I recall a post in our forum by a member a few years back. It was about him ( an Indian ) who is a very good guitarist who plays with Indian film music bands narrating his experience visiting a thayagaraja aradhana in the U.S. He wanted to check out the local children and adults singing carnatic music which is what normally happens in such Aradhana throughout the day.
He went in clean Jeans and T-shirt with some funny writing on them ( not too inappropriate ). The jeans might have been a bit worn out. He definitely would have stuck out a bit in that crowd. One of the organizers thought he was inappropriately dressed for the occasion and told him so. He was not asked to leave but he felt very unwelcome. This poster was upset about that along the same lines of this thread and he wondered loudly why the CM elitists seem to be so stuck up on irrelevant things like that.
My reaction at that time was a bit conflicted. While I had some empathy for his reaction, I also had to concede that such a dress would indeed be out of place and while he should not be asked to leave ( which he was not ), the reaction of the organizer is perfectly within normal social expectations that he should be dressed appropriately.
Granted my reaction was probably clouded a bit based on what I knew of him from his postings here. He had a passive aggressive air about him that he knew certain things about music that the CM crowd would not have a clue about ( like chord theory, what makes film music a hit etc. ) and that went along with his general opinions he had about the usual elitism and exclusivity projected by the CM community in general.
You can see what I would have even imagined, with absolutely no basis in actual information, that he probably went there in that dress a bit wantonly and not as innocent as he narrated. Those are strictly circumstantial.
Be that as it may, given the excellent points made in this thread, my general agreement with them and also further reflections of that discussion (it has been a few years, time has a way of smoothing over the raw and knee-jerk emotional edges) I now wonder if it was hypocritical of me to have come to that conclusion then. But then I am not sure even after all that deliberation if such a dress is appropriate for Thyagaraja Aradhana. I probably would not wear that to an aradhana though that is my usual weekend attire.
It is not that difficult for me to side with the liberal attitude 'What is the big deal about the dress, music is still music, is it going to be any less of a respect for Thyagaraja if you are clad in ragged Jeans and T-shirts', I would not be honest with myself if I also do not acknowledge the general discomfort with that.
Interestingly I do not feel the same away about attending a CM concert in Jeans and T-shirt? That seems fine
I just do not see the sense in it, and there is nothing dignified in someone perspiring profusely...