Sober dress for soulful music?

sreebeecane · Post by **sreebeecane** » 06 Jan 2013, 06:16

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/sobe ... 277165.ece

I really don't understand what the author's problem with the current day artistes is. Weren't there enough great artistes in the past who used to dress immaculately? I remember having read in Sriram's book on Carnatic musicians the attention to appearance of GNB, Iyengarval and Pillaival (PSP).

And, here - an example of how to construct an argument. I bow my head to thee!

Personally, I would like to see our artists dressed in simple, yet elegant cottons (pastel colours preferably, so as not to distract the senses) with just enough unostentatious jewellery, to add to the beauty and elegance of the performer and the entire performance as a whole. After all, we are world leaders in cotton manufacture — our cottons can be so rich and interesting, and so capable of sending the right message to the world.

harimau · Post by **harimau** » 06 Jan 2013, 08:10

The music is not soulful hence the dress need not be sober!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 06 Jan 2013, 08:53

This whole thing is a slippery slope...we could next move on to the BMI of artists...our music is food for the soul, and I could construct an argument that well-fed, centrally obese artists are feeding their bodies and not their souls, and hence call for an athletic form for soulful music....people may be desperate to write all sorts of stuff, but is the Hindu so desperate for pieces?

Sundara Rajan · Post by **Sundara Rajan** » 06 Jan 2013, 09:05

This article may be a reference to our "make-up Mahalakshmi", who dazzles the audience with tons of jasmine and make-up unfitting her age ! Her rmusic is quite good and she doesn't need such make up to attract audience. She is already a crowd puller.

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 06 Jan 2013, 09:53

My observations on the GNB_ARI-PSP_PMI group vis-a-vis their sartorial preferences.(re; sreebecane's comments

GNB--Non-pareil--the 'fixing" of the kunkuma pottu on a base of punuhu(I do not know the English word!!)immaculately positioned--watching him dress itself is a pleasure- despite the heat and the brow sweat the pottu would not be soiled!!-- DRESS simple half-sleeve starched Khadi(coloquially known in those days as Khaddar!!) shirt,"mill dhoti"(Panch kacham)-- for younger forumites who may wonder what is a Mill Dhoti-- to distinguish it from Khadi or handloom dhotis--.from Textile Mills(mostly Bombay--Mafatlal or Standard Mills).. Jewellery-- multi-colored beaded necklace--Hair parted neatly--always close-cut(as opposed to younger days when he supposedly had a tuft!!)--for brief period tried to "hide" his grey hair --using LOMA(an oil 'alleged" to be a good camouflage for greying hair--in his case the hair started turning red and he stopped it! A majestic personality who carried himself gracefully even under extreme pressure. and Oh I forgot the finest perfume Atthar--the name of the source he would never part with despite the fervent pleadings of friends/admirers!!(Note: Amongst Vidwans the most closely-guarded secrets would be their perfumes and the shops they patronise--it is easier to coax those Vidwans to disclose all their financial assets than to find out the name/source of the perfumes!!)

GNB's used to say "Velichham Podanum" meaning--you should light up the stage with your appearance!! Delightful Conversationalist --be it Shakespeare or Devi Upasana besides a sharp analytical mind when it came to music--whether it was the delineation(vocal demo) of a raga or explaining its origins/antecedents.

ARI--Silk Jibba or full shirt(I do not recall his using Khadi),Visiri-madippu Jarigai Angavastram,lot of jewelry gold and beads--pairs of kankanam(bangles) the ear studs oscillating in tune with his precise gamakams!!-Mill Dhoti--the tuft loosely tied which will fall loose only to be deftly tied back without missing the beat!!! Not fastidious about dress--very frugal and mortally afraid of his wife Kanjanur Dhanammal!!! As regards his olfactory preferences--except for snuff(patnam Podi)--not much of a perfume fan!!
PSP--one of the dandiest musicians I have had the privilege of watching with unmitigated awe and admiration-- the combing of his hair was the piece-de-resistance in his preparation--a 30 minute exercise(in Bombay when he came for concerts wherever he stayed the host would be instructed to tell PSP the concert time-45 minutes earlier than scheduled to get him ready!!!--the hair dark(like carbon Black would make you wonder whether he was using a dye !!)--the half shirt(Khadi),Dhoti(Khadi)--the black pottu smack in the center of a broad forehead lent majesticity to the persona- a rudraksham chain which he later on switched to a golden chain with Thayathu--unfortunately died too young--Oh I forgot to add--amongst musicians of his age he was the best car driver(according to my late father)--safe,fast but not reckless in navigating Chennai Streets!! Above all an epitome of grace,civility and magnanimity!!

Last but not least PMI--simple to the core--Khadi half shirt,dhoti (no Katcham),literally no make-up,always close-cropped so that combing was a nanosecond event(in his younger days when he was learning under Tanjur Vaidyanatha Iyer,I believe he was a "DandY'--always the 'top-of-the-line" be it perfume or sandals(TKM used to tell a story of how his guru--Vaidyanatha Iyer used to 'chide" TKM for his extravagant ways and when TKM complained that he was being partial towards PMI ,Vaidyanatha Iyer used to retort"he has established himself-this was in the early/mid forties) whereas you have along way to go!!

SSI--simple-- always lamenting that he did not have much personality(GNSir has monopolised good looks!!) khadi dhoti and full sleeve Jibba-no perfume--not much jewelry--a thin tuft--fond of Pomegranate and Badam Halwa( desperate for trying to remedy a stubborn voice he believed that pomegranate,badam etc were good for his throat(badam was still very expensive in those days!!).

MMI-simple full shirt(Khadi) and Dhoti(Thattu Kattu)--angavastram jarigai--not much of a dandy compared to his Guru HMB who was the epitome of sartorial precision and elegance-- HMB by nature bohemian further influenced by his stints under two Kings(Mysore and Travancore)--
A great galaxy of stars with divergent tastes/preferences--all of them without exception had excellent--nay even picky food preferences so much so whenever they all visited Bombay they all had host preferences which the Sabhas would honor!!

Sorry for the digression--while the current day stars' are colorful(thanks to Color TV) dressers,I do find some of them too garish--but then I guess one could close one's eyes and listen!!!

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 06 Jan 2013, 11:36

The grand old man of Parvathi, Mr, Srikantiah, narrates how GNB had ladies swoon and people try and come closer to him as he exuded a special charisma apart from a great perfume. The young man went up to him and asked, 'Sir, please tell me your perfume brand!' GNB confided, 'SWAG'.
http://www.swag.com/t/free-fragrance-sample/

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 06 Jan 2013, 11:50

This article gets written almost every year. Someone at the The Hindu doesn't like women looking good?

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 06 Jan 2013, 19:03

Rsachi: Re: your GNB note his sycophants favorite retort when people praise GNSir's looks/personality -in Tamil "Palappazhathukku(Jackfruit) EEE(Fly) pidicchu vidanama(One does not have to strain to attract flies to Jackfruit!!)

sreebeecane · Post by **sreebeecane** » 07 Jan 2013, 10:02

Nick H wrote:This article gets written almost every year. Someone at the The Hindu doesn't like women looking good?

On the contrary, this is in tune with everything that appears in the Chennai daily. Esp. keeping the editor's inclinations in mind.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 Jan 2013, 10:47

MKR,
Thanks for bringing in whiffs of the aura and aroma of the old beloveds.

Speaking of women performers, yes, they dressed well, mostly with their right shoulders covered with the palloo. Our grandmother's words every time young women stepped out of the house: mudugup puDavaiyaip pOrthikkonDu pOngO! (drape the sari around your backs and bring it all the way to the front to cover that exposed shoulder!).
Some performers do dress garishly nowadays, as you say! The stage decor, an explosion of color and styles, adds more to their overstated wardrobe

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 07 Jan 2013, 11:44

Arasi, how about CM experimenting with playback singing?
Have pretty pretty MKRV Lakme Head and Shoulders lip synching to dowdy great musicians in the background, a la Padosan.
Anyway Tamil films have a deep impact on CM and almost all prima donnas have dubbed voiceovers!

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 07 Jan 2013, 11:46

I think this will increase GDP growth rate in 2013 to double digits, as it will spawn a totally enlarged industry in CM.
Hope Sonia reads rasikas.org since 2014 is round the corner.

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 07 Jan 2013, 11:48

I think I should apply for a US patent!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 Jan 2013, 13:26

Sachi, You are full of ideas--bless you!
Bold too

to suggest ringing in the changes (with tongue in the cheek, of course).

sanchi, sanchi, everywhere sanchi--yours and mine too, scattered all over the forum. I have to tread carefully, with tradition blowing in the wind!

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 07 Jan 2013, 17:29

One of the wonderful things about the sari is that it can present tradition with breathtaking beauty. Here's a great example, and the you-tube video does not do the colour justice at all. You can say I'm biased here, but, honestly, I would admire that sari on any woman of any age --- on or off stage.

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 07 Jan 2013, 20:46

Arasi(post#10). The muduhu pudavai was an obsession with MS Amma throughout her life--whenever she sees younger musicians(fortunately for her her two other contemporaries(DKP and MLV were of the same view as her!!) not wrapping the palloo around she would lament to my mother "Mami,ungallukku avalai nanna theriyume,neengal ellam sollappadada("you know these young musicians well why don't you tell them). My mother's constant refrain would be "With your stature in the music world why don't you tell them directly as motherly advise"-Mami would shrinkaway from the thought saying,perhaps it is not my place but that of their parents!!!!.

You can never find a single pic/photo of Mami or Radha or Vijaya or Gowri on the stage without the
"full" coverage. The Great Icon certainly practiced what she preached!!!

anonymityatlast · Post by **anonymityatlast** » 07 Jan 2013, 22:30

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote:muduhu pudavai was an obsession with MS Amma throughout her life--whenever she sees younger musicians(fortunately for her her two other contemporaries(DKP and MLV were of the same view as her!!)

Not MLV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsKLnL7gWjI

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 08 Jan 2013, 08:46

Anonymityatlast: Agree. Every rule has to have an exception!! Strangely in the you tube clip that you posted if you notice on the side panels one of the pics has MLV with the Muduhu Pudavai wrapped!! I stand partially vindicated even with your "proof"!!!

varsha · Post by **varsha** » 08 Jan 2013, 14:04

There is so much to notice , if ones mind is not on the music

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Jan 2013, 15:46

Yes.
However, a simple backdrop and an uncluttered stage (and comfortable seats) make the music even more appealing.

A performance is different from a blind man singing soulfully in a cluttered train. You don't mind the crowded setting or the appearance of the singer there.

A Shakespeare's play can either be presented in all courtly splendor or can be enacted in a spartan set. In both, we expect to see the play's essence and mood expressed.
What I'm driving at is that it's best not to distract the listeners by overloading them with excessive
visual stimuli.

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 08 Jan 2013, 16:07

arasi wrote: it's best not to distract the listeners by overloading them with excessive
visual stimuli.

Amen.

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 08 Jan 2013, 19:35

Arasi: I agree that an understated backdrop would be nice--but even the so called comfort appurtenances--Seats/cushions etc seem unimportant when it comes to enjoying the music-- I go back to my younger days in Mumbai before the advent of the auditorium--listened to several concerts seated on the floor--plus the MMI experiences in Kapali Temple--somehow those "inconveniences" did not seem to dull the musical experience--even now I enjoy intimate chamber concerts sitting on the floor without any back rest.Likewise however much some stage theatrical gestures initially amuse/assault me,I quickly recover and focus on the music--ofcourse wondering whether the resulting musical maneouvres needed such antics!!

Looking back if I had been a stickler for these distractions I would not have enjoyed the music of SSI,MMI or Mali or TNR and so in the same vein to be fair I have to be equally understanding of a glittering Sudha,or a flamboyant TMK!!!

My listening dictum: pay attention to
WHAT the musician is attempting(IDEA),(if you do not understand it try to find out)

HOW well he/she performed it(EXECUTION),

WHAT was the effect( this is purely subjective!!)

AFTERALL THAT IS SAID AND DONE MUSIC OR ANY OTHER ART FORM IS A SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE TO BE CONSTANTLY REHASHED/REFURBISHED WITHIN BOUNDS SHAPED BY TRADITION AND INNOVATION(hereagain subjectivity is inevitable!)

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Jan 2013, 19:59

MKR,
All valid points worth thinking about. Old age makes me think of the seating too these days. Bare floor, jamakkALam covered or not was fine in my youth.
Even a dozen years ago, not finding any seating in an open air concert, I stationed myself on a low stone wall. That lengthy concert was riveting and I didn't pay any attention to the discomfort (can't do it today!).
On a lighter vein, when rasikAs too do the 'execution' (Off with your head!),it's a bit much

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Jan 2013, 22:12

Nick,
Your post# 15.
Yes, one classy lady draped in a classic sari. I listened to the interview too. That too, classic!
How I wish she had worn this sari at the MA concert

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 08 Jan 2013, 23:37

The studio set deserved praise too (and I think I gave it in another thread) for its simplicity, and the placing of interviewer and interviewee seated, cross-legged, on the floor. A very nice and very appropriate presentation.

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 09 Jan 2013, 07:52

Nick, the setting is exactly the way one would squat and chat, or learn music, in our homes, even now.

The two people are extremely grounded, as you can see. Great interview(just started watching...)

Sorry, but I do find the window colours garish, they don't go with the earthy colours in the rest of the frame.

Like in so many things Carnatic, our minds filter out these 'noises'.

Sachi R

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 09 Jan 2013, 13:29

Perhaps, although it seemed less so in the video: it does seem like a great splash of pink in your still!

Some of our musicians are blessed to be born beautiful. Perhaps the ladies might say that there are some very good looking-men too! We cannot ask them to change their looks --- as you say, we have to filter out that which is not music. Or perhaps the music is greater than the other attractions, yes, I think that is the case for me: the ear soon closes the eye.

Dress, however, can be garish and intrusive, as can some other behaviours that I am well known for criticising. In most of the concerts I attend, it isn't

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 09 Jan 2013, 14:30

Nick, there is no good/great musician I recall who didn't look beautiful through their music to me.
On the other hand, no amount of mascara seems to make up for apaswara!

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 09 Jan 2013, 15:15

Nicely said, Rsachi, and I do completely agree. There is a saying about being better to be beautiful on the inside than the outside, and it is the inside beauty that is expressed in the music.

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 09 Jan 2013, 16:14

I read a lovely article in the Economist (where else do you see such lovely stuff) about how roses have been bred through the ages to become more and more beautiful, and have thus lost their fragrance! Roses were discovered first in Persia and of course the English have developed them into a national treasure. Roses are genetically predisposed to one or the other attribute, both help in attracting pollinators.

(Sydney home garden rose)

God seems to give choices at every step of the way in life about what's good and what's attractive. They are seldom together in the same package. This is a concept explored at length in Hindu scriptures as Shreyas and Preyas. A good starter kit is the Kathopanishad.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 09 Jan 2013, 22:08

Rsachi wrote:Nick, there is no good/great musician I recall who didn't look beautiful through their music to me.
On the other hand, no amount of mascara seems to make up for apaswara!

Nicely said. Quite true.

Now, in relation to the title of this thread, I think there is another aspect that is going on. I like to label it as 'contrast', though in matters like this it needs to be interpreted in an abstract fashion and not too literally. It is more a foreground/background combination.
A bright thing may itself be good but two bright things together is not necessarily good since the necessary contrast would be missing and it is
confusing which is the foregrond and which is the background.
In that sense, a tasteful but minimalistic dress is appropriate for some mind blowing music since the dress recedes to the background and does not
interfere with the foreground which is the music.

espras · Post by **espras** » 09 Jan 2013, 22:30

Rsachi:

“ …. there is no good/great musician I recall who didn't look beautiful through their music to me”.

You are so right, Rsachi.

This reminds me of the anecdote about Tiger Varadachariar who we all have great reverence for, having heard that he was giant of a musician.

Tiger was supposed to have been so critical of his own looks that he made constant fun of himself.

He suddenly started wearing a monkey cap, saying that the cap helped enhance his looks, and referred to himself as now resembling Anjaneya! He gave no ear and would not relent to pleas that the cap on him was making things worse than before and that he should dispense with it.

Once, accoutered thus, he entered Mysore Vasudevachar’s residence when the latter was immersed in singing. A shocked MV stopped his singing but was prevailed upon by Tiger to continue with it. Listening to the elaborate Kamboji that MV sang that day, Tiger said any gift however valuable was worth it. MV promptly asked for the monkey cap!

Whatever his looks, Tiger’s original raw beauty seems to lie in his legendary music. His prime disciple MDR, who gave soul stirring music, was he any less handsome than others?

S. Prasanna.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 Jan 2013, 23:32

Lovely story, espras!

VK,
Yes, and there is more to it! Now that many of our male vocalists and accompanists have started dressing in silks and in bright colors, it's more difficult to achieve harmony in hues on stage. We are used to seeing singing bros and sisters in uniform colors. Wonder what they think when an accompanist arrives dressed in the same color! We see clashing colors of three different orange tints (or any other color) on stage at the same time. No problem when the material is cotton. Another matter if it's all shining silk. Add stage decor of conflicting designs and blaring out colors to it all. The result is not soothing to the eyes!

ergo: keeping it simple in costume and design makes it easy on our eyes.

Folks, all this applies strictly to some of us who keep their eyes focused on the stage most of the time except when closing our eyes while absorbing the music or when we simply doze off

varsha · Post by **varsha** » 10 Jan 2013, 06:25

A shocked MV stopped his singing but was prevailed upon by Tiger to continue with it. Listening to the elaborate Kamboji that MV sang that day, Tiger said any gift however valuable was worth it. MV promptly asked for the monkey cap!

And so, we now know why MV had such a bemused look in this photograph

varsha · Post by **varsha** » 10 Jan 2013, 06:57

Soulful way of appreciating beauty .
Hands talking to each other .
Helen Keller with MS

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 10 Jan 2013, 07:17

Thank you, Varsha-ji!

In the MSS-Helen Keller photo, do we also see Kamarajar?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 10 Jan 2013, 08:07

Srikant,
President Rajendra Prasad, Kamaraj, and of course Sadasivam. Do you see the Cienu smile there?

squims · Post by **squims** » 10 Jan 2013, 10:17

Great pics! The simplicity and grace of all these great women are so evident just from these stills.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 11 Jan 2013, 07:33

Folks,
Just glanced through The Hindu's photo gallery, and what an array of artistes!
Since most of the pictures are close ups, I realized how well-dressed most of the performers were! Well, a few of them are in grand saris, as expected. Others, though wrapped in silk, quite tastefully so. Of course, close-ups mean the rest of the stage and players are not seen--which brings to focus the individual artiste's attire and not the confusing colors seen on stage in some sabhas.

BJ, as usual, is a picture of simple elegance, and I'm happy to report that many others are dressed that way too this year--without much gold in the borders of their saris and in quieter colors.

Men were more brightly attired this season it seems, the Sangitha Kalanidhi leading the way (bejeweled-- even with a cameo of his guru in a pendant!). Of course, Kadri alwaysis numero uno in that department.

Simplicity is exemplified by Sruthi Sagar the young flautist and his absorption in his music makes a beautiful picture.

Ah, and some sari, blouse combinations were very pleasing. A muted green/brownish red combo was a winner.

Our own sweet forumite Janani Shivakumar looks lovely. I was happy to hear her sing at NGS. Her dedication and Panthula Rama's tutelage makes a good combination (this is about her music!).

Though Sumitra Nitin gave one concert this season and I missed it

, she is there too.

The gold (finished?) chokers and simple long beads on women artistes look pleasing too.

Thanks to the lovely pictures in The Hindu's gallery, I can see the artistes without their being gobbled up by the somewhat chaotic stage setting in some sabhas

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 11 Jan 2013, 12:54

Wondering if the overt religious make-up sported by male musicians inhibits the reach of the music to a larger audience. When seen in their street clothes, they seem quite with the times.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 12 Jan 2013, 15:20

Not that women are exempt from multi marks on their foreheads! Stacked up sticker, sometimes with a mini one below, a chandan or vibhUti mark, and a kum kum dot on the parting

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 12 Jan 2013, 19:04

Women have it a bit easier, I think, as they can claim that it serves the cosmetic purpose.