The things that really matter

[harimau]

On the input side, one has to rate the canteens.

Mount Mani's canteen at Sri Parthasarathi Swamy Sabha is priced outrageously. Rs 410 for tiffin for two is too much. And the food is too greasy.

Three breakfasts at the Music Academy canteen. They had the effect of Imodium but at a very high price. A strip of 10 tablets sells for less than Rs 30 and you need only one for effectiveness. Rs 50 for a measly quantity of rava pongal is just too much.

Gave up on Gnanambika at Narada Gana Sabha and Meenambika(?) at Mylapore Fine Arts. At the suggestion of a friend, three of us took an auto from Music Academy to Ethiraj Kalyana Mantapam where the canteen is run by Venus Catering. The lunch cost Rs 120 as opposed to Rs 150, 200, 250' etc at other canteens. Absolutely delicious, homemade taste. I once called Smt Seetha Narayanan's music your grandmother's cooking. This meal was exactly that. My Tirunelveli friend went into raptures just smelling the avial. We complimented the manager on the wonderfully tasty food and the low price. He replied that his staff and he were ready to cook a good meal and serve it with courtesy but customers don't turn up in numbers.

What a pity! I guess even our taste buds have been damaged by the music of the popular singers.

On the output side, the loos at the Music Academy and Ethiraj Kalyana Mantapam share the first prize. Somebody needs to demolish the ones at Narada and Krishna Gana Sabhas and start afresh. Jeez, even the loo at P S High School is better than those two and that is used by high school kids with poor aim!

[Rsachi]

My New Year wish to Harimau:
Swacch Bharat ke Acche Swaad!

[VK RAMAN]

brahmano bhojana priya; sangeetham second priya

[hnbhagavan]

I wish you had given the canteen input earlier.I had to eat the costly and greasy food at Music Academy.Glad to note that food is better at Etiraj Kalyan Mantap.

[ramamantra]

this year or season - should I say as native music lovers say - there seems to be a lot of talk on canteen and food. Food prices have risen everywhere. Any decent veg hotel you go into and have tummy-filling food, the price is anywhere between 500-600 for a couple. What with service taxes heaped on to the customer...I wonder if the hoteliers pay that tax amount to the govt at all.

[Nick H]

Just up the road from the academy it's where I eat masala dosai for Rs.45. No tea, only coffee, but a few doors away, tea can be enjoyed for just Rs.8, which seems to be the street-tea standard price since the recent milk hike.

However, once fueled up with the basics, I do pay for Rs.30 Academy tea, even buying three tickets at a time. The flavor is quite good, and it is the price to pay for the unbeatable social life of the MA canteen!

[gardabha_gana]

Talking about loos, how is it at Parthasarathy Swami Sabha (Vidyabharathi kalyana mantapam). It was awful couple of years back - and I had to repeatedly apologize to my 8 year old daughter on a father-daughter musical trip to madras. MA is the best - she wanted to go to the concerts there because of the restroom quality

[Nick H]

I wouldn't describe it as awful. It is old, basic, probably marriage-hall-typical? But no, it hasn't changed in two years.

(I'm assuming that the ladies' is the same as the mens'. I have not researched this.)

[Nick H]

Ruined by the Sound Man

Overall, things have improved a little on the sound engineering front, but there are still glaring, and horrible exceptions. Just a couple that I remember hurting my ears....

The Hindustani Vocal part of the GBL memorial day was ruined by the same guys who always did a good a good job for the concerts that Cool-ji used to organise. The same people, on the same day, did a good job (I'm told) for Gayatri Girish and (I was there) for Aishwaryia, ok for the wonderful shennai, but not so good for Suryaprakash and just awful for the HM Vocal.

A concert I had been looking forward to was the violin duet by Vital Ramamurthy and Padma Shankar. The android app showed shocking levels of up to 97 decibels ...for two violins and acoustic percussion. And this at a venue, Arkay, that used to be known for the quality of its sound, but which is now inconsistent. Yes, I know that the mridangist was asking for the level to be raised, but it is still not his fault: he is entitled to hear the people he is accompanying, but the audience is entitled not to have to suffer ear damage, not to mention enjoying the music. That is the business of the sound man.

Shashank's concert at ISCON. The same people (I suppose) who had done an excellent job, just a few days earlier, for Vedavalli's concert, rendered the flute ear-piercing and painful for the front half of the venue. We had to move right to the back.

If these people have become inured to high volume levels, let them use an SPL meter from the audience. My phone app may not be accurate, but at least it assures me that no, it is not just me. I often whip it out to find levels exceeding 90dB. For comparison, a comfortable and easily-heard concert at the Academy hovered around a mere 80dB.

[rajeshnat]

Nick
what is the android app that you are talking , is that free , I have a samsung galaxy phone , i want to use that . Please give me details .
I have no idea in terms of ISCON tiruvanmiyur hall as i have not been there .Many sabhas have this decked speakers stacked up in font, so you end up with different sound levels in first 20 rows vs next 20 rows. Only when first 20 have their ear drums teared , the next 20 hear it. For me the worst experience was In mudhra for Priya sisters patri was tearing my ear drums that was my worst experience.

[Nick H]

There are quite a few available

This is the one I use for a simple assessment: Sound Meter Pro. Easy to read meter display, with marker points for minimum, maximum and average, and a useful table that indicates what the levels compare to in real life.

This for a lot more detail, including, for example, levels at different frequencies: Audio Tool

I look forward to your detailed reviews including Sound Pressure Levels!

Many sabhas have this decked speakers stacked up in font, so you end up with different sound levels in first 20 rows vs next 20 rows. Only when first 20 have their ear drums teared , the next 20 hear it. For me the worst experience was In mudhra for Priya sisters patri was tearing my ear drums that was my worst experience.

one pair of speaker stacks is the worst model. ISCON had more than one pair, but most of the volume was being pumped out at the front.

Patri gets my vote for most musical mridangist of the season. I find his tone excellent, both right and left hands. I'm sure that he would not have wanted to injure your ears! Remember that the artists do not hear what we hear.

One of the regular sound-man mistakes is too much volume on the mridangam left hand. This drowns his right hand, as well as, potentially, everybody else on the stage.

[kunthalavarali]

As for as safety standards are concerned, I would rank Brahma Gana Sabha as the highest and Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha as the lowest

[Nick H]

Safety standards? What safety standards?

Aisles are blocked with barriers because ticket prices are more important than safety; exit doors are bolted; many halls have loose chairs (the plastic is probably poisonously inflamable too) and I doubt that there is one single fire alarm or sprinkler system to be found anywhere. Anyone ever seen a fire extinguisher? And as for the wires and cables ...I have a pic to post.

[KNV1955]

Nick best is to stick to Music Academy main hall & Raga Sudha Hall. Rest are useless.

[vasanthakokilam]

As we have discussed a while back, the unfortunate thing is safety consciousness comes into focus only after some gruesome accidents that could have been prevented or lessened to large extent if minimum safety standards were there.

I was going to ask about Music Academy. It looks like based on what KNV says that seems to fare better on these matters.

[Nick H]

Even they block the aisles during the paid concerts. I don't actually know details of up-to-date fire safety regulations in other countries. Ignorance is bliss!

[kunthalavarali]

Thanks for reacting to the issue of safety. I was very generous in my comments this year. I have been raising this issue every year to no avail!

[kunthalavarali]

... and I hope some one will take this up very seriously so that safety improves before the next season. With increasing crowd Sabha Safety is very important.

[tiruppugazh]

Social scientist has graduated to Food & Loo specialist WOW!

[harimau]

Social scientist has graduated to Food & Loo specialist WOW!

"Health Inspector" is the job title you are looking for.

[Nick H]

Social scientist has graduated to Food & Loo specialist WOW!

I believe that universities, etc, group these things under the general heading of "humanities."

[SrinathK]

Nick, I think a few of us ought to get this app, go to various concerts (since surely more than one of us will be at any particular concert), and include the decibel levels from various places and add it in our reviews. Prolonged exposure over 85db can cause permanent hearing damage. I for one can only do that next year when I'm back in Chennai...

A series of small speakers at low volume distributed across the hall is far better than a pair or two of big ones at the front, and is hopefully easier on the budget (probably not relevant where it requires more equipment purchase). But I'm especially concerned about the small halls where they use a pair of big speakers at the front and I've felt my ears suffer from needless amplification. Why ramp up the volume when you could be easily audible even without a mic?