Black Friday comes to Chennai

[harimau]

Observers of the Social Scene can find similarities between India and the United States in the months of November and December.

In the US, the air turns nippy; in Chennai the rains bring the temperature down causing people to wrap themselves in shawls and mufflers.

In the US, the Christmas marketing season begins; in Chennai, the marketing of a product somewhat less tangible than what you find in Wal*Mart stores begins.

There is this peculiar phenomenon called Black Friday in the US. Thanksgiving Day is always the fourth Thursday in November. The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday. That is the day when all stores offer discounts on products, hoping to spark a buying frenzy among shoppers. Stores used to open at 9am on Friday. Slowly, the opening hour kept creeping backward and now stores open at 12 AM (midnight) on the night of Thanksgiving. Officially, the sales rush begins at the first possible moment of Black Friday.

People eagerly scan the Thanksgiving Day sale announcements to find out what is on sale and crowd against the doors of stores such as Wal*Mart, Best Buy and department stores so thay can be among the first to get into the store and grab the stuff they want. Normal queue discipline goes for a toss on Black Friday and you will find the usually polite Americans pushing and shoving each other and fighting over who got the rights over the last of the 52" TV. Enterprising folks check out the stores a couple of days ahead of Black Friday so that they know the exact locations of products; armed with this knowledge, they can beat others to grab the DVD player for $19.99 or the laptop for $299.

In Chennai, the product that is marketed beginning with mid-November and ending with New Year's Day is Carnatic music. The sabhas are the equivalent of Wal*Mart and the stuff offered by musicians is the product. Chennai residents, never having known what a queue means, crowd around the doors of the auditoria and rush in to grab what they consider ideal seats for themselves.

I witnessed such a scene at the Gnananda Hall of Narada Gana Sabha this December.

Despite having a patron's ticket which should have guaranteed me a good seat, I found myself being jostled by an unruly crowd. The occasion was the Malladi Brothers' concert who were being accompanied by Sangeetha Kalanidhi Trichy Sankaran on the mridangam.

Having gained entry into the auditorium, I asked a person who was directing the incoming crowd to various seats where I should sit. After looking at my ticket, he asked me to take a seat anywhere after the 3rd row. Having heard that advice on an earlier occasion and being bumped from my chosen seat by an old man who groused that I was sitting in his chair and I could verify that by looking at the name tag on the chair, I asked the gentleman again where I should sit. He said to me that it really didn't matter so long as I was sitting behind the first three rows. He then added that the crowd was not there for the Malladi Brothers' concert but for the concert that was to follow; namely Sanjay Subramanian's.

I was aghast at this information. I protested that the Malladi Brothers sing with greater gnanam than the singer who was to follow. He replied that he did not have enough gnanam to make that judgement and he was there merely to try and create a semblance of order among the milling crowd.

I chose to sit in the 4th row in an aisle seat so that I could take a bio-break without disturbing too many persons should Nature call. That precaution
and consideration for others proved to be entirely unnecessary. Because of the crowds, I was condemned that evening to sit through two concerts with nary a break for the bladder nor for my stomach that was growling with hunger. But these are the occupational hazards of being an Observer of the Social Scene during the Music Season in Chennai.

The Malladi Brothers rendered an impeccable concert within the bounds of the classical Carnatic idiom. You expect nothing less from them for they are the disciples of Nedunuri Krishnamurthy Garu and have further learnt from the venerable Sripada Pinakapani Garu. They delivered a concert in the traditional Thanjavur bani.

But the whole thing fell mostly on deaf ears. The audience was there, putting up with what to them was an aural discomfort, much like the crowds in front of Wal*Mart put up with the cold outdoors.

As the concert ended, very few people ventured out for any purpose. Ushers were looking at empty seats -- not really empty as the occupant had left a kerchief or a bag to indicate the seat was still needed -- and tried to seat important persons who arrived for the second concert of the evening. Persons such as sabha secretaies and music critics had to be found seats and chairs were brought in to seat them. Sponsors showed up in droves and demanded that they be given their allotted seats in the front row. There was pandemonium as people came back from the restroom or the canteen to find that their seats had been taken by latecomers.

Finally, some order was restored and the concert began. It is really immaterial what the songs were because the crowd was there to see and to be seen and not to listen.

Vanajakshi (Varnam) - Kalyani
****** - Asaveri
Satthaleni - Naganandini
****** - Sahana
Balagopala - Bhairavi
RTP- Amrithavarshini
Swarams in Khamas, Kapi
Aravinda padamalar - Kapi
Srirama Jayarama - Yadukulakambhodi
Mangalam

The unusual vocalizations that are unique to the singer were present in good measure. "Tup tup tup" could be heard during alapanas though not a single text on music has mentioned this as an approved phrase for rendering alapana. The two songs that are indicated by ******** were mumbled to such an extent that I couldn't decipher the opening lines. Neraval was rendered for "Balagopala" at "Neela Newradha sareera".

This mumbling of words may be the next step in the evolution of the singer who might sing an entire concert with mumbled words and this might then be hailed as the triumph of musicality over the tyranny of sahithyam by his fans. Who knows, this may be the melding of vocal music on one part and nagaswara music on another where the listener cannot put words to a song that is unknown to him when it is played on a nagaswaram.

It is a good thing that today's musicians are not of the caliber of Sri Muthuswamy Deekshithar. Otherwise, raga Amrithavarshini might have sent the entire audience rushing to the bathroom to pass water and the elderly who walk slowly would be dribbling all the way from their seats.

The music critic Harikesanallur Venkataraman suggested that the singer's fans bring him pots of cooked vallarai keerai. Vallarai keerai is supposed to improve one's memory the music critic was referring to the fact that the singer did not return to the original Amrithavarshini when he finished ragamalika swarams but took up the next krithi and he attributed it to forgetfulness. That was an act of kindness on his part as we all know that this is the new format that is being championed by this singer.

At the end of the concert, I pondered over what one could call the singer's fans. Fans of the band The Greatful Dead are known as Deadheads, for instance. I concluded that there was no need to coin a special word and an existing portmanteau word was sufficient:

Sheeple.

I also submit for your viewing pleasure the first image at
http://www.motifake.com/black-friday-bl ... 80701.html

It pretty much describes the scene at Narada Gana Sabha on that day.

[arasi]

Harimau(l),
Catch me in the aisle (which are bereft of snow white plastic chairs now) laughing

You may remember the old rhyme which children love (you join hands in a namaskAr gesture but with fingers knitted together), say 'here's the church' with your index fingers pointing, (then with middle fingers), say 'here's the steeple'.
You then invert your hands, fingers knitted, move the fingers and say, 'look inside--all the people!'
Here's the church, here's the steeple. Look inside--all the people!

Here's the sabhA, here's the eminent sociologist. Look inside--all the sheeple
or reversing points of view...
Here's the hall with highly musical patrons--some, a blinkered lot!

[sureshvv]

They delivered a concert in the traditional Thanjavur bani.

Had you been to the Classical Nite at Saarang '13 with an open mind, you may have enjoyed their "Thanjavur bani" drupad performance in Hindolam

[anonymityatlast]

"Thanjavur bani" drupad performance

less than three less than three less than three

But it's actually saddening when people who show some understanding and preference for tradition fall for what we can call 'paccharisi saadham' tradition.

[Rsachi]

Harimau,
Trust you to find a comparison between Black Friday and Carnatic Mania!

I found, in the several trips I was compelled to make to Chicago during that weekend because of a conference that starts on that Sunday every year, that it is cold and uninspiring. Much better to walk into the chic Apple store on Millennium Mile and be treated like royalty at the Genius bar on Saturday.

Here is what Wikipedia states:
Black Friday shopping is known for attracting aggressive crowds, with annual reports of assaults, shootings, and throngs of people trampling on other shoppers in an attempt to get the best deal on a product before supplies run out.
The news media usually give heavy play to reports of Black Friday shopping and their implications for the commercial success of the Christmas shopping season, but the relationship between Black Friday sales and retail sales for the full holiday season is quite weak and may even be negative.

[Nick H]

Am I right in this bit of history...

Black Friday came about as a result of the economy being so bad that the retail industry had to just-about give stuff away. Wasn't it one of those big crashes, or was that Malarial Monday?

No doubt there were articles, "What Ails Retail?" and so on.

[arasi]

Anon at last,
What is pacharisi (raw rice) tradition?

[anonymityatlast]

This ought to explain:
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... 7e#p217041

[Rsachi]

Harimau,
I also find the programming at the Sabha a bit Ill-conceived, like hosting a 7 PM CSK IPL T20 after a royal test fare 10-5 PM between England and India.
Today Dravid has told Dhoni to resign from CSK and focus on tests!
(PS: this is not to be construed as my opinion on either Malladi or Sanjay.)

[Nick H]

I thought they only held rock concerts at that hall

[cmlover]

When Sanjay sings "Can arasi be far behind?"
When he mumbles she composes her next song! So there is a gain after all!
...irrespective of blackFriday

[grsastrigal]

harimau-

Nice comparison.

asAveri kriti is kAnchi nayikE- annAswamy sAstri
sahAnA kriti- Tillai ambalattAnai govinda rAjanai darisittu- Gopalakrishna Bharathi.

I found the same crowd for both TM Krishna and Sanjay. You don't know for Aruna Sairam's concert, there was a fight in the first 5 rows. sort of Ram Gopal Varma's film.
Quality of the concert and crowd - there has always been a debate and it is endless.

In TMK's concert in MFAC - Another "wall mart concert"- He started with

sahAna kriti (forgot the name)
Todi- "pAvi ezhai indha" - verse from NandanAr charitram (TiruppungUr).
mukhAri kriti- Ososi followed by vadasiyati (Ashtabati).

Why he took two mukhari kritis ? Why Arun prakash did not two fingers except for tani ? Why crowd was patiently sitting till tani ? How his mother (sitting next to me) could enjoy that concert ? (The worst concert, I heard ever in my life. But the canteen-wAlA made enough money on that day.)

In TillAna mohanAmbal- mahArAni will ask, while discussing music with NAgesh (Vaithi)- Nagesh will take about pallavi .... She will ask "what is pAvi" as she did not know how to spell pallavi.. Nagesh will reply - "nAnthan pAvi" (Iam the sinner).

Coming back to Sanjay- RTP Amrithavarshini -listen here. Sanjay, as I always say, tries to give his best. Nagai Muralidharan's impeccable bow supports sanjay.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/di9q2e

[kedharam]

“The two songs that are indicated by ******** were mumbled to such an extent that I couldn't decipher the opening lines”

Really? Are you sure abt your hearing capacity? I will prove you wrong about his diction once the concert gets released commercially.
I don’t feel like defending the rest. Pure nonsense...yep, the age old cliché,”to each his own”

[arasi]

Arasi, arisi, whatever,
A rasi!
Star, beginner, veteran,
No matter, rasi!

A vocal concert of tup tups? No words? Really?
No sir, don't look for me there!
I'm there where the words come alive
A few quirks I don't mind, by the way!

Tup tup analyzers! Hie to your labs!
Carry on till the test tubes explode
With the ire you stirred into them!

CML,
Greedy as I am for live concerts, I listened to Sanjay and many others: stars, youngsters and veterans. All the physical discomforts were worth it. Missed a few and wish I hadn't.
Wish you and other friends from far were there too

[annamalai]

What is a music season without some rasikas forum fireworks Nice opening salvo by sastrigal. Bale, bale.
Chaturyam Pesadadi, En Salagaikku Badil solladi ...

PS: Harimau, there is a rasika's inner circle and you can not go against their views

[clmweb]

I found, in the several trips I was compelled to make to Chicago during that weekend because of a conference that starts on that Sunday every year, that it is cold and uninspiring. Much better to walk into the chic Apple store on Millennium Mile and be treated like royalty at the Genius bar on Saturday.

trust you had a good RSNA? I usually head off to the Lyric Opera at night after the conference...

[sureshvv]

Sanjay at Narada Gana Sabha is for wimps. Next time try Jaya TV Margazhi Mahotsavam for Aruna Sairam. You can also claim that you were actually there for the previous Carnatica Brothers concert

[squims]

Sanjay at Narada Gana Sabha is for wimps. Next time try Jaya TV Margazhi Mahotsavam for Aruna Sairam. You can also claim that you were actually there for the previous Carnatica Brothers concert

Harimau has already done ample sociological research on this matter.
I'm sure someone can dig up the old reports from the rasikas archives.

[malavi]

Sanjay in his concert for kartik fine arts rendered niraval at Drona karna duryodanadhi, and not at Neela nirata sareera in the bhairavi kriti balagopala.
usually niraval is done at neela nirata but this was a welcome change for us.

[tiruppugazh]

Someone needs to get their hearing tested. The neraval was at Vainika gayaka guruguha.

[Rsachi]

Cmlweb,
Sadly no, I was compelled to wine and dine. Envy you!

[shripathi_g]

@malavi: There's a beautiful rendition of MDR rendering Balagopala and doing a neraval at Drona Karna. The more I listen to Sanjay, the more I see MDR's influence in his singing.