Continuing on my earlier post re;VKV/myself.
This was an important match with Vivekanada sporting V.V Kumar(who subsequently played in Test cricket) and Pachaiyappas having M.K.Murugesh(left arm slow bowler who was of Test match quality but I am not sure if he ever played). Presidency did not figure at all. But knowing VKV was a cricket fan and if I remember correctly may have even represented Christian College--we decided to "en masse" "bunk" the Lab--ofcourse we approached him and he without any hesitation okayed the idea and if there were any repercussions on us later he would manage w/o any consequences to us.
We went and we were cheering and lo and behold!! Who do we see behind us in the stands? VKV himself!!! Sorry VKV --I hope the Prseidency College(a Govt College) does not come back to you trying to "dock' you for dereliction of duty!!!
Imagine my surprise when I bump into VKV in 1969-70 in NY when he started East-West and sponsored the FIRST Violin-Veena-Venu concert tour!!!!
M.S.Ammas birthday
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cacm
- Posts: 2212
- Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07
I still feel those were the BEST OF TIMES! Cricket matches & MEMORABLE concerts! Just cannot be beat. GOOD JUDGEMENT& taste?? Ended up in USA for the past 50 years!.... I was captain of the 'Xian college cricket team & even played for university etc & Goplan trophy etc match at Chepauk for Madras. ......But the CROWNING GLORY was arranging a cricket match for the immortal MALI at Marina Cricket Grounds where 20 of the twenty two players were either State or Test Cricketeers. V.V.Kumar & M.K.Murugesh probably played in that match too!.....VKV
My resignation has still not been accepted yet! I was warned I will be arrested when I left for USA in 1959 but it has not happened yet! Officially still a member of the Madras Educational Subordinate Service,?! VKV
My resignation has still not been accepted yet! I was warned I will be arrested when I left for USA in 1959 but it has not happened yet! Officially still a member of the Madras Educational Subordinate Service,?! VKV
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cmlover
- Posts: 11498
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36
VKV! Your batting for the Cleveland was just superb. You handled the curve balls with great finesse. You are still not out! The Captain Sundaram must be justly proud of you since you are still the opening batsman 
We look forward to some superb defence in 2010!
By the by the NA team needs you and will not let you go back to the old MESS
We look forward to some superb defence in 2010!
By the by the NA team needs you and will not let you go back to the old MESS
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cmlover
- Posts: 11498
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36
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Ramasubramanian M.K
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33
Love these exchanges-get too distracted!! Tough to resist!! Anyhow I shall continue my "chronicles" on MS/TS.
Continuing my Presidency College Saga--as I said before this period of two years gave me lots of opportunities to interact with MS/TS as a transient member of the Household--most of my leisure time I can say I spent in kalki gardens despite the fact that it was a hassle -transportation-somedays I was lucky to "hitch" a ride with visitors returning to Mylapore- a sidebar/digression on this.
Once after a visit accompanied by my late uncle(his name was Seetharaman but people used to call him Sita)we were ready to return by bus to Mylapore--I came down first with my uncle still chatting with MS mami upstairs--I noticed Kalki Mama preparing to leave for his home in Adyar(Gandhinagar) . Mylapore being on the way I approached him and asked him for a ride-he said OK-he was seated at the back and asked me to sit next to him--I immediately said "Please wait!! let me go and fetch Sita--and ran away to fetch my uncle as I did not want to make Kalki mama wait--when I came down with my uncle,I was surprised to see Kalki mama in the front seat next to the driver!! Perplexed asked him why, he said "when you mentioned Sita I thought it was a lady and I did not want to embarass her sitting next to me"(forumites those days it was not customary for married lady sitting next to a man who was not her husband"). Kalki Mama was just a gracious man who was always lost in a reverie being so considerate towards an intellectual pygmyie!! In retrospect I question my own impudence in even asking for a ride and detaining him in the process!!!
On the weekends with the purported intention of teaching my "ward"(Mama's adopted son Kannakutti)
Mama would wake me up early morning 5;30 A.M(how I--a kid 16 years old would feel when woken up on a weekend you can imagine!!).After the usual morning ablutions coffee - mama would drag me for a walk around the Kalki Gardens--somedays he would wake mami also up and the brisk walk would comence--with Mama and Mami lockstep--with Mami with her 'shuffle-step" trying to keep pace with mama-myself a step behind them panting for breath at the pace--Mama would stop to instruct the Gardener(Mama's passion for the "Flora" is wellknown) Ekambaram(if I remember his name correctly) how the bushes and saplings need to be aligned(I am a horticultural ignoramus-- so those amongst you who are horticulture-lovers would excuse me if I use inappropriate words to describe the flowers and the garden!!). Those "pauses" were heaven-sent to me for the time it gave me to catch my breath!!
Mama would frequently change the arrangements so that the next visit you would see a totally different configuration--even more prettier than before--the lush 'crop" of jasmine picked in the evening would resemble a flower shop --only to manifest themselves as 'hirsute adornments" on the ladies of the household and visitors alike- on the 'walk days' without Mami I would be the target of his 'sermons" or homilies on the virtues--loyalty,compassion etc etc- these used to puzzle me a little bit whether he was trying send a veiled message to point out any infractions I may have committed--but soon realised that when he likes somebody he felt at liberty to advise--always stressing that we should strive to help who need help-- in whichever fashion one can-later on I found out that he would ask me to find a job for somebody not well off(sometimes not with muh of a qualification and if I mention the candidate does not seem well qualified he would turn around and tell me "that's why I am sending him to you--if he were qualified I would have found a job for him myself!!!---
to be continued
Continuing my Presidency College Saga--as I said before this period of two years gave me lots of opportunities to interact with MS/TS as a transient member of the Household--most of my leisure time I can say I spent in kalki gardens despite the fact that it was a hassle -transportation-somedays I was lucky to "hitch" a ride with visitors returning to Mylapore- a sidebar/digression on this.
Once after a visit accompanied by my late uncle(his name was Seetharaman but people used to call him Sita)we were ready to return by bus to Mylapore--I came down first with my uncle still chatting with MS mami upstairs--I noticed Kalki Mama preparing to leave for his home in Adyar(Gandhinagar) . Mylapore being on the way I approached him and asked him for a ride-he said OK-he was seated at the back and asked me to sit next to him--I immediately said "Please wait!! let me go and fetch Sita--and ran away to fetch my uncle as I did not want to make Kalki mama wait--when I came down with my uncle,I was surprised to see Kalki mama in the front seat next to the driver!! Perplexed asked him why, he said "when you mentioned Sita I thought it was a lady and I did not want to embarass her sitting next to me"(forumites those days it was not customary for married lady sitting next to a man who was not her husband"). Kalki Mama was just a gracious man who was always lost in a reverie being so considerate towards an intellectual pygmyie!! In retrospect I question my own impudence in even asking for a ride and detaining him in the process!!!
On the weekends with the purported intention of teaching my "ward"(Mama's adopted son Kannakutti)
Mama would wake me up early morning 5;30 A.M(how I--a kid 16 years old would feel when woken up on a weekend you can imagine!!).After the usual morning ablutions coffee - mama would drag me for a walk around the Kalki Gardens--somedays he would wake mami also up and the brisk walk would comence--with Mama and Mami lockstep--with Mami with her 'shuffle-step" trying to keep pace with mama-myself a step behind them panting for breath at the pace--Mama would stop to instruct the Gardener(Mama's passion for the "Flora" is wellknown) Ekambaram(if I remember his name correctly) how the bushes and saplings need to be aligned(I am a horticultural ignoramus-- so those amongst you who are horticulture-lovers would excuse me if I use inappropriate words to describe the flowers and the garden!!). Those "pauses" were heaven-sent to me for the time it gave me to catch my breath!!
Mama would frequently change the arrangements so that the next visit you would see a totally different configuration--even more prettier than before--the lush 'crop" of jasmine picked in the evening would resemble a flower shop --only to manifest themselves as 'hirsute adornments" on the ladies of the household and visitors alike- on the 'walk days' without Mami I would be the target of his 'sermons" or homilies on the virtues--loyalty,compassion etc etc- these used to puzzle me a little bit whether he was trying send a veiled message to point out any infractions I may have committed--but soon realised that when he likes somebody he felt at liberty to advise--always stressing that we should strive to help who need help-- in whichever fashion one can-later on I found out that he would ask me to find a job for somebody not well off(sometimes not with muh of a qualification and if I mention the candidate does not seem well qualified he would turn around and tell me "that's why I am sending him to you--if he were qualified I would have found a job for him myself!!!---
to be continued
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arasi
- Posts: 16877
- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
Your description about Kalki mama is endearing. I knew him when I was a little girl and thought of him as kindness personified. Of course, he was an eminent writer, editor--and that mede him a giant in my eyes.
Your story has poetry to it. TS's love for MS is of a special kind, indeed. I was touched when you said he adored her for her music more than any aredent fan did. His life's work was this woman from Madurai. He nurtured her art as if it was his mission in life and what's more, he shared it with the rest of the world--in the manner of Boswell's devotion to Johnson, Watson's to Sherlock Holmes--they were born to a purpose--of unveiling to the rest of the world the qualities of the icons they adored...
Your story has poetry to it. TS's love for MS is of a special kind, indeed. I was touched when you said he adored her for her music more than any aredent fan did. His life's work was this woman from Madurai. He nurtured her art as if it was his mission in life and what's more, he shared it with the rest of the world--in the manner of Boswell's devotion to Johnson, Watson's to Sherlock Holmes--they were born to a purpose--of unveiling to the rest of the world the qualities of the icons they adored...
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cacm
- Posts: 2212
- Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07
M.K.R,
YOUR description is so good I wish you had taken to Harikatha-feel you would have given a run for the money with the likes of Kamala Murthy; Thats saying a lot!-.........Very fascinating esp. YOU have SINGLE HANDEDLY turned the tide towards a better attempt at understanding the genius of M.S/T.S. A VERY WORTHWHILE ENDEAVOUR......I am also thrilled at the expertise of cmlover & rajeshnat who I thought were puritans who had not fried their brains playiong cricket in the Madtras SUN!.....VKV
Incidentally if you were present when giants like L.S.Ramamirdham,Nadodi& Thevan were at RAJAJI SEEVAL STORE discussing their literary output or at RAYAR club where GNB himself& GREATS like Murugabhoopathy(he lived nearby!)y imbibed the DIVINE Coffeee & Tiffin as well as threw out CRUMBS& WISDOM OF MUSIC to eager ignoramuses like me pl write about it....I hope GNB fan Sri.Vijayaraghavan's efforts to rename Kutcheri Road to GNB KUTCHERI ROAD bears fruit. His Biggest fans mmi & mss would be smiling at us approvingly from the Heavens..... VKV
YOUR description is so good I wish you had taken to Harikatha-feel you would have given a run for the money with the likes of Kamala Murthy; Thats saying a lot!-.........Very fascinating esp. YOU have SINGLE HANDEDLY turned the tide towards a better attempt at understanding the genius of M.S/T.S. A VERY WORTHWHILE ENDEAVOUR......I am also thrilled at the expertise of cmlover & rajeshnat who I thought were puritans who had not fried their brains playiong cricket in the Madtras SUN!.....VKV
Incidentally if you were present when giants like L.S.Ramamirdham,Nadodi& Thevan were at RAJAJI SEEVAL STORE discussing their literary output or at RAYAR club where GNB himself& GREATS like Murugabhoopathy(he lived nearby!)y imbibed the DIVINE Coffeee & Tiffin as well as threw out CRUMBS& WISDOM OF MUSIC to eager ignoramuses like me pl write about it....I hope GNB fan Sri.Vijayaraghavan's efforts to rename Kutcheri Road to GNB KUTCHERI ROAD bears fruit. His Biggest fans mmi & mss would be smiling at us approvingly from the Heavens..... VKV
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cmlover
- Posts: 11498
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36
My mouth slavers when I hear those names whom I have met only through the pages of kalki or vikatan. Arasi had the previlege of hobnobbing with those giants and should also share her momories if not in lyrics! MKR will now have to write a mahabharatham instead of a Ramayanam with just Rama and Sita as main characters
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mrgems
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 23 Oct 2009, 09:18
This is my first post here, but please accept my apologies if it's a bit personal. I am the son of KMR aka MK Ramasubramanian and I simply wanted to share three facts with all of you:
1) Today is my father's (English) birthday! Since many of you have been thrilled by his stories and this seems like a real community, I thought you would all appreciate this note and not mind the personal touch. Happy Birthday Appa! May all the blessings of the Lord (and Carnatic music) continue to be showered upon you!
2) Needless to say, I have heard hundreds of my dad's stories (fortunately for him, he and my mother conveyed their love of CM to me despite an early phase they deemed as the 'Aurangazeb' phase!) but most of the ones here are completely new to me - it's taken a forum like this to bring many of them out and I am very thankful to all of you for encouraging these stories. Thanks to my father (and my late grandfather K.S. Mahadevan), I am enthralled by the lore and legend of CM and of course, the divine music itself, but you've unleashed a great torrent here that is truly amazing.
3) My father's gnaanam is pretty legendary amongst the musicians who know our family. Although he never received training, he has great innate knowledge of music and his alapana singing is pretty amazing. He also is a self-taught kanjira player and even occasional mridangist (more on that later).
My dad has HUNDREDS of other stories about many other musicians and the history of CM, even more contemporary ones, so while the M.S. stories are undoubtedly the main course right now, there's a lot more still in store!
ANd I will prompt him on one such story, how he played mridangam for a Sangeetha Kalanidhi, much to his own disbelief!
1) Today is my father's (English) birthday! Since many of you have been thrilled by his stories and this seems like a real community, I thought you would all appreciate this note and not mind the personal touch. Happy Birthday Appa! May all the blessings of the Lord (and Carnatic music) continue to be showered upon you!
2) Needless to say, I have heard hundreds of my dad's stories (fortunately for him, he and my mother conveyed their love of CM to me despite an early phase they deemed as the 'Aurangazeb' phase!) but most of the ones here are completely new to me - it's taken a forum like this to bring many of them out and I am very thankful to all of you for encouraging these stories. Thanks to my father (and my late grandfather K.S. Mahadevan), I am enthralled by the lore and legend of CM and of course, the divine music itself, but you've unleashed a great torrent here that is truly amazing.
3) My father's gnaanam is pretty legendary amongst the musicians who know our family. Although he never received training, he has great innate knowledge of music and his alapana singing is pretty amazing. He also is a self-taught kanjira player and even occasional mridangist (more on that later).
My dad has HUNDREDS of other stories about many other musicians and the history of CM, even more contemporary ones, so while the M.S. stories are undoubtedly the main course right now, there's a lot more still in store!
ANd I will prompt him on one such story, how he played mridangam for a Sangeetha Kalanidhi, much to his own disbelief!
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arasi
- Posts: 16877
- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
mrgems,
Good to hear from you!
A very happy birthday to your father KMR! Wishing him many many more happy and healthy birthdays! Of course, we are looking forward to more of his stories . I am not surprised by all the things you say about him. I guessed as much. Yes, would like to hear about his replacing (?) a mrudangam artiste at the last minute (??) to play for a sangeetha kalanidhi...
Do you sing or play any instrument?
Good to hear from you!
A very happy birthday to your father KMR! Wishing him many many more happy and healthy birthdays! Of course, we are looking forward to more of his stories . I am not surprised by all the things you say about him. I guessed as much. Yes, would like to hear about his replacing (?) a mrudangam artiste at the last minute (??) to play for a sangeetha kalanidhi...
Do you sing or play any instrument?
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rajeshnat
- Posts: 10144
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04
Mr gems ,
Nice to hear from you that your cadburys dairy milk father is having his happy birthday. I just also googled to find about your grandfather Shri KS Mahadevan who appears a cadburys five star.
Loved these lines about MS amma's music:
In a review of an MS concert, he wrote, "It is the unique voice of the world - its beauty, clarion quality and splendour aglow with brilliance. Yet while executing the brilliant chords and phrases in the tara sthayi her voice would stay within rather than beyond the limits of resonant power. In her bird-like flights, her great sweeps, one would come across precious masterpieces of vocal jewellery. How much inner life she must have to achieve such triumphs is well left to the imagination."
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... N%26um%3D1
Nice to hear from you that your cadburys dairy milk father is having his happy birthday. I just also googled to find about your grandfather Shri KS Mahadevan who appears a cadburys five star.
Loved these lines about MS amma's music:
In a review of an MS concert, he wrote, "It is the unique voice of the world - its beauty, clarion quality and splendour aglow with brilliance. Yet while executing the brilliant chords and phrases in the tara sthayi her voice would stay within rather than beyond the limits of resonant power. In her bird-like flights, her great sweeps, one would come across precious masterpieces of vocal jewellery. How much inner life she must have to achieve such triumphs is well left to the imagination."
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... N%26um%3D1
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baboosh
- Posts: 140
- Joined: 12 Aug 2006, 17:34
vkv43034 wrote:Dear M.K.R.,
The role of Maha Periyavar was more complicated but I will not go into it on this forum especially in a public fashion. Let me only say that it does not put him in good light as they say & feelings of many likely might get hurt.......VKV
We have to view Sri Mahaperiyava's role in conjuction with the position He was occupying as a Pontiff upholding Hindu scriptures.He himself had mentioned that his role was only in upholding the same and not in altering the same for which He had no authority
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Always_Evolving
- Posts: 216
- Joined: 16 Oct 2007, 08:33
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naarayanan
- Posts: 178
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 19:01
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Ramasubramanian M.K
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33
Dear Forumites; Thank you all!! I have stopped celebrating Birthdays because the Candles have started costing more than the Cakes!!! and the Local Fire department has put a restraining order on my family because they "allege" my birthday celebrations turn out to be a fire hazard to the entire neighborhood I am simply overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit and comradeship expressed by all of you in this forum- although my son was the one who even made me aware of this site just 2 months ago(you can imagine what kind of a Rip Van Winkle I must have been when all along hitherto I was scouring my usual CM websites,Sangeetham.com,Kutcheribuzz,Carnatica and Sangeethapriya(to listen to old recordings) and also you tube etc.
Truly all of you and the forum including the forumites who read/write about other subjects,have rekindled in me my first love reading/writing --just as I had decided to wind up this topic and subjects with one or two additional posts you have given me an extra lease of writers' life.
Will try to continue these chronicles.
If all of you have thrown away your discretion and judgement(in asking me to continue!!),why should I not throw away my instinct for reticence
Truly all of you and the forum including the forumites who read/write about other subjects,have rekindled in me my first love reading/writing --just as I had decided to wind up this topic and subjects with one or two additional posts you have given me an extra lease of writers' life.
Will try to continue these chronicles.
If all of you have thrown away your discretion and judgement(in asking me to continue!!),why should I not throw away my instinct for reticence
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cmlover
- Posts: 11498
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36
Happy (english Birthday MKR!
You have a wonderful gem of a son who pays tribute to you through the Forum, deservingly. He apparently has the talents of KSM and MKR bundled together as he is tacitly baiting us to tease you for more of CM stories for which we have a boundless appetite. Perhaps he has some of his own on the later crops of CM performers. While we are ready, we don't want to distract you from TS/MS on which now our minds are rivetted! With the hoard of stories that you have, you may celebrate your century at the Forum (DV) and perhaps some of us may be lucky to celebrate the gala event along with you!
dIrghAyuShmAn bhava
(pardon the late entry! Since I just got up from slumber
I belive 'late to bed and late to rise may keep me healthy, happy and wise
Birthday MKR!You have a wonderful gem of a son who pays tribute to you through the Forum, deservingly. He apparently has the talents of KSM and MKR bundled together as he is tacitly baiting us to tease you for more of CM stories for which we have a boundless appetite. Perhaps he has some of his own on the later crops of CM performers. While we are ready, we don't want to distract you from TS/MS on which now our minds are rivetted! With the hoard of stories that you have, you may celebrate your century at the Forum (DV) and perhaps some of us may be lucky to celebrate the gala event along with you!
dIrghAyuShmAn bhava
(pardon the late entry! Since I just got up from slumber
I belive 'late to bed and late to rise may keep me healthy, happy and wise
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Ramasubramanian M.K
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33
Thanks CM lover for your kind sentiments. Yes--my son has also been the recipient of Mami and Mama's blessings--in fact after his marriage was fixed he personally called Mami and Mama to inform them of the news when they promptly replied "Theriyume,Nan Dane Padapporen".,provided it is in Chennai . Although my daughter-in-law's folks were from Nagpur with absolutely no Chennai connections(close enough to make wedding arrangements) my son insisted because he wanted Mami to sing--Boy!! Did she sing her heart out on that day!!--Mama wanted only a few portions recorded -the audience in the front row were SSI,CVN,Lalgudi Sir(earlier for the Nichyadartham GJR and Viji played)besides several musicians. Mami was nearing 79(without radha support and only Gowri) and to my knowledge that was the last Kalyana Kucheri Mami gave(outside the one she gave on our daughter's weddding two years later). At the end of the concert getting down from the dais,my son helped Mami get down from the dais,Mami says: "Ramji unakkaha usirai kuduthundu paadinen"--words that will ever ring in our ears.
TS had love towards our family spanning four generations --we in the family are grateful to
my mother(91 years old)l for the six decades of friendship with the MS/TS family .
The irony of it was that none of us(my sister,myself and my younger brother) were lucky enough to have Mami sing in our weddings!! Mami would fall sick or just recover from surgery--the rest of the TS family would be in attendance for the weddings!!
As forumites know TS accepted Kalyan Kutcheri very sparingly even in their hey day despite the fact the Celebs and Industrialists would make teasing monetary offers!! Mama was very selective about accepting the marriage engagements--lots of less-well-to-do families have had Mami sing for their childrens' marriages. That was TS epitomising Shakespeare's Hamlet quotation "THOSE FRIENDS THOU HAST GRAPPLE THEM TO THY SOUL WITH HOOPS OF STEEL".
P.S. Till Mama died in 1997, for his Cards session the regular cards supplier was my son on his annual visits to India-- my son tells me he got the cards from an ordinary store--none of the high quality Las Vegas style cards--so Mama must have made the request because of his love for him rather than the cards!!!(from our archives I will try to ferret out a letter that mama wrote to my son re: this "supply
requisition"!!!!
TS had love towards our family spanning four generations --we in the family are grateful to
my mother(91 years old)l for the six decades of friendship with the MS/TS family .
The irony of it was that none of us(my sister,myself and my younger brother) were lucky enough to have Mami sing in our weddings!! Mami would fall sick or just recover from surgery--the rest of the TS family would be in attendance for the weddings!!
As forumites know TS accepted Kalyan Kutcheri very sparingly even in their hey day despite the fact the Celebs and Industrialists would make teasing monetary offers!! Mama was very selective about accepting the marriage engagements--lots of less-well-to-do families have had Mami sing for their childrens' marriages. That was TS epitomising Shakespeare's Hamlet quotation "THOSE FRIENDS THOU HAST GRAPPLE THEM TO THY SOUL WITH HOOPS OF STEEL".
P.S. Till Mama died in 1997, for his Cards session the regular cards supplier was my son on his annual visits to India-- my son tells me he got the cards from an ordinary store--none of the high quality Las Vegas style cards--so Mama must have made the request because of his love for him rather than the cards!!!(from our archives I will try to ferret out a letter that mama wrote to my son re: this "supply
requisition"!!!!
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cacm
- Posts: 2212
- Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07
I just want rasikas to know that Ramesh's MOM was the CLOSEST PAL OF M.S. I know many who aspired to that position -I knew lots of them myself who used to stake that claim but the way the eyes of M.S. used to light up when Chinnani Mami's name was mentioned left no doubt!- & it was a fascinating exercise!.Also by just dumb luck my wife & I attended both concerts by almost gate crashing arriving on the day of the wedding....VKV
Last edited by cacm on 24 Oct 2009, 07:47, edited 1 time in total.
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Ramasubramanian M.K
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33
Correction in Post#79(Shakespeare's quote from Hamlet.It should read:
THOSE FRIENDS THOU HAST,THEIR ADOPTION TRIED,GRAPPLE THEM TO THY SOUL WITH HOOPS OF STEEL.
I LEFT OUT THE CRITICAL PORTION "THEIR ADOPTION TRIED"--because that was the "sine qua non" for Mama to let anybody close to his heart--that friendship will last unless the friend does something egregious--Mama made distinctions--innuendoes about some of the friends' breach of business ethics etc Mama would not hold necessarily against them UNLESS he had concrete proof that their unethical behavior harmed individuals or Society --that is the reason that individuals who were close to Mama
and then were "ostracised' by Mama after he discovered some personal unethical act dared not even "bad-mouth" him given his high visibility in Media circles and the "easy target" he and Mami provided to spread falsehoods.Seldom have I come across in Mama's life any instance of him voluntarily and without cause or reason abrogate a friendship on some minor 'pique'!!
At the same time given his contacts at the highest places,mama never "exploited" those connections for his personal or mami's benefit--no angling for Sangeetha Kalanidhi,no national or international awards courted--Mami for her part---innocent as she was-- treated the Ramon Magsasay award or Bharath Rathna with the same stoical indifference(but eternally grateful) as a felicitation in a small town. She once told me -- when the early Annamacharya's songs were released-- "I believe several thousand cassetes were sold"--I laughed and said "You should see the Royalty statements" to which she said O is that so. Mama will fill her in with a number that would not register on her mind--Mama always used to proudly proclaim to his friends in public,"Kunjammakku oru kodiyile etthanai cipher irukku engiradhe theriyadu(she does not know how many zeros are there in a crore!!)-when somebody reads out to her about the total charities amount she has helped raise--over 100 crores-I remember reading somewhere,that made no difference to her. Once in the late forties,after hearing about the death of Mahatma Gandhi's wife Kasthurbai Gandhi and a relief fund was started Mama "kicked" it off by spontaneously asking Mami to give away her Golden bangles on the spot(more as a down payment with several large amounts to follow!!)--Mama was so crestfallen even on Kasthurba's death that they observed mourning for one full year--Mami had tremendous love for glass bangles-multi-colored--neatly arranged in her own bangles box--so daintily she will move around in the house with her "shuffle-step" gait that the sound of the bangles clanging would be "pitch-perfect" as well like --her music!! Mami did not care for ornate jewelry but always very curious,inquisitive and appreciative of others' dress,jewelry etc and would never fail to compliment others--young or old on their dress etc. But in typical conservative fashion she would comment on other lady performers habit of not wrapping the "Muduhu Pudavai)--lady forumites would know what I am talking about!!!!
To be continued---
THOSE FRIENDS THOU HAST,THEIR ADOPTION TRIED,GRAPPLE THEM TO THY SOUL WITH HOOPS OF STEEL.
I LEFT OUT THE CRITICAL PORTION "THEIR ADOPTION TRIED"--because that was the "sine qua non" for Mama to let anybody close to his heart--that friendship will last unless the friend does something egregious--Mama made distinctions--innuendoes about some of the friends' breach of business ethics etc Mama would not hold necessarily against them UNLESS he had concrete proof that their unethical behavior harmed individuals or Society --that is the reason that individuals who were close to Mama
and then were "ostracised' by Mama after he discovered some personal unethical act dared not even "bad-mouth" him given his high visibility in Media circles and the "easy target" he and Mami provided to spread falsehoods.Seldom have I come across in Mama's life any instance of him voluntarily and without cause or reason abrogate a friendship on some minor 'pique'!!
At the same time given his contacts at the highest places,mama never "exploited" those connections for his personal or mami's benefit--no angling for Sangeetha Kalanidhi,no national or international awards courted--Mami for her part---innocent as she was-- treated the Ramon Magsasay award or Bharath Rathna with the same stoical indifference(but eternally grateful) as a felicitation in a small town. She once told me -- when the early Annamacharya's songs were released-- "I believe several thousand cassetes were sold"--I laughed and said "You should see the Royalty statements" to which she said O is that so. Mama will fill her in with a number that would not register on her mind--Mama always used to proudly proclaim to his friends in public,"Kunjammakku oru kodiyile etthanai cipher irukku engiradhe theriyadu(she does not know how many zeros are there in a crore!!)-when somebody reads out to her about the total charities amount she has helped raise--over 100 crores-I remember reading somewhere,that made no difference to her. Once in the late forties,after hearing about the death of Mahatma Gandhi's wife Kasthurbai Gandhi and a relief fund was started Mama "kicked" it off by spontaneously asking Mami to give away her Golden bangles on the spot(more as a down payment with several large amounts to follow!!)--Mama was so crestfallen even on Kasthurba's death that they observed mourning for one full year--Mami had tremendous love for glass bangles-multi-colored--neatly arranged in her own bangles box--so daintily she will move around in the house with her "shuffle-step" gait that the sound of the bangles clanging would be "pitch-perfect" as well like --her music!! Mami did not care for ornate jewelry but always very curious,inquisitive and appreciative of others' dress,jewelry etc and would never fail to compliment others--young or old on their dress etc. But in typical conservative fashion she would comment on other lady performers habit of not wrapping the "Muduhu Pudavai)--lady forumites would know what I am talking about!!!!
To be continued---
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arasi
- Posts: 16877
- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
RMK,
The more we read about this 'made in Heaven union', the more we realize how God granted them (and us too) a boon by bringing them together on earth. One without the other would not have made such an impact on music to an extent that it became a phenomenon.
The more we read about her, the more the qualities we knew or have guessed about her are getting confirmed. Your narrative style is spontaneous and is full of life and speaks that you were close to them and loved them no end, and they, in return.
I am sure this rasikai of all things good and beautiful also had a sense of humor--not in cracking jokes but in lessening for herself and those around her the cares of life by developing a responsible sense of humor--seeing the philosophical side of life by laughing away the cares and trying moments of life without dwelling in them. Of course, her music fed her in all this.
The mudugup puDavai is amusing. Mudugup puDavai brings to mind muttup puDavai too. All those Muttuc cheTTiAr saris which were classic works of art. An admirer of her music who wove saris specially for her. Any recollections on those?
The more we read about this 'made in Heaven union', the more we realize how God granted them (and us too) a boon by bringing them together on earth. One without the other would not have made such an impact on music to an extent that it became a phenomenon.
The more we read about her, the more the qualities we knew or have guessed about her are getting confirmed. Your narrative style is spontaneous and is full of life and speaks that you were close to them and loved them no end, and they, in return.
I am sure this rasikai of all things good and beautiful also had a sense of humor--not in cracking jokes but in lessening for herself and those around her the cares of life by developing a responsible sense of humor--seeing the philosophical side of life by laughing away the cares and trying moments of life without dwelling in them. Of course, her music fed her in all this.
The mudugup puDavai is amusing. Mudugup puDavai brings to mind muttup puDavai too. All those Muttuc cheTTiAr saris which were classic works of art. An admirer of her music who wove saris specially for her. Any recollections on those?
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cacm
- Posts: 2212
- Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07
Muthu Chettiar spent couple of days in our house in NY area(New City) & I asked him lots of questions about how she went about choices of colours & other details. My impression is that she left many details to him! I was particularly interested in "MS BLUE" which used to be the rage! S.Rajam who still might be consulting for Rasi Silks- its just around the corner from his house- pointed out that BLUE appears to enhance the person's appearance. This is especially true because of the properties of the photographic emulsion; Most politicians appear with blue shirts, suits etc on TV....
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Ramasubramanian M.K
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33
Arasi,thanks for your observations--YES--they were made for each other--I must confess my earlier associations always made me sceptical whether this could be real and I am ashamed in retrospect that one even doubt such heaven-made union. You have mentioned about MuthuChettiar and are you clairvoyant? I was just thinking of Muthu Chettiar (whom I knew very well--he was our guest in NY in 1973 when he visited us with Ananthanna(Thangam-TS's niece's husband) today in the context of a loyalty story that Muthu Chettiar never got tired of telling me I will revert to Muthu Chettiar later in the post.
back to the unique union of Mama and Mami.
After reading thro my posts on mami and Mama plus the various first-hand and second hand accounts that you and other forumites may have heard,I am sure a composite mosaic of Mami would emerge--that of an innocent,not-too-street-smart,not worldly-wise,gullible person but truly DIVINE--Yet in her early twenties,she made the greatest decision in her life overruling her kith and kin--elder and wiser to marry Mama when in terms of practicality(given her talents and Mama's itinerant life at that point )that decision would fly in the face of commonsense and reason. YET God gave her that quality of FINE JUDGEMENT precisely when she needed most and helped Mama in his journey to catapult her to the highest pinnacle of fame and popularity.
If this contrast between two temperaments and circumstances could culminate in such a divine union,is there any doubt that this was ordained by GOD Almighty and ordinary mortals or match-makers could not have conjured it up even if they tried hard!!
Now back to the Muthu Chettiar story. Did you know that as an young boy he was an ardent admirer of Kancheepuram Naina Pillai and desperately followed Naina Pillai hoping he would accept him as his shishya. He used to tell me that he was set on his musical career but Pillai for whatever reason did not budge and refused to take him into his fold and reluctantly MC took up the Silk merchant role.One does not know if it was CM's loss but certainly the Art of making Pattu Pudavai" benfitted immensely by this twist of fate.
Ofcourse it is universal knowledge that Mami's sarees for the Edinburgh and UN tours were designed by him plus the sarees for Radha/Vijaya's wedding. My mother and my wife(thanks to mami's recommendation and MC's liking for our family)--- both have sarees made by him--(in fact my wife still has MC's Koorai Pudavai that MC specially made for her for our wedding--after 45 years that saree-- still draws raves from observers despite more ornate and several times more-expensive sarees are dominating the market.The MS Blue was MC's patent
to be continued
MC designed
back to the unique union of Mama and Mami.
After reading thro my posts on mami and Mama plus the various first-hand and second hand accounts that you and other forumites may have heard,I am sure a composite mosaic of Mami would emerge--that of an innocent,not-too-street-smart,not worldly-wise,gullible person but truly DIVINE--Yet in her early twenties,she made the greatest decision in her life overruling her kith and kin--elder and wiser to marry Mama when in terms of practicality(given her talents and Mama's itinerant life at that point )that decision would fly in the face of commonsense and reason. YET God gave her that quality of FINE JUDGEMENT precisely when she needed most and helped Mama in his journey to catapult her to the highest pinnacle of fame and popularity.
If this contrast between two temperaments and circumstances could culminate in such a divine union,is there any doubt that this was ordained by GOD Almighty and ordinary mortals or match-makers could not have conjured it up even if they tried hard!!
Now back to the Muthu Chettiar story. Did you know that as an young boy he was an ardent admirer of Kancheepuram Naina Pillai and desperately followed Naina Pillai hoping he would accept him as his shishya. He used to tell me that he was set on his musical career but Pillai for whatever reason did not budge and refused to take him into his fold and reluctantly MC took up the Silk merchant role.One does not know if it was CM's loss but certainly the Art of making Pattu Pudavai" benfitted immensely by this twist of fate.
Ofcourse it is universal knowledge that Mami's sarees for the Edinburgh and UN tours were designed by him plus the sarees for Radha/Vijaya's wedding. My mother and my wife(thanks to mami's recommendation and MC's liking for our family)--- both have sarees made by him--(in fact my wife still has MC's Koorai Pudavai that MC specially made for her for our wedding--after 45 years that saree-- still draws raves from observers despite more ornate and several times more-expensive sarees are dominating the market.The MS Blue was MC's patent
to be continued
MC designed
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Ramasubramanian M.K
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33
Continuing the MC story
MC was an extraordinarily proud and sensitive man(for those younger forumites especially ladies who may not have known or heard about Muthu Chettiar,I would say at the time he lived,he was the Indian equivalent of a Versace or Gucci or Oscar de larenta--all combined in the Silk Saree fashion world . He in his early life struggled a lot--after his musical career ambitions were 'squashed" by Naina Pillai he took to selling sarees door-to-door in a bicycle in the hot sun in the streets of Mylapore Chennai--where the other leading Saree merchants were dominant and the famous Mylapore brahmin elite women used to shop around patronising these stores and would show a "cold shoulder" to MC when he "hawked" his fares at their door step(I am not making this up--MC has mentioned how he felt by being rejected by these society ladies as an inconsequential man and swore to himself that one day his turn will come--after being repeatedly rejected by the elite,the Kalaimagal family Narayanaswamy Iyer was the ONLY Famous person in Mylapore who would extend his unconditional hospitality--MC used to visit Chennai and stay with the family although at that time he was nothing more than a door-t-door "peddler' of sarees. To this MC says he was eternally grateful and when he became successful with his unique design and azhutham in his sarees-(-I know I am treading in treacherous areas talking about the intricacies of Saree making--female forumites I crave your indulgence!!
When his "craft' came to be appreciated and his sarees became badges of approval amongst the elite,requests came flowing from the elites to have him supply sarees for the weddings in their family--the same families who had summarily rejected his overtures now came running after him--MC used to grin with pride(he was a man of sharp feautres-- sharp nose,silverwhite hair(neatly parted,spotless white shirt and Dhoti--nothing gaudy with the Angavastram(multiple-folds wrapped around his neck more like a tie),talked,moved like a Sangeetha Vidwan(i.e Sangeetha Paribhashai as the musicians refer to their conversations amongst themselves)--anything but a Silk merchant in his attire,association etc.
Back to his ascendancy--he used to tell me everytime I see him at the kalki gardens--how he had his sweet revenge on those Mylapore hotshots and name each and one of them-- i will not disclose the names here but trust me it was the "WHO IS WHO" directory of the Chennai elites of the Fifties and the Sixties--who wanted him at any cost to "outfit" their daughters and wives for their family weddings and how he simply "spurned" them with a wave of his hand as he would demonstrate. On top of it to show his gratitude and loyalty to the Kalaimagal Family(Law Journal Press,Kalaimagal,) no function in their family going two generations down would be complete without MC's sarees -the function could be a small one like Valaikappu or Seemantham---just to taunt the other elites who would be invitees to the Kalaimagal function(Mylapore in those days was a closed circle with the same "gents" and "ladies" dominating the social scene)- as if to make them wonder,MC would make sarees for every tiny tot in the Kalaimagal family but would not even consider "outfitting" our Big Ornate and Opulent weddings-he will say all this with a chuckle and ask me what do I think of it. To my silence there would be a few repeated Hmms provoking me to respond or further questions--I think he was legitimately proud that finally his craftsmanship has been recognized,appreciated and sought after precisely in the same arena that ignored him!!
I was told by my mother that not only his sarees are of the highest quality but also they were cheaper than Sarees in Nalli or any other saree merchant in Chennai..He had very high regard for my mother(perhaps because she was so close to Mami and he felt some resemblance to Mami in her mannerisms ) and my mother too respected him enough not to pester him for every function in our family-although there were many in our family who felt "peeved" that my mother had not tried hard enough!!!
I used to ask him what is the secret(my mother once asked Nalli at that time how come MC's sarees were so superior in quality and price and WHY Nalli and others cannot make Conjeevaram sarees with the same Azuttham retaining their gloss despite repeated wear--to which I believe Nalli said, MC is a superior craftsman who does that not for living but as a work of art to be admired and appreciated by the cognoscenti and that being in the commercial retail business turning out huge volumes he (Nali) cannot afford to sustain the quality standards that MC uses..
I asked MC too what is the secret- this question would trigger the Mallari Rao character in him--those Vikatan lovers of those days-Thevan et al may remember the Mallari Rao character the Master story-teller waiting for just an opportunity to be a raconteur at the slightest provocation from his ardent audience-- most of them young--- the story itself to be preceded by the Right thumb quivering--an indication to the gathering around him that another "yarn" is coming their way whether they wanted it or not ----Sorry for the digression-Got carried away!!! Back to the "Secret".
Every year he would take some of the finest yarns coming out of the handcrafted looms in and around Conjeevaram,and go to Surat( and some obscure remote villages around) for selecting the proper weight Jarigai(lady--forumites if my description exposes my ignorance about the World of sarees,pardon me!!!) and also scour the various dye factories--mix several dyes on an experimental business,soak the yarn in these dyes and test them for "fastness"- color-stability--whether "they"(colors) "run" or not-this would take him anywhere between one to two months .Then he would order the requisite stuff in limited quantities as there were only specific orders that he would have to fulfill.
He will be beaming with pride on the care and feeding of his craftmanship--he also used to tell me that he would closely observe the ladies to whom he had given the sarees to see if they have maintained the sarees well and if he finds that the "maintenance" is not upto the mark he would make a mental note and ofcourse to my question "What if an infraction occurs ,what would he do"-he will simply laugh and refuse to answer the question.
Now a note of caution--I am describing the social mores and the egos and prejudices of craftsmen of a bygone era(almost half a century ago!!) and the "vanities" of a self-styled elite.To the younger forumites these indulgences and exercises of vanity,one-up-man-ship etc amongst the "Power Elite" of those times--may seem archaic foolish and incomprehensible. Well That's the way it was!! VKV, Arasi.CM Lover et al What do you think? Are my observations of that era Off the Mark?.
Now what is the relevance to the TS/MS story. MC had the highest regard for Mami's music(he had a very good Gnanam and a very chaste and discriminating listener. Sitting in the audience if you did not know him,you would not take him to be a serious listener much less a discriminating one!! Also he stressed the qualities of loyalty and gratitude--that Mama exemplified--these were the TWO reasons he became an integral part of the extended MS/TS family.
I was delighted to host him in 1973 in NY --after a lapse of 10 years--he was in his late seventies and had pretty much wound up the saree trade(if I recall correctly he remained a bachelor and coupled with his land holdings and savings-his needs were very little-he was not after money and liked to "bask" in the sunshine of the cultural elites to which he truly believed he belonged legitimately!!!
ARASI---How apropo your casual reference to Muthu Chettiar is in relation to my narration of Mama's high value for friendship based on shared values--the penchant for quality,principled stand on issues,mutual regard for each other--these were the elements common to both of them--enough to be a part of the extended TS/MS family.
MC was an extraordinarily proud and sensitive man(for those younger forumites especially ladies who may not have known or heard about Muthu Chettiar,I would say at the time he lived,he was the Indian equivalent of a Versace or Gucci or Oscar de larenta--all combined in the Silk Saree fashion world . He in his early life struggled a lot--after his musical career ambitions were 'squashed" by Naina Pillai he took to selling sarees door-to-door in a bicycle in the hot sun in the streets of Mylapore Chennai--where the other leading Saree merchants were dominant and the famous Mylapore brahmin elite women used to shop around patronising these stores and would show a "cold shoulder" to MC when he "hawked" his fares at their door step(I am not making this up--MC has mentioned how he felt by being rejected by these society ladies as an inconsequential man and swore to himself that one day his turn will come--after being repeatedly rejected by the elite,the Kalaimagal family Narayanaswamy Iyer was the ONLY Famous person in Mylapore who would extend his unconditional hospitality--MC used to visit Chennai and stay with the family although at that time he was nothing more than a door-t-door "peddler' of sarees. To this MC says he was eternally grateful and when he became successful with his unique design and azhutham in his sarees-(-I know I am treading in treacherous areas talking about the intricacies of Saree making--female forumites I crave your indulgence!!
When his "craft' came to be appreciated and his sarees became badges of approval amongst the elite,requests came flowing from the elites to have him supply sarees for the weddings in their family--the same families who had summarily rejected his overtures now came running after him--MC used to grin with pride(he was a man of sharp feautres-- sharp nose,silverwhite hair(neatly parted,spotless white shirt and Dhoti--nothing gaudy with the Angavastram(multiple-folds wrapped around his neck more like a tie),talked,moved like a Sangeetha Vidwan(i.e Sangeetha Paribhashai as the musicians refer to their conversations amongst themselves)--anything but a Silk merchant in his attire,association etc.
Back to his ascendancy--he used to tell me everytime I see him at the kalki gardens--how he had his sweet revenge on those Mylapore hotshots and name each and one of them-- i will not disclose the names here but trust me it was the "WHO IS WHO" directory of the Chennai elites of the Fifties and the Sixties--who wanted him at any cost to "outfit" their daughters and wives for their family weddings and how he simply "spurned" them with a wave of his hand as he would demonstrate. On top of it to show his gratitude and loyalty to the Kalaimagal Family(Law Journal Press,Kalaimagal,) no function in their family going two generations down would be complete without MC's sarees -the function could be a small one like Valaikappu or Seemantham---just to taunt the other elites who would be invitees to the Kalaimagal function(Mylapore in those days was a closed circle with the same "gents" and "ladies" dominating the social scene)- as if to make them wonder,MC would make sarees for every tiny tot in the Kalaimagal family but would not even consider "outfitting" our Big Ornate and Opulent weddings-he will say all this with a chuckle and ask me what do I think of it. To my silence there would be a few repeated Hmms provoking me to respond or further questions--I think he was legitimately proud that finally his craftsmanship has been recognized,appreciated and sought after precisely in the same arena that ignored him!!
I was told by my mother that not only his sarees are of the highest quality but also they were cheaper than Sarees in Nalli or any other saree merchant in Chennai..He had very high regard for my mother(perhaps because she was so close to Mami and he felt some resemblance to Mami in her mannerisms ) and my mother too respected him enough not to pester him for every function in our family-although there were many in our family who felt "peeved" that my mother had not tried hard enough!!!
I used to ask him what is the secret(my mother once asked Nalli at that time how come MC's sarees were so superior in quality and price and WHY Nalli and others cannot make Conjeevaram sarees with the same Azuttham retaining their gloss despite repeated wear--to which I believe Nalli said, MC is a superior craftsman who does that not for living but as a work of art to be admired and appreciated by the cognoscenti and that being in the commercial retail business turning out huge volumes he (Nali) cannot afford to sustain the quality standards that MC uses..
I asked MC too what is the secret- this question would trigger the Mallari Rao character in him--those Vikatan lovers of those days-Thevan et al may remember the Mallari Rao character the Master story-teller waiting for just an opportunity to be a raconteur at the slightest provocation from his ardent audience-- most of them young--- the story itself to be preceded by the Right thumb quivering--an indication to the gathering around him that another "yarn" is coming their way whether they wanted it or not ----Sorry for the digression-Got carried away!!! Back to the "Secret".
Every year he would take some of the finest yarns coming out of the handcrafted looms in and around Conjeevaram,and go to Surat( and some obscure remote villages around) for selecting the proper weight Jarigai(lady--forumites if my description exposes my ignorance about the World of sarees,pardon me!!!) and also scour the various dye factories--mix several dyes on an experimental business,soak the yarn in these dyes and test them for "fastness"- color-stability--whether "they"(colors) "run" or not-this would take him anywhere between one to two months .Then he would order the requisite stuff in limited quantities as there were only specific orders that he would have to fulfill.
He will be beaming with pride on the care and feeding of his craftmanship--he also used to tell me that he would closely observe the ladies to whom he had given the sarees to see if they have maintained the sarees well and if he finds that the "maintenance" is not upto the mark he would make a mental note and ofcourse to my question "What if an infraction occurs ,what would he do"-he will simply laugh and refuse to answer the question.
Now a note of caution--I am describing the social mores and the egos and prejudices of craftsmen of a bygone era(almost half a century ago!!) and the "vanities" of a self-styled elite.To the younger forumites these indulgences and exercises of vanity,one-up-man-ship etc amongst the "Power Elite" of those times--may seem archaic foolish and incomprehensible. Well That's the way it was!! VKV, Arasi.CM Lover et al What do you think? Are my observations of that era Off the Mark?.
Now what is the relevance to the TS/MS story. MC had the highest regard for Mami's music(he had a very good Gnanam and a very chaste and discriminating listener. Sitting in the audience if you did not know him,you would not take him to be a serious listener much less a discriminating one!! Also he stressed the qualities of loyalty and gratitude--that Mama exemplified--these were the TWO reasons he became an integral part of the extended MS/TS family.
I was delighted to host him in 1973 in NY --after a lapse of 10 years--he was in his late seventies and had pretty much wound up the saree trade(if I recall correctly he remained a bachelor and coupled with his land holdings and savings-his needs were very little-he was not after money and liked to "bask" in the sunshine of the cultural elites to which he truly believed he belonged legitimately!!!
ARASI---How apropo your casual reference to Muthu Chettiar is in relation to my narration of Mama's high value for friendship based on shared values--the penchant for quality,principled stand on issues,mutual regard for each other--these were the elements common to both of them--enough to be a part of the extended TS/MS family.
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arasi
- Posts: 16877
- Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30
MKR, KM, Ramesh,
Your story flows like an endless sari from the looms of Muthu Chettiar! No clairvoyancy to my credit. mudugu--puDavai--muttu!
I have seen him only once in my life and of course, his repute had preceded him, and a curious kid and an observer in the human gallery, I was excited when I set eyes on this famed craftsman. You bring back from my memory the very man I was pleased to encounter that day. Neither belonging to the elite nor to the high society of Mylapore, I did not own a sari from his illustrious looms as a youngster. Such things many women crave--jewelry and grand saris are not my cup of tea. Yet, at a later date, I did come into possession of two Muthu (pearl of a ) puDavais, both old now, but I still have them both, and cherish them because they were from someone who was very dear to my heart. What's more, they were the work of a master craftsman.
Yes, those were the days when life passed us in slow motion as it were, and life went by in harmony with the strains of music, as if it was going to be that way forever. Every day unfolded itself unhurriedly and we went through each one of them with anticipation and excited participation...
Your story flows like an endless sari from the looms of Muthu Chettiar! No clairvoyancy to my credit. mudugu--puDavai--muttu!
I have seen him only once in my life and of course, his repute had preceded him, and a curious kid and an observer in the human gallery, I was excited when I set eyes on this famed craftsman. You bring back from my memory the very man I was pleased to encounter that day. Neither belonging to the elite nor to the high society of Mylapore, I did not own a sari from his illustrious looms as a youngster. Such things many women crave--jewelry and grand saris are not my cup of tea. Yet, at a later date, I did come into possession of two Muthu (pearl of a ) puDavais, both old now, but I still have them both, and cherish them because they were from someone who was very dear to my heart. What's more, they were the work of a master craftsman.
Yes, those were the days when life passed us in slow motion as it were, and life went by in harmony with the strains of music, as if it was going to be that way forever. Every day unfolded itself unhurriedly and we went through each one of them with anticipation and excited participation...
Last edited by arasi on 26 Oct 2009, 05:41, edited 1 time in total.
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baboosh
- Posts: 140
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Ramasubramanian M.K
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cmlover
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- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36
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cmlover
- Posts: 11498
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36
MKR
I have no comments on your MC (puDavai) discussions since women's attire is my weak point. Only thing I know was the craze for 'MS Blue' in the 40's after her movie and concert appearances. There were big sales for those saree items. But suddenly people started not paying attention to what she was wearing but o what she was singing! The transition was as dramatic as was her exit from the Movie world. Particularly the appreciaions by Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru did the trick. MS got transformed into an Icon of Indian culture! Of course you are going to write about those episodes and let me not jump the gun....
I have no comments on your MC (puDavai) discussions since women's attire is my weak point. Only thing I know was the craze for 'MS Blue' in the 40's after her movie and concert appearances. There were big sales for those saree items. But suddenly people started not paying attention to what she was wearing but o what she was singing! The transition was as dramatic as was her exit from the Movie world. Particularly the appreciaions by Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru did the trick. MS got transformed into an Icon of Indian culture! Of course you are going to write about those episodes and let me not jump the gun....
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Ramasubramanian M.K
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33
CMLover: Thanks for your comments--the MC episode/detour was not intended by me to be so elaborate --I was just following up on Arasi's "tailpiece' comment----Trust me--- I am the LAST person qualified to comment on Ladies attire-I dwelt on it a little more than I would have normally because MC was such a fixture in Kalki Gardens and formed part of TS's entourage during concerts outside Chennai--he was more than a Silk merchant in the TS household and it was fascinating to explore what were the common denominators in their relationship amongst the diverse circle of friends in the TS/MS orbit!!
It certainly was not expediency on the part of either--MC monetarily did not benefit as he was not into commercialising his trade---TS/MS did not stand to benefit either because MC entered their life much later after MS reputation had been firmly established.
Lastly it is my impression that the MS Blue monikker came at he same time as MC-Do not recall if this was around in the forties as you mention--Anyway no big deal!!
In my next post I want to sketch how Life was in Kalki Gardens prior to 1977 and how things dramatically changed since 1977---if only to bring out how TS/MS handled that bit of adversity in the late stages of their lives. Although personally I was not privy to the sequence of events that led to the closure of Kalki Gardens in 1977,OURS was the First Household(in NY) they entered after their departure
from Chennai in Sept 1977--when they embarked on their US tour sponsored by CVN --those few days were literally gut-wrenching for myself and my wife(--sort of How the mighty have fallen only to have TS correct me that they have only RISEN!!). WHAT STOICSM YOKED TO OPTIMISM!!!!
More on this later---
It certainly was not expediency on the part of either--MC monetarily did not benefit as he was not into commercialising his trade---TS/MS did not stand to benefit either because MC entered their life much later after MS reputation had been firmly established.
Lastly it is my impression that the MS Blue monikker came at he same time as MC-Do not recall if this was around in the forties as you mention--Anyway no big deal!!
In my next post I want to sketch how Life was in Kalki Gardens prior to 1977 and how things dramatically changed since 1977---if only to bring out how TS/MS handled that bit of adversity in the late stages of their lives. Although personally I was not privy to the sequence of events that led to the closure of Kalki Gardens in 1977,OURS was the First Household(in NY) they entered after their departure
from Chennai in Sept 1977--when they embarked on their US tour sponsored by CVN --those few days were literally gut-wrenching for myself and my wife(--sort of How the mighty have fallen only to have TS correct me that they have only RISEN!!). WHAT STOICSM YOKED TO OPTIMISM!!!!
More on this later---
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music_is_life
- Posts: 100
- Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 01:53
Thank you, MKR sir for the beautiful narrations. Just wanted to let you know how much I look forward to read each one of your posts. I had the opportunity to listen to MS amma only twice (in the Fort High school auditorium in Bangalore in the early 90's). I was also fortunate to be on the same flight as MS amma when she was on her way to Delhi to receive 'Bharat Ratna'. I cannot still forget the radiance in her face even though I was seeing her without the characteristic 'pottu' on her forehead.
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cacm
- Posts: 2212
- Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07
What a FORTUNATE PERSON! DID YOU TALK TO HER?I always thought attending her U.N. CONCERT as well as meeting her several times was the APEX but your being on the same flight BEATS IT! You are right about the RADIANCE. to be EXPERIENCED to be believed....VKV
Last edited by cacm on 28 Oct 2009, 05:44, edited 1 time in total.
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cacm
- Posts: 2212
- Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07
The Mahatma as well as Nehru appreciated HER because their INSIGHT is pretty much got us our freedom & they just said what they felt ALWAYS. In ther case of M.S. its a SLAM DUNK!.....I wish to add Sarojini Naidu's INTRO OF M.S.IN HINDI MERERA WHICH I STILL FEEL IS THE MOST MOVING I HAVE SEEN! Tho' she opted for prose it sounded like a Poetesswho could pull EVERY STRING in your heart......I had a very hard time(Tears!) typing this!....VKVcmlover wrote:MKR
I have no comments on your MC (puDavai) discussions since women's attire is my weak point. Only thing I know was the craze for 'MS Blue' in the 40's after her movie and concert appearances. There were big sales for those saree items. But suddenly people started not paying attention to what she was wearing but o what she was singing! The transition was as dramatic as was her exit from the Movie world. Particularly the appreciaions by Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru did the trick. MS got transformed into an Icon of Indian culture! Of course you are going to write about those episodes and let me not jump the gun....
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rajeshnat
- Posts: 10144
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04
MKR Sir,
While you are sketching from kalki to 1977(nungambakkam), I am awaiting , I just thought that there is a small backlog earlier which I asked which I think would be appropriate for you to answer as it may be just right for you to take it now.
1. While Meera must have made ms amma a national or may be an international celebrity. by any chance did that movie influence many staunch carnatic rasikas to not hear ms amma , in the sense did it back fire to a noticable extent.?? Did she undergo a dent in her popularity for atleast few years after movie releases?
While you are sketching from kalki to 1977(nungambakkam), I am awaiting , I just thought that there is a small backlog earlier which I asked which I think would be appropriate for you to answer as it may be just right for you to take it now.
1. While Meera must have made ms amma a national or may be an international celebrity. by any chance did that movie influence many staunch carnatic rasikas to not hear ms amma , in the sense did it back fire to a noticable extent.?? Did she undergo a dent in her popularity for atleast few years after movie releases?
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Ramasubramanian M.K
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33
Rajeshnat: As I had mentioned in some of my earlier posts(I think CM lover's query about the influence of SSI) there was not one seminal event that caused a change of heart amongst die-hard CM rasikas after Meera. In my opinion(I could be wrong) there was always a palpable feeling amongst the self-styled 'cognoscenti' that in terms of purity and tradition,Mami may be "lagging" behind say a DKP(contemporaries always invite inevitable comparisons--as it is happening with TMK /Sanjay, Sudha/Sowmya/Jayashree/Nithyashree et al). The usual criticisms--not much of variey in Krithi repertoire,choice of ragas that permitted high-octave sancharas(to stress the melodic aspects of her voice ),not attempting difficult Pallavis etc--Mami did hear such veiled criticisms and was eager to prove these people wrong!! However Mama steadfastly refused to "bow" to such criticisms--he himself had no qualms about rebutting these criticisms thro change of the concert pattern,but felt that these critics had missed the Bhakthi-laden aspect of Mami's repertoire and the induction of Bhajans in the middle of a concert did not detract from the concert.He had the same opinion about inserting Sivan's compositions(earlier in the forties and even fifties--except for DKP/MMI Sivan's concerts would not occupy center-stage in MA concerts!!)-Mama used to rhetorically ask"Where is it laid down that Sivan's devotional compositions cannot be sung along with those of the Trinity"? He tried to assuage Mami that she should not take such criticisms to heart but stick to her strengths and sense of purpose.
To Mami's credit she would go along and whenever she got a chance to demonstrate her prowess in other aspects of Raga Alapana and Pallavi intricacies she would -example
During the concert tour of 1977 in the US in the Wesleyan Concert(before T Viswa--with impeccable credentials in Laya) Mami sang a RTP in DHARMAVATHI(has anyone heard Mami sing Dharmavathi--Hemavathi-Srikantimathim YES but Dharmavathi-NO) and the Pallavi was set to Kanda Jati triputa with anulomam and prathilomam(2-kalai chowkam)-- T Viswa was genuinely pleased and applauded her for the felicity with which she rendered the Palavi,Nerval and swarms.
POINT: Mami was no slouch when it came to rare raga alapana or complex pallavis and the musicians amongst musicians in their heart of hearts acknowledged it but for reasons of their ego,pride would not openly accept the fact.
Nevertheless Rajeshnat, I acknowledge that amongst the genuine(bias-free) rasikas there may have been a perception that the introduction of light pieces in the core of the concert led credence to the cognoscenti's criicisms.
To my best knowledge --I am not a practising musician or trained in Music -- so perhaps I am not the best judge in this matter.
To answer your question whether the post-meera period saw a dent in her popularity,I DO NOT THINK SO(although I do not know what gauge one would use to detect such a decline in popularity if at all it did exist!).
To show how silly Mami's detractors could be,when Mama felt that for Maithreem Bhajatha for the UN Concert Radha/Mami should use the cymbals(Jalara), these "detractors" made fun that Mami has started using the stage not only for concerts but also "Harikatha"!! How myopic can critics be!!
Mami ofcourse winced when this criticism was brought to her attention(for the record it must be said there were several "friends" in mami's circle who would put these stray comments in her ears and Mami being gullible would start imagining that there may have been a groundswell of opinion against her!! (sort of Anukoola Shatrus!!!).
Rajeshna---Hope I have answered your query!!
To Mami's credit she would go along and whenever she got a chance to demonstrate her prowess in other aspects of Raga Alapana and Pallavi intricacies she would -example
During the concert tour of 1977 in the US in the Wesleyan Concert(before T Viswa--with impeccable credentials in Laya) Mami sang a RTP in DHARMAVATHI(has anyone heard Mami sing Dharmavathi--Hemavathi-Srikantimathim YES but Dharmavathi-NO) and the Pallavi was set to Kanda Jati triputa with anulomam and prathilomam(2-kalai chowkam)-- T Viswa was genuinely pleased and applauded her for the felicity with which she rendered the Palavi,Nerval and swarms.
POINT: Mami was no slouch when it came to rare raga alapana or complex pallavis and the musicians amongst musicians in their heart of hearts acknowledged it but for reasons of their ego,pride would not openly accept the fact.
Nevertheless Rajeshnat, I acknowledge that amongst the genuine(bias-free) rasikas there may have been a perception that the introduction of light pieces in the core of the concert led credence to the cognoscenti's criicisms.
To my best knowledge --I am not a practising musician or trained in Music -- so perhaps I am not the best judge in this matter.
To answer your question whether the post-meera period saw a dent in her popularity,I DO NOT THINK SO(although I do not know what gauge one would use to detect such a decline in popularity if at all it did exist!).
To show how silly Mami's detractors could be,when Mama felt that for Maithreem Bhajatha for the UN Concert Radha/Mami should use the cymbals(Jalara), these "detractors" made fun that Mami has started using the stage not only for concerts but also "Harikatha"!! How myopic can critics be!!
Mami ofcourse winced when this criticism was brought to her attention(for the record it must be said there were several "friends" in mami's circle who would put these stray comments in her ears and Mami being gullible would start imagining that there may have been a groundswell of opinion against her!! (sort of Anukoola Shatrus!!!).
Rajeshna---Hope I have answered your query!!
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Radhika-Rajnarayan
- Posts: 289
- Joined: 27 Jun 2009, 20:18
If I may humbly write a few words - I was fortunate enough to be slightly acquainted with MS Amma - this because she knew my grandparents, uncle and mother in Hyderabad back in the late-40's / early 50's onwards. Most of the musicians used to stay at my grandparents' house in hyderabad. Once when I was studying in college there, they (MS Mami's group) stayed there while in Hyderabad for a concert. She was nothing but an angel. Of course, I was tongue-tied! But she made me feel so comfortable, was so encouraging while listening to me (a mere college girl) playing the veena!
My mother has narrated many incidents - how MS Amma used to enjoy the 'mor kuzhambu' and literally take it in her cupped hand to drink, how she loved glass bangles and would enjoy shopping for them in Sultan Bazar without being ogled at / mobbed, saying that she could peacefully buy bangles there - how, once when my mother was very seriously ill, she went to her bedside, and told her 'naan innikki kacherille oru pudhu paattu paadaporein, theriyuma? Paadi kaamikaren, kelu' - and sang the item just for her! Even today my mother gets tears in her eyes when she remembers this and says 'who would do this? who could ever be so kind?'
She sang for my sister's wedding and I was so proud to garland her!
I honestly think that she was not just an ordinary human being. And I am not talking about her music - I am talking about her nature. And this brilliance of the extraordinary soul shone through in her voice and music. That is why not only the Mahatma, but anyone felt that she only had to SPEAK- and there was music everywhere. It just came through! I think she barely acted in 'Meera' - she was just herself!
Oh, once when we were in Delhi, there was a 'gheewali' who used to supply us ghee from Gurgaon (then a village!). It so happened that MS Amma was in our house there for a brief visit, and the Gheewali turned up. My mother told her 'Dekho, pathaa hai yeh kaun hain? Yeh to Meera film mein ...' before she could finish, the gheewali saw MS Amma, and fell prostrate at her feet - turns out that she had seen the film
and of course, thought that 'meera' had given her darshan!
These are just a few anecdotes about her nature outside of her music.
My mother has narrated many incidents - how MS Amma used to enjoy the 'mor kuzhambu' and literally take it in her cupped hand to drink, how she loved glass bangles and would enjoy shopping for them in Sultan Bazar without being ogled at / mobbed, saying that she could peacefully buy bangles there - how, once when my mother was very seriously ill, she went to her bedside, and told her 'naan innikki kacherille oru pudhu paattu paadaporein, theriyuma? Paadi kaamikaren, kelu' - and sang the item just for her! Even today my mother gets tears in her eyes when she remembers this and says 'who would do this? who could ever be so kind?'
She sang for my sister's wedding and I was so proud to garland her!
I honestly think that she was not just an ordinary human being. And I am not talking about her music - I am talking about her nature. And this brilliance of the extraordinary soul shone through in her voice and music. That is why not only the Mahatma, but anyone felt that she only had to SPEAK- and there was music everywhere. It just came through! I think she barely acted in 'Meera' - she was just herself!
Oh, once when we were in Delhi, there was a 'gheewali' who used to supply us ghee from Gurgaon (then a village!). It so happened that MS Amma was in our house there for a brief visit, and the Gheewali turned up. My mother told her 'Dekho, pathaa hai yeh kaun hain? Yeh to Meera film mein ...' before she could finish, the gheewali saw MS Amma, and fell prostrate at her feet - turns out that she had seen the film
and of course, thought that 'meera' had given her darshan!
These are just a few anecdotes about her nature outside of her music.