore and Mambalam to push him very quickly to evening slot . The evening slots in SKGS is far less than evening slots in academy

What one needs to clearly understand is there is a conscious push that always happens in this field - carnatic music. To write writeups in virtual world with near fictitious names is nice to read but with real names may sound way too self directing that you are just the same as much as you pointing out others.

This is not an ire to point out and discourage lovely young talent but more and more this is going to happen.
.