The REAL burning issue of CM: Mridangam

[Rsachi]

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. While our most influential musicians and powers that be are busy decrying GST, asking for better fairness creams, and dealing with #MeToo, a raging fire of a problem is burning on our concert stage, begging for their attention.

Some well-meaning mridangists are promoting an ethical mridangam with no skin or wood used. Some others are giving lecdems on the art of percussion and the science of laya. All this while the monster called Noise has possessed our mridangists.

Make no mistake. Our most popular younger mridangists are all mutant T20 ninjas hell-bent on destroying 1.their drums, 2.any semblance of saukhya in a concert, and 3.surely your eardrums and any sense of wellness.

This is a survival issue.

In a recent megastar vocal concert I attended, a solid, bearded and tufted and diamond ear studded mridangist made his intentions clear before the first line of the Saveri varnam had been completed. Like a terrorist who reaches inside his pocket for his grenade even before the seat belt signs are off.
He was batting like a T20 hero, swinging wildly and burning the leather on both sides. No style, no sensitivity, no musical poise. Just beating the hell out of his contraption. Let the composer, singer and listener be damned. I was sure this mridangist had no ethics on his mind.

Except for a few mridangists who can be counted on the fingers of one hand, this destructive terminator instinct has besieged all. I cringe to imagine what titles they will sport on their Facebook page sooner or later:
Himsendra Madhyama
Saukhyaantaka
AasphoTa Praveena
Mridangam Baahubali
Naadabhayankara
Daeshing Dangist
Vaadyasammardaka
Karnabhanjana
Saveri Kolaveri
No silencer for me
Hell-bent T20 Ninja Warrior
.......


And now just take this nightmare to a new level. Imagine the guy has embedded pick-up mics and has a preamp at his finger tips.

GOD SAVE THE MRIDANGAM. God save the earth.

[SrinathK]

And God save both our ears and those of the musicians'

[sreebeecane]

@RSachi: At the same time, there are mridangists who rarely touch their instrument. At times, I think even that robs the saukhyam of playing.

As the great vidwan Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar once said, 'Balance is a challenge'.

[shankarank]

So this must be surely an Abhishek/Patri combination that you are talking about. I agree that the new designer Mridangam is loud. Especially on the toppi side it produces a boom. But in what is otherwise a dry patch if some expressive percussionist comes along - it is a refresher - not that this needs to be emulated by others. If my guess of the vocalist is correct, then there is not sufficient tone also from vocalist to balance here as well.

In the YACM generation , who are all now the current senior Mridangists, J.Vaidyanathan, Manoj Siva have the right balance. Somewhat next-gen to them Tanjore Murugabhoopathy sounds good as well. Neyveli Narayanan the exuberant one again has an intrusive style, he worked well with Abhishek. He is somewhat on the higher side of balance. Same with Anantha , but his subtlety balances the higher volume, so you don't get bothered that much.

Generally the Mridangist loses the game if they are over aggressive - I mean exuberant all through.

That said, we had a full thread on Arun Prakash. There the toppi inaudibility is one issue. General issue there is shot selection! We have been told that Mridangam is just an accompaniment. It may have approached from that angle, but all through golden era, the level of embellishment and subtlety is so high that they became musicians in their own right!

In the case of KAP however, we should also say that the main artistes wanted to create more or more undulations and sangatis and stuffed brighas ( pudusa neraya vandatunnu pEru) or sing slowly with only melodic sense, rhythm pushed to the background, that he pretty much had no role!

[Rsachi]

Shankarank, you have elevated the debate.

However I shall not respond to name suggestions. You are welcome to use any of the titles or add more of your own after what I listed.

By the way, post breakfast additions to Ninja titles:

Gaayanarodhinagarjana
VaadyaTaaDanachakravarty
Mridangabhayankara
LayaTaanDava
Madhuragaananirnaamaka
Layavaadyasimhaswapna
Shabdaaakrandana
Saukhyanirnaamaka
Shaantishaamaka
NaadabhedaprachanDa
TrimoortitarpaNa
.....

[sureshvv]

I think the audio setup people and the complacent audience are the responsible parties.

[Rsachi]

Suresh,
Not in this case. The source of the noise was identified early on.

[kvchellappa]

One frontline mrdangist wanted the sound level raised in arkay hall, which is compact. The organisers said, 'the audience find it high.' The mrdangist said, 'If you listen to them, they will even say that they do not want mrdangam.' He had his way. Luckily, the roof was strong.
Sometimes, TMK's maverick ways are perhaps born of experience!

[balavenu]

Sachi has mentioned that the concert in question is Abhishek's in another post over at the Parivadini WhatsApp group.

Ramana, my wife and a few friends were at the same concert too. Interestingly I remembered him saying that the mridangam volume was kind of subdued. Intrigued by this post I checked on my friend, a fairly discerning rasika; he said it was quite balanced and the mridangist's performance was nuanced and well received.

Am wondering if it's about where one sat in the auditorium though it's unclear how it may have actually happened.

While the debate about the balance of percussion accompaniment has always had a genuine basis, this particular concert may not have exemplified it for everyone.

[balavenu]

In the YACM generation , who are all now the current senior Mridangists, J.Vaidyanathan, Manoj Siva have the right balance. Somewhat next-gen to them Tanjore Murugabhoopathy sounds good as well. Neyveli Narayanan the exuberant one again has an intrusive style, he worked well with Abhishek. He is somewhat on the higher side of balance. Same with Anantha , but his subtlety balances the higher volume, so you don't get bothered that much.

On Anantha's accompaniment....

It's not just the subtlety. He allows the main artist complete expression and waits it out where appropriate. You can see it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_y48VQw4wU

A complete team player.

Vid Manoj Siva expressed great admiration (in an FB post) for his accompaniment in the above piece calling out many specific points.

[Sachi_R]

Bala,
Spot on. I expressed my own views here:
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=24639&hilit=Ananth ... +mridangam

I think Anantha represents a higher order of musical intelligence. And if you want to see his fireworks, there was a live webcast from Mumbai or somewhere of his accompanying his guru Zakir Hussain in a special Talavadya concert. He has won my admiration forever.

[Rsachi]

Bala,
I was making a point about noise. As I have stated here and elsewhere, this discussion is not about volume setting or my competency as a rasika. It is about a big issue in the way mridangam is played.
I don't remember seeing you in this concert. Anyway I walked out.

[Nick H]

For the millionth time...

The mridangists who want to be loud are the ones that can be counted on the fingers. not the other way around.

The burning issue is not the mridangists, although sure, you may have had a bad experience of a few as we all have. The problem is with the sound management. Or rather, the unsound management.

There is a fault on the part of the artists: the complete inability to understand that what the audience hears is not what they hear. Sadly, they also do not understand that, if they can't hear, that is no excuse to cause pain to the audience. Don't they know we are there to enjoy their music, not to suffer?

If they can't hear, then they, too, should be blaming the sound set up, and if it cannot be fixed they should live with it, not make us suffer.

So I am not holding the artists (all of them: to explicitly blame the mridangist always is unfair) responsible, but I am not saying that they are blame free either.

The burning issue in CM is that the audience really doesn't care about the actual quality of the sound.

This may be partly because of another burning issue: the average age of the audience, a byproduct of which is that we are loosing our hearing. But then... The sound thing makes me even madder because yes, I am loosing my hearing quite fast, and I don't want dangerous (they regularly are; install a sound level app on your phone!) volume levels making it worse.

[balavenu]

Bala,
I was making a point about noise. As I have stated here and elsewhere, this discussion is not about volume setting or my competency as a rasika. It is about a big issue in the way mridangam is played.
I don't remember seeing you in this concert. Anyway I walked out.

No I was not there. As mentioned, it was my family and some friends that attended. I understand the point you make here. Just shows tastes are subjective if I go by the comments of people I spoke to.

[shankarank]

Each Mridangist has a hand - or "kai" as they say. It is skin to skin - unique. So even if we compare , we take one aspect and observe what as a rasika we feel against each one of them - not that we say one is better than the other.

And in this music, to dwell into subjectivity, rasikas are varied in their outlook - for a decade most people tuned to Maharajapuram Santhanam and he was the Ghantasala of Carnatic music. Nothing wrong with that. Incidentally some people from karnataka gave him very up marks on clarity of words ( given that he doesn't complicate his music too much).

And I just heard from a prominent musical family member how Dhanammal herself did not like the intrusion of Mridangam that much.

So all of this exists together in a big tent.

But the burning issues are:

People walked out of the most Saukyam filled Mridangam in the Mecca of music as of 2002 - granted there was no internet and TS was in Canada.
They were all not the diabetic senior sugar cravers - the speed with which the exodus was made - through the lower exit negotiating the stairs - as even TS waited for them to leave - is proof enough that they were all young and able Sugar cravers! So I wouldn't take such apologies from Sashikiran!

And what to say of most who stayed back? Shall we say they were waiting for Thukkadas?

If all these varied people were just left to their whims and fancies and music kept happening - no issues. But an articulate, privileged , English educated artiste goes to the media discussing aesthetics after calling Arunagirinathars work as poems which were set to music in 20th century , in his book and asking questions like "Do we have an instrumental Story?" as if when instruments were very much there on the stage - they didn't have a story to tell!!

He presents himself as the purveyor of Aesthetics to the media to attract attention of the new rootless intelligentsia when most within have ignored the large of piece of aesthetic edifice staring from (sounding from ) right or left of their faces (ears).

And in the latest interview calls those artistes who do not engage with people at large - as frauds! As though we do not have enough of social engineering from government and we need the artiste clowns in the mix?

And we go ga ga over this , discussing "What if the <artiste> runs the Canteen" and stuff - and don't have the wherewithal to stop him in his tracks and shut him up!

I will give you the answer : if he runs the Canteen - all of the people will end up there making even a faster exodus! What a bunch of...!!

He has also called for bringing the Parai from Urur Olcott into the Mecca! Why not ? The people need their ears pierced all the way to the Canteen before some sense hits them!

Into this we drag AriyakuDi format into the discussion!! What a distraction and loss of substance??!!

அழ அழ சொல்லுவார் தாயார், சிரிக்க சிரிக்க சொல்லுவார் புரவி ( Mother pleads crying, others tell you laughing)

[Rsachi]

Shankarank,
Your writing fascinates me. I don't understand much of it but I feel reassured that you understand so many things!

[shankarank]

If you are enjoying music , enjoy the music you like. If you don't like a particular way of presentation, avoid it and listen to others who are within your parameters.

If you start discussing aesthetics in generic terms in public domain, then rest assured that you will be questioned and people will be after you!

All of it boils down to that podcast and the discussion we had there: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=24554

A musicologist is no more an isolated entity to be ignored - he may have been when people just listened and enjoyed their music and derived knowledge from it on their own.

Now knowledge production happens in so many places. This musicologist travels all the way and has given talks and seminars in universities like SMU.

http://faculty.smu.edu/slindqui/page1/ ( Search his name!)


Your own children or Children of your relatives will hear this not from him, but his views making it's way into text books. Do you know how many children get seats into prestigious colleges taking Music as Major ( because they played XYZ instrument) , with an intent to actually doing Medicine at the end??

And these Children are the potential sources of Funding for most Non-Profits that are going to run the future musical Endeavors!

Here is a list of topics discussed in such universities as well!:

http://sarii.org/events.html

[shankarank]

And we have pin drop silence in this thread :

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30084.

We have no perspectives to develop a discussion?

I think that is a strategically great endeavor - that will keep the children in touch with our heritage!

At least some context is created where we can tell the story of Mridangam later on!

[arasi]

Sachi,
saukyAntaka, nAda bhayankara, karNa bhanjana and nAda bhEda prachaNDa are my most favorite ones
My own experience (inexperienced though I am in the department ):

Nick,
Yes, it's at times a matter of mics and their manipulators (or not). A concert some years ago of Malladi Bros. I wanted to go. It was even more appealing because Tiruchy Sankaran played. Got good seats. Couldnt take the noise for more than twenty minutes.I fled to the wings, still couldn't bear the blitz, so, to the exit..A clear case of mic mischief:(
Then there are the noise thirsty (or noise fire burning in them) who ruin it for me...
Going back to primitive times (in sound), PMI playing, Palani Subbudu, later, Ramabhadran, Guruvayur Dorai, Mannargudi Easwaran and more...
Ananthakrishnan? No noise, only exuberance which appeals to me. Minimalist Arun Prakash when he plays, Manoj Siva, Mannarkoil Balaji, Neyveli Venkatesh and more...

shankarank,
You gave a nice twist to the old saying which goes like this: azha azha solluvAr tammar, sirikka sirikka solluvAr piRar: your own folks will say things which may make you cry, but they care. Others may say things which may please you no end, but they may not mean what they say...
அழ அழச் சொல்லுவார் த‌ம்மர், சிரிக்க சிரிக்க சொல்லுவார் பிறர்...

[Rsachi]

Arasi,
Your posts are always the dessert in the buffet of posts. Welcome!

[kvchellappa]

You meant either dessert or oasis!

[Rsachi]

Sir, auto correction! I also saw it before I saw your comment

[Sivaramakrishnan]

The artists including the Mridangist normally demand adjustment in amplification based on the feedback from the monitor speakers placed on the stage.(this was not common in earlier times) and hence may not be aware of the decibel levels in the 'receiving end' unless the audience respond. So it has to be sort of a willingness from those on stage to arrive at a 'consensus' to strike a balance. Needless to say percussionists can 'sacrifice' a bit here.
Our vidwans who go gaga on sound balancing at venues abroad perhaps take things for granted homeland. Let them insist such preparatory exercises well ahead of concerts.

Last but not the least, rasikas should also cooperate with soundmen (many of them are quite good) by not pestering with multiple ideas!

[kvchellappa]

I read how Mr Sadasivam will get feedback from various places in the hall about sound through some volunteers.
Now singers say they do not sing for the audience!
One singer wanted the volume down and the violin became prominent. When I raised the issue with the organiser, he said that the singer insisted on low volume despite audience response.

[sureshvv]

Some organizers get pestered by many audience members wanting different things that they prefer to blame the artistes once they are mostly happy

[Nick H]

Needless to say percussionists can 'sacrifice' a bit here.

They like to get the feedback of their own sound, without which it feels a bit like playing into a black hole, but what is most vital to accompanists is that they can hear the people they are accompanying. If they can't, their task is impossible. Their western-classical counterparts could, probably, get by with their sheet music, the conductor, and keeping count of the beat: they know what to play when, it is written down for them.

Our vidwans who go gaga on sound balancing at venues abroad perhaps take things for granted homeland. Let them insist such preparatory exercises well ahead of concerts.

The may be able to go gaga in [previously-]developed nations like the USA, but in the UK they are usually stuck with sound systems and sound guys whose regular job is blasting the ear-destroying music at weddings --- that is all they know how to do and all their equipment (often grossly over-powered) is good for.

Last but not the least, rasikas should also cooperate with soundmen (many of them are quite good) by not pestering with multiple ideas!

Rasikas suffering in silence has not worked in the past, and it won't work in the future.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Thanks Nick for exposing the state of affairs.

Here're a few more points:
'In earlier times', as well known, no mikes were provided for Mridangam. I(60) have listened to many such concerts and no M. Vidwan complained. May be they could 'play their hands out' as the 'risk' of amplification was almost nil. This could bring lot of azhuttham in their hands. PMI and PRaghu worked wonders with the 'Toppi' (Idanthalai or left side) even then. Can you imagine a routine concert of today without an exclusive mike for the toppi? Amplification for percussion shouldn't spoil their skill. In many instances the sound of the Ghatam dominates and there's none to point it out. That means all those 'stage monitors' do not serve the purpose.

Some other 'Tamashas':
*the automatic procedure of stepping up the volume of percussion during Tani
* volume level of Kanjira not monitored as it already supplements the Toppi of Mridangam.
* a talented Morsing artist (if there's one on stage) invariably would steal, if not swallow the show with a variety of 'sound and mouth effects'. An exhilarated sound-boy would to be stepping up the volume of morsing even without the knowledge of others!!
* percussionists 'go to any length' to impress with torrential Teermanams. The lead artist and violinist tolerate as it adds up to the overall effect!

[Rsachi]

Gents, I saw a very recent Youtube livecast video with two mridangams. I could sense the vast difference in playing styles that impacted Saukhyam and enhancing the song (Positives) and a senseless, jalra effect (Negative).

Let me restate my premise. We are trying to tackle many peripheral issues while the real problem of "noise as mridangam accompaniment" pervades a majority of concerts.

[KNV1955]

Sachi I just glanced thro the post.I didn't read all the comments. You have talked of noise being the burning issue with Mridangam. Have you heard of noiseless Mridangam. Yes there are some specialising this style. Majority of the vocalists seem to prefer such accompanists. Having heard Mani Iyer embellishing Ariyakudi music & later Raghu for KVN music, the present state of Mridangists role in CM is sad to say the least. I don't know whether it is because of vocalists or low standard of Mridangist.

[Rsachi]

Dear KNV,
When a mridangist bangs on, regardless of the sangatis, pauses, emphasis given to certain phrases, and even the tempo of the sahitya being sung (ie he is playing jalra types of beats in durita kalam when the song is being sung in a majestic madhyama kalam), I feel a burning sensation all over.

I have heard Sri. Palghat Mani Iyer and other greats from '50s. And in that era, not even an ordinary mridangist played such stuff. If anything, they erred on the side of minimalism. Also they had no mics.

I imagine that even Sri. KVN, the epitome of ahimsa and shanti, would stare down the mridangist if such an occasion ever arose.

Today we have all become immune to this situation. So sorry.

[shankarank]

Unless you name some names - it is not possible to have a good discussion. I suggested some names. OK lets take the names I suggested themselves - as I have heard it myself - just for the sake of discussion. Abhishek's style of singing draws Patri to do those things actually. So it depends on specific context whether overbearing approach is acceptable or not.

So unless you name names - I cannot respond to your complaint.

Making generic statements does not help! and for those who come into the concert with an attitude of "I want hear this nice melody - sounding sweet" - "who is this Mridangist interfering with my pleasure" should rather listen to such home recorded videos available on youtube without any accompaniment - staying home themselves.

அவர்கள் வீட்டில் பாடியதை நீங்கள் வீட்டிலேயே இருந்து கேட்டுக்கொள்ளலாம்!

Carnatic music ( which came after karnataka music) is not just melody! Infact gamaka will belong to layam column - since it is off Sruti anyways - if you get my drift

[RaviSri]

A humourous aside relevant to this discussion:

It was Semmangudi's concert in the mid 1980s at the Mylapore Fine Arts. Unfortunately, the Pitamaha did not have Ramabhadran or Sivaraman or Trichy Sankaran on that day. They were all busy at other sabhas. The Pitamaha had taken his own sweet time to say yes to MFAC that year, resulting in the bigwigs, who were his usual accompanists committing themselves elsewhere. One of the wise men of the Fine Arts decided on a banger, rather a blaster to accompany the elderly musician and that was the first time the banger was accompanying the Pitamaha. Bang and blast the youngster did. Then he was a youngster, now he is a senior banger. The Pitamaha not in the least amused by the violence heaped upon the poor instrument as also on himself and the audience blurted out at the end of the third song, "EnDA, mridangatha eLayA, mUthA puLLaya shAttara mAdiri shAttare?" (Hey, why do you bang the mridangam like the second wife thrashing the son of the first wife). Absolutely funny translation this, but what to do, how can poor English bring out the exquisite sugandham of the Kumbhakonam Cauvery that was the Pitamaha's comment? Suffice it to say that the banger cum blaster sulked thereafter and his poor mridangam heaved a sigh of relief, at least for the day, though the instrument knew that in the coming days and years it would be mauled beyond recognition. Its fate was sealed when it was born, what to do!

[shankarank]

Semmangudi @ that age would require some consideration won't he? But again your description fits at least 2 artistes. Since no names are named - I cannot offer counter examples. 80s and 90s were times when music went through tough times - as the pipeline dried up. Youngsters were trying to organize their own - but music was not strong enough.

One youngster - then youngster, now Senior ( I will withhold name now! - I can say not TMK) even commented privately - what is all this Bhakti stuff? Music means sing the rAgA, sing the song, do neraval, and do svarams .

And senior connoisseurs would promote SSI to us saying - mAmA.. pATTa perisa pADa mATTAr - svaram pODa vanduDuvAr! (SSI will not dwell too much on kriti , he will rush to do svarams - his forte!)

So method became the truth , and the ground on which the method stood became shaky. So it did not matter if the Mridangists banged or remained silent!

[Nick H]

Never a bad idea to have a good rant about sound systems and the sound men!

But, it appears that Sachi's complaint is about bad playing. I still feel that the gentlest can, and often are, be made to sound overbearing and awful.

Certainly, some mridangists can play insensitively, and certainly some get in the habit of exuberance. The only thing I can say about those who are senior and set in the ways of exuberance is that senior artists are not without a say in who accompanies them, so those mridangists must have pleased, and continue to please, somebody.

[arasi]

Nick,
Meanwhile--

That somebody doesn't know
That some of us often feel like
Bodily removing big bang players
From the stage--nandi dEvA even...

We beg...
We are not at a tAla vAdyA concert,
It's a vocal concert, do you mind?
Play along, enhance, show your skill
In the tani, adorn the concert, surely!
Keep it short, laudable--not LOUD

[shankarank]

We are all giving feedback without naming names. Who is it addressed to and under what context?.

I will say one thing : There was a period of apathy that probably continues now (artistes and rasikas both - you pick)- that a flashy/banging play gets applause and most people don't otherwise get the nuances of music. Insecurity around who is important and who is big - projecting themselves. Who will you blame for this?

This attitude actually was observed with important insiders (quoting the likely bangsters!) - to arangEtram youngsters and their amateur accompanist adults that, music is just a show - as long as we prepare and present to impress, it will be a success!! As most are clueless - meaning they cannot identify rAGAs ( that is another interesting evaluation criteria!)

Also what is the state of affairs on the side of sariest jwelleriars? Any commentary?

[RaviSri]

But again your description fits at least 2 artistes. Since no names are named

If you are particular about the name of the banger mentioned, sorry. But I can give you a clue. If you can, guess. Here it is: Semmangudi has sung a song in the raga vamshavati.

There are a lot of mridangam tales, some humorous, some like my post above. If you want I can narrate them.

[kvchellappa]

I guessed as much. Pl narrate the tales. I can understand them better than music.

[shankarank]

Before you deny that you understand music, you must already understand what it means by "understanding music"? Can you enlighten me? I don't understand!

RaviSri : 'ssh..Sh...Sh..."

[melam72]

If you are particular about the name of the banger mentioned, sorry. But I can give you a clue. If you can, guess. Here it is: Semmangudi has sung a song in the raga vamshavati.

Also the name of the Tamil Nadu (Madras State) Chief Minister from 1963 to 1967.

[melam72]

I guessed as much. Pl narrate the tales. I can understand them better than music.

This happened very recently.

A mridangist from the Land of the Bhoo Varaha (coincidence? I think not!), engaged in wedlock with the offspring of a certain author Bashyam Iyengar, and the father of a Raghavendra who decided Ragha-vendaam, was playing for another young'un from the fair vales of Irvine, CA in a hall in Madras in a certain Mylapore Library.

As the acoustics in the hall were bad, this Mridangist Of Bhoo Varaha's mridangam was heard very loudly. A few audience members asked The Father of Raghavendaam's mike to be reduced.

Just like the Temple of the Bhoo Varaha appeared as a swayambhoo stalam, his anger erupted as a volcano. He employed a certain selection of words perhaps fit not for the Pettah of Raos, but the Purams of Raos, which, despite his name, he (the mridangist) does not belong to.

It is no surprise, thus, that the mridangam during the Tani Avartanam was reduced to Some-Mush-Num.

At that moment, my mother in law remarked 'Paavam. Ippadi Mridangama pottu adicha avanoda aathukkaariya eppadi adippano?' One cannot help but thus emphasise with his wife, She Who Rejoices In The Name Of Lotus, The Daughter Of Bashyam Iyengar, who, one can imagine, can become 'aattu kari' in the hands of The Man Of Bhoo Varaha.

Can someone from his hometown (like a deity in a temple ) save them???

[Rsachi]

RaviSri,
Your story had me in splits. MORE!?
WOWOWOWOWOW.

PLEAAAASEEEE tell them, tell them all, tell them now, tell them here.

[Rsachi]

Shankarank,
Your story telling is like that of a kid narrating a suspense thriller by telling you first who did it and subsequently unsuccessfully attempting to confuse you or hold the suspense by obfuscation.

I have unravelled all those clues.
Did you mean empathetically ?

[Rsachi]

And by the way, have you stopped beating your wife? (question on behalf of aforementioned mother in law).

[Nick H]

a hall in Madras in a certain Mylapore Library.

Look, what happens in Sastri Hall stays in Sastri Hall, right?

Oh, wait, no... If a certain guy is operating the sound system, what happens in Sastri Hall can be heard in Vani Mahal.

[melam72]

Shankarank,
Your story telling is like that of a kid narrating a suspense thriller by telling you first who did it and subsequently unsuccessfully attempting to confuse you or hold the suspense by obfuscation.

I have unravelled all those clues.
Did you mean empathetically ?

Firstly, it is Melam72

It was a deliberate attempt to conceal the identity of This Mridangam Beater, the concert, and all details sui generis. I do not intend to cast aspersions on the intelligence on the members of the forum. It was also motivated by the desires of my wife that, in her words, 'the thali hangs from my neck for a long time and you aren't killed by a bunch of mamas outside Mylapore Fine Arts or wherever' by labelling these people.

Yes, I did mean empathetically. Age is catching up with me...

[melam72]

And by the way, have you stopped beating your wife? (question on behalf of aforementioned mother in law).

Rsachi...

It was always the other way around. I am being beaten by my wife with a variety of instruments (from lemon juice squeezers to red-hot karandis). The only thing I have beaten my wife at till now is the amount I fall sick!

[Rsachi]

Sorry, Melam72, when your and Shankarank's posts come fast and furious, I get mixed.

My mobile doesn't show the full post with the poster's name.

[shankarank]

Shankarank,

If you actually read "MY" post - you would know the sense of my speech vs. the rest.

[Rsachi]

Okokokok.