Tamil proverbs, born out of experience, proven true

[harimau]

You know how it is. Ancient proverbs, which are really born out of hundreds of years of experience are disregarded and discarded by today's youth as not being applicable. Not so.

The youngster in question is Ramakrishnan Murthy. He gave a concert under the auspices of SAFE (Shanthi Arts Foundation and Endowments) at Sastri Hall in Mylapore on Dec 13. Well, what with being Friday the 13th, he was neither safe nor experienced shanthi (peace). Appropriately enough, the role of Jason was played to perfection by the mridangist.

Right at the beginning of the concert, people in the audience requested that the volume be turned down as the percussion was too loud. This enraged Jason in no small amount who then proceeded to denounce the audience.

A lady decided to reduce the ear-splitting impact of the volume by stuffing cotton into her ears. Seeing this, a neighbor borrowed some cotton from her and stuffed it into his ears. A couple of more persons looked pleadingly at the lady and she parted with more cotton. All of this was like showing a huge red banner to an already enraged bull.

After several more requests to tone down the volume, Jason decided that he didn't need a mic at all and pushed it away. The organizers told the audio technician to cut out the mic volume for both mridangam and ghatam. Songs rendered at this point received applause from the audience which merely stoked the flames in Jason's heart.

The tani avarthanam with no amplification received thunderous applause. One would expect the drummers to graciously acknowledge the accolades of the audience. Instead, dark thoughts grew in the mind of Jason.

You know the final scene in Friday the 13th, where the last surviving girl is out on the lake in a canoe and Jason, appearing suddenly from the water, tips the canoe over. That scene was played out as Jason abused in strong (street) language the audience for their lack of appreciation and the organizers for complying with the audience requests.

Will there be a Friday the 13th franchise with several more episodes to follow?

You can bet your bottom dollar on it.

The role of Jason, so beautifully essayed by the mridangist, will be repeated by him at other concerts. You can also expect that there will be other mridangists who will vie with each other to don the Jason role wherever they play. Instead of Friday the 13th, it may be another one of the genre such as Lake Placid, Anaconda, etc.

There is the Tamil proverb Kaasaiyum kodutthu thelalum kottinda mathiri (paying good money only to be stung by a scorpion). Perfectly applicable to the organizers.

The other proverb is vaeliyile pora onaanai eduthhu madiyile kattindu, kodayarathe kodayarathe endraanaam (after picking up tying to one's midriff a lizard that was peaceably crawling along a fence, complaining that there is an uneasy feeling in one's torso). For Ramakrishnan Murthy was the one who selected his accompanying artists and notified the sabha of his engaging them for this concert.

The song list? That is incidental. Just like people got murdered during the movie, they all got slaughtered.

[rupavathi]

Name and shame! The artiste in question is *********... divinely gifted hands, abysmally uncouth in word and manner!
(edited - moderator)

[semmu86]

Harimau, this is your best post yet this season. Its such a pity, that this is the method adopted by senior Mrudangam artists to show their seniority, while accompanying younger vocalists. I decided to skip this concert, and thanking the heavens for the same.

As an aside, Sastri hall (Now that it has become air-conditioned and with all the windows closed), dosent need a mic at all. Or at the max, one common mic for all the artists on the stage, should be good enough. The scene was pretty much the same for SAFE's OST concert couple of days back, where the percussion was just too loud.

[kssr]

This vidwan's instrument has never troubled me. But his speeches have. The occasions when he is invited as chief guest and given the mike.... Oh! god forbid.

Keeping the spirit of the thread, it should be "Oru paNam koduthu aada chonna, rendu paNam koduthu niruththa cholla vendi varum" (pay him a rupee to commence dancing, you may have to give two rupees to make him stop) !!

[pattamaa]

To mod....

I have read name if drummer before edit... I see no offence...

The artist is known for beating mridangam, not playing... So no surprise here....

[Nick H]

I have experienced the destruction of concerts at this venue without any help from any person on the stage.

To be fair to them, this was a year or two back, but it was extreme and painful, and before the days when I started to carry cotton wool in my bag.

I have read name if drummer before edit... I see no offence...

It's a rasikas' forum: rasikas should be free to express any criticism of artists --- but I can see that the comments made in the post, other than those about the playing, are personally offensive. Moderation is a tough job...

The best thing is that audience members actually spoke out. The problem with over-loud, bad, sound is usually nothing to do with any individual on stage. Audience complaint, rather than suffering in silence, is the only thing that will improve matters.

Jason... Why Jason? Or is it something to do with getting fleeced?

[sureshvv]

Jason is the archetype villain in the Friday the 13th series

[sureshvv]

Actually I have found Sri - to be a hilarious speaker with a lot of down to the earth wisdom.

Moderator edit: Removed names as requested by person concerned.

[Rajagopalan_V]

Oops! Has sureshvv spilled the beans inadvertently?!

[Nick H]

Jason is the archetype villain in the Friday the 13th series

The thirteenth series of Friday? Nope. All beyond me. I suppose it must be to do with moving pictures, or television; these new-fangled entertainment thingies

[rupavathi]

The mod's squeamishness in editing my post is amusing, given that the artiste himself had no qualms in using uncouth language on stage!

[devan]

The mridangam beater(not playing) list is karaikudimani,bakthavatchalam,thiruvarur vaidyanathan,patri satishkumar(he will beat everybody oneday ).patri practically play a thani after every song.

[Rsachi]

Three types of mridangam players
ASTERIX - all subtlety and connectedness. Sounds good solo or in company.
OBELIX - plays a heavy kappi, but watches for cues to make sure nothing goes amiss.
UNHYGIENIX- goes chop chop or thump thump always, and thinks, 'if it's loud, it means it works'!!!

[rshankar]

RSachi - you left out the 'divinely gifted' Cacophonix! Perhaps that is what Harimau et al in the audience should have done - meted out to the percussiong duo what the indomitable Gauls did to Cacophonix...or maybe they were not just indomitable enough, huh??!!

[Rsachi]

Yes, now why did I leave out Cacophonix!? His lyre reminded me very much of Harimau's antipathy!

[rshankar]

His lyre reminded me very much of Harimau's antipathy!

True - caustic as lye - just throw in the 'r' and you get a lyre!

[sureshvv]

Oops! Has sureshvv spilled the beans inadvertently?!

Nothing inadvertent.

[priyashekar]

Saw a joke in this fortnight Mangayar Malar issue
which ran some thing like this

Yen bhaghavathar kovama irukkar ?

Velila ellarukkum kaadula sottu marundu vidaraalaam kutcheri mudinja apparam. ada paarthuttu kovam !

May be sabhas should have a first aid box for concerts of mrudhangam beaters!!

Harimau sir please agree.

[Purist]

The mridangam beater(not playing) list is karaikudimani,bakthavatchalam,thiruvarur vaidyanathan,patri satishkumar(he will beat everybody oneday ).patri practically play a thani after every song.

Additions to the list : Shankaranarayanan , Praveen

[harimau]

About 3 years back, when I pointed out how loud Trichy Sankaran's playing had become, I was called a troll and people were told DNFTT.

I remember Prashanth Prasad (this name could be improved upon by adding Sai as the first name or the middle name) denouncing me.

At that time, Uday Sankar mentioned how he used cotton stuffed into his ears to reduce the volume at a R K Srikantan-N Ravikiran concert at Bharat Kalachar where Guruvayur Dorai was playing the mridangam.

I shall not detail the kolaveri comments of Jason.

But today, for D B Ashwin, he played the mridangam softly.

Maybe mridangists will listen if enough people raise a ruckus.

[Andavan]

This drummer is really weird.He has an exaggerated opinion of himself.The only people who can stand him are N.Ravikiran and to an extent,OST.With all other vocalists and solo instrumentalists,he is a
veritable Brahmarakshas. He is also known to blow his top in a jiffy on perceived provocation. I dot Think any one BEATS the poor mridangam as hard as he does but quite a few are lining up like Palakkadu Mahesh Kumar,Delhi Sairam,RSankaranarayanan, Shertalai Ananthakrishnan and others.

[prashant]

Harimau - before you try to improve my name with your suggestions, it might be useful if you learn to spell it right. It's Prashant.

[narayan]

Maybe mridangists will listen if enough people raise a ruckus.

True. But it is very unlikely that harimau will listen even if enough people raise a ruckus. Season's greetings and best wishes for 2014!

[Pratyaksham Bala]

http://www.chennaidecemberseason.com/20 ... -safe.html

[Nick H]

[quote] ... “Let me clear that misconception right away,” says PSN, cutting me short. “I teach sincerely. I don’t believe in short cuts. That’s my method. But all these musicians who have trained under me, have not been made top-ranking musicians by me, it is because of their own merit. They have worked very hard, and are dedicated. I am equally fortunate to have such disciples, else it would have remained a one-sided toil,” he says in a manner most unassuming. ... [quote]

What a great thing to say and to think.

[arasi]

The whole thread, a mine find (take it in any manner you like...a veritable gold mine, or something you stepped on and 'boom'--that is, if the guilty party is reading and heeding!).

At the onset of a new season, quite a timely warning to those who mar a concert by vigorous beating.

I was impressed with the list others produced, but for a few exceptions (at least, they didn't bang the mrudangam to smithereens when I heard them).

Harimau, here is a pudu mozhi (a new one, coined for the occasion): avaiyaDakkam illAk kalaignyan Arukku vENDum? (who needs an artiste without stage grace?).