Interesting article about the season

[VijayR]

A long, but well-written article about the season. Some ugly issues rear their head though… :-s

http://fountainink.in/?p=4728&all=1

[Nick H]

Interesting read ...about some of the good and the bad, as well as the ugly.

[vasanthakokilam]

Indeed. That is quite long but once started I kept going and finished reading it in one sitting.

Given all this, no wonder artists of all aspects of music and dance try to have a good education and an alternate career if things do not quite work out. It looks like the success rate to make it a full time performing professional is quite low.

[maduraimini]

Very well written article that brings out many unknown facts about the Margazshi season. We, the rasikas, just go, sit and enjoy the concert or see it on You Tube. We complain or praise the artists. But with the large number of sabhas, it looks like the young and new artists still have problems getting a slot. It is sad to note that the Bharatanatyam artist had to pay the Sabha for her own performance. What happened to the children of the Nadaswaram vidwans? Didn't they learn the instrument from their fathers or have they taken up other jobs? If they did, what do they do with their art? Looks like Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetty does a lot to stop the fine art of Carnatic Musi and its branches from dying out.

[rshankar]

If her book is written in the same vein, I would love to read it...

[cacm]

WITHOUT NALLI CHETTIAR HALF THE SABHAS & MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS OF THE ARTISTS JUST WILL NOT EXIST. I have only read in mythology about Kodaivallals like Pari but I HAVE SEEN WITH MY OWN EYES A Kodaivallal Chakravarthi Nalli Kuppuswamy Chettiar that too in twentieth century. What A GREAT & MODEST MAN TOO! GIVES ME HOPE FOR THE HUMAN RACE.....VKV :-BD :ymapplause:

[Nick H]

Those who make snide remarks about the purveyors of silk had better remember that without them we wouldn't have much music --- or, at least, we would paying for it like they do in other countries.

So often business and wealth seems to chisel away the human and artistic parts of a person. Not so with Sri Nalli. Hats off to him!

No one is immortal. Let us hope that there are passionate music lovers in the younger generations!

[balakk]

Rs.13 lakh for a dance performance. Wow. And 8-10 lakhs for an arangetram guru dakshina? yammaadi.

[Rsachi]

I don't know about the dance bit, but I am just asking you folks to respond to this matrix of ideas
1. No artiste gets more than 3 slots in the season.
2. 12 venues, 4 sessions a day, 20 days = 960 sessions, 30% ticketed and 70% free.
3. All the costs of all remunerations and organization will be underwritten by pooling sponsor contributions into a single tranche like they do in Olympics.
4. Sabhas will work together to work the schedules including accompanists based on talent and not gender or pull.
5.If there are more sabhas than 12, they will pool up and share schedules within the best 12 venues.
6. Media will profile and promote programs and artistes, not just publish reviews.
7. Tickets will be bookable online (80%) to save last minute disappointments.

[Nick H]

Aah, Sachi! (whoops, no pun on your name intended!) All your suggestions assume that someone or some body would take charge --- and that is not going to happen.

So far as the ugly in that article goes, the thing that shocks me is the last-minute demands. If it is understood that performance requires a "donation" then so be it; if the donation has been paid, this, at least in terms of honour, establishes a contract. The facilities will be provided, and the performance will be given. Putting up the "price" at the last minute is nothing short of extortion. And demands for large additional sums, on the side, by lighting and other technical staff is pretty criminal.

Yes... That stuff is ugly.

[venkatakailasam]

When somebody else speaks about the dirt here, you like to skip...

http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22745

????

[cacm]

THIS ARTICLE ONLY STATES THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING FROM AT LEAST MID 1970'S THAT I AM FAMILIAR WITH. In my opinion the LEVEL OF CORRUPTION-IT IS QUITE PERVASIVE-IS WELL KNOWN TO ANY ONE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN ARRANGING ANYTHING IN CHENNAI. I am glad the readers of this FORUM are finally getting a lesson in corruption as they have been reading about it reg. Politics etc.......VKV. I myself have spent money from my own pocket when I arrange anything in Chennai.......

[rajeshnat]

Rsachi
6 or 7 years back there was a discussion with PSN, Radha Bhaskar , our Kulkarni , NGS sabha krishnaswamy. Many of these points were discussed . During Q&A I asked a question to NGS Krishnaswamy Sir

Question :
Why cannot you come up with a system where artists are rotated like say an artist gets a slot this year in Academy skipping NGS , the same artist gets in NGS next year and skips Music Academy. This was asked as he was the president of federation of sabhas

Answer:
He said what ever I asked was indeed tried some time back (he did not tell me the year) . What happens in that kind of scenario what happens is a sabha that does not feature an artist purposely gives an award to that artist and makes them perform even when the slot is not for that artist . Overall all these dirty things , corrections were tried but it did not work.Shri krishnaswamy was sincere and candid that day to give a reply.

[cacm]

Sri. R.Krishnaswamy was HONEST ENOUGH to CONFIRM the UNSAVOURY ECONOMIC transactions by CERTAIN SABHAS IN THE SEVENTIES I had referred to during an INTERVIEW which is the SUBJECT of part of the ARTICLE in the discussion here in a PUBLIC MEETING!. VKV

[harimau]

What planet are you people living in?

There was an ad in Mylapore Times by a sabha that they still have a few slots available for concerts.

Does anybody think that the sabha was scouting for good musicians and just couldn't find any?

In that case, there is this bridge I would like to sell to you.