Margazhi Maha Utsavam 2018 Q&A Session

[sureshvv]

The Q&A session of the MMU is a much awaited part of the program where the artistes answer questions posed to them.

Will try to recap some of them here.

It seems that the questions thrown to the youngsters (the 4.45pm program) follow a set pattern.

1. If you could spend a whole day with any artiste living or dead, who would it be and why?
2. If you had to spend a whole day just practicing 3 ragas, what would they be?
3. If you had to spend a whole day with any of your contemporary artistes, who would it be?

Answers provided by Jayanth
----------------------------------------
1. Late Sri Flute Sankaran Sir, his grandfather. Because he could learn so many things (music and otherwise) that he postponed for later.
2. Thodi, Kapi, Sindhubhairavi
3. L.Ramakrishnan

Answers provided by Amirtha Murali
-------------------------------------------------
1. M.S.Subbalakshmi. As a role model for life.
2. Sankarabharanam came immediately. Bhairavi and Kalyani followed after some thought.
3. Nisha Rajagopal

[ganeshkant]

Deleted

[sureshvv]

Sriranjani Santhanagopalan

Questions slightly modified.

1. Only people no longer aluve
2. 1 Rakthi, 1 Ghana & 1 Vivadi raga. Todi not allowed.

Answers;

1. Sethalapathi Balu. For his viruttams, tamil pronunciation & interaction with her dad. She mentioned that she had learned a couple of songs from him at age 12.

2. Begada, Bhairavi & Vagadeeswari

3. Sai Giridhar & B.Ananthakrishnan who accompanied her on her recent US tour

[sureshvv]

Vignesh Easwar

Slight twist on questions and their order.

2. 2 non-ghana ragas
3. Place that you would like to visit rich in musical tradition

Answers

1. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
2. Behag & Darbari. Was requested to sing a bit of each and he readily obliged and drew huge applause.
3. Salzburg, Austria. Because he liked Sound of Music. He did mention Mozart afterwards. Also mentioned that he had never visited Kanchipuram, Madurai etc. although from Chennai and would like to.

[kvchellappa]

Interesting.

[SrinathK]

Vignesh Easwar

Slight twist on questions and their order.

2. 2 non-ghana ragas
3. Place that you would like to visit rich in musical tradition

Answers

1. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
2. Behag & Darbari. Was requested to sing a bit of each and he readily obliged and drew huge applause.
3. Salzburg, Austria. Because he liked Sound of Music. He did mention Mozart afterwards. Also mentioned that he had never visited Kanchipuram, Madurai etc. although from Chennai and would like to.

I was at this concert. The really mocking and condescending tone of that questioner aside, she said something like "You know, my ears are torn and bleeding always listening to Thodi and Bhairavi. So tell me some non-ghana rAgas you like" -- as if she was being really funny and boosting TRP ratings.

I would have probably told that bird brain that plastic surgery can reattach her ears and just to test the repair, it should be subjected to Thodi and Bhairavi for a week (in good humor of course). Now that is funny.

Why let the stage sink to this level of cringeworthy?

[Sachi_R]

There is this story of a fisherwoman that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to tell. She goes to the fair in the next village and is delayed. She has to find a place for the night to rest and lands up in the porch of a flower seller's home. She finds the smell of flowers overpowering and almost "bleeds from her nose." Miserable, she sprinkles some water on her fish basket which releases a fine fishy odour and at last she can go to sleep in comfort.

[kvchellappa]

New themes in MMU - surreptitious ones! Surpanakha garva bangam and Matsyavataram!

[sureshvv]

Why let the stage sink to this level of cringeworthy?

Light Banter?

You may be over reacting. Subhashree has a bit of an irreverential streak and it was done in good humor. I think her antipathy was not against the ragas themselves, it was more because they comprise the stock answer to her question.

[SrinathK]

Why let the stage sink to this level of cringeworthy?

Light Banter?

You may be over reacting. Subhashree has a bit of an irreverential streak and it was done in good humor. I think her antipathy was not against the ragas themselves, it was more because they comprise the stock answer to her question.

Oops. I confess I had no idea who the questioner was -- the only thing I ever watch on TV these days are tennis and F1. MMU and it's thematic concerts wouldn't be around without her, or the coverage of the Cleveland aradhana or older stuff like Sapthaswarangal - as a matter of fact, I don't even think CM would have emerged out of Doordarshan otherwise. I totally acknowledge that.

Still, that was a lame attempt at trying to crack a joke.

Anyway, we'll see every concert's list of Q&A on TV down the road.