Aruna Sairam

Carnatic Musicians
Post Reply
mohan
Posts: 2806
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 16:52

Post by mohan »

Here is an podcast of an interview with Aruna Sairam that aired on ABC radio - recorded in Melbourne, Australia
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/ ... 080614.mp3

greatkrishna
Posts: 37
Joined: 07 Sep 2007, 05:59

Post by greatkrishna »

wow...what a jarring accent......

a rough mix of indian and US....

mohan
Posts: 2806
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 16:52

Post by mohan »

There is surely an American twang there! I have never noticed it before when speaking to her in person however. Maybe it comes automatically for her when speaking to non-Indians.
Last edited by mohan on 11 Jul 2008, 10:54, edited 1 time in total.

shankarabharanam
Posts: 296
Joined: 24 Apr 2006, 09:12

Post by shankarabharanam »

But it's so unnatural.. I guess artist could be natural when they give an interview...Anyone who listens to this can make out that she is trying had to push an accent...I mean there is no need to say guurruu(as she stresses in this interview), i guess foreign nationals will understand Indian accent...Artist sound funny when they speak in such forsed accents

Music
Posts: 149
Joined: 21 Jul 2006, 20:25

Post by Music »

There is really no need to distort the pronunciation of Indian words like guru, Thanjavur etc. Other than that I thought it was neat that she could speak in a non-Indian accent. If the program mainly had non-Indian audience, she might have reached out to them better with this accent. Some people do have the ability to change accents easily. Some of her words had an American accent, but for some she used an accent similar to the interviewer (happens if you tend to easily pick up the accent of people around you).
On the other had, we have so many ways of speaking English in India depending on which state you are from. If one of the Indian languages was spoken internationally like English, we would not even have had to try another accent.
Last edited by Music on 11 Jul 2008, 21:26, edited 1 time in total.

vasanthakokilam
Posts: 10956
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Post by vasanthakokilam »

I am with Music on this. I thought she did a great job in that interview, talked slowly and deliberately in an easy to understand manner, representing carnatic music honorably to an audience that is not familiar with it. The host was good as well. I especially liked Aruna's presence of mind and initiative to say a few words of thanks before singing the last piece. The host was setting it up with his remarks as the last words but it was a much nicer finish with Aruna speaking the concluding words and then singing the last piece.

Many of you may be familiar with Nic Harcourt's Morning Becomes Eclectic show on KCRW 89.9 FM ( http://www.kcrw.com/ ) or David Dye's World Cafe on WFUV ( http://www.wfuv.org/programs/worldcafe.html ). You get to hear some music in these programs that you do not bump into normally and it is a great venue to discover some new music. Aruna would be a great guest in either one of the above programs. This show's format reminded me of that and I have never heard before a carnatic musician interviewed on such music/interview format radio program. Very nice.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

Smt Aruna Sairam did a great job, every question had a very enthusiastic response.Perhaps she is putting an accent , but certainly more native aussies are going to appreciate CM nuances and start listening to concerts , offcourse the first step would be to buy her cd's . In my opinion , arunA sairam is a kind of personality who knows how to sell to unsold audiences. Keep it up that is a big plus

However when she mentions that one sings a main for an hour to hour and half , I was just thinking when she sang like that in a concert .Ofcourse she never explicitly said she sang such an elaborate main, how beautiful is spoken english I am sure most of them would assume she sings for an hour to hour and half main. Has anyone heard her singing that padam ever in a live cm concert .I have surely not.

I vaguely recollect in early to mid eighties how smt aruna sairam started singing where her style of singing was more in line with Smt BrindA-Muktha bAni .Kind of slow moving but nevertheless not well received by majority of audience .That was arunA sairam then. We all must have been asking Who is arunA sairam?

A sudden introspection bringing in a mAdu meikum kannA to please below 12 year old ,gambeera nAttai thillAna to please above 18 , and a enna kavi pAdinAlum(madurai sOmu drops) to please above 40 rasikAs, and a torrent of abhangs to cover all the rasikas who slipped with the above category. Now We all ask where is arunA sairam singing?

One day I am looking forward to hear a 90 minute main rendition .Will that ever happen , will keep my fingers crossed.
All said and done ,A truly transformational musician , hats off to her strategy and shrewd concert performing ability to draw crowds .

ArunA sairam co-performers :( envy, sabhas :) pride now taking a cool kangaroo :cool: ride.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 11 Jul 2008, 23:13, edited 1 time in total.

vasanthakokilam
Posts: 10956
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Post by vasanthakokilam »

On the English accent, I can understand a native speaker of English sensing her English to be a bit 'accented'. The right characterization is that her english is less accented than the typical Indian english accent.

VK RAMAN
Posts: 5009
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Post by VK RAMAN »

Which accent is acceptable to the majority? Is it gauged by minority or majority following?

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Forget the accents--Aruna is a great communicator and she has panache. May be a word here and there, but she can be understood by people all over the world.

Rajesh,
Yes, yes, yes. Did you not hear her on the mArgazhi mahA utsavam? She acknowledged that she has changed the course of her singing career or something to that effect, thanking her husband and a family friend for guiding her in that area.

sureshvv
Posts: 5523
Joined: 05 Jul 2007, 18:17

Post by sureshvv »

arasi wrote:Forget the accents--Aruna is a great communicator and she has panache. .
Absolutely! In smaller venues, she is something else. She makes eye contact and holds it when singing giving you the feeling that she is singing just for you, making you even forget the mama with the B.O. putting thappu thalam on the next seat, not to mention the other couple hundered in the hall :-)

Too bad her repertoire has stagnated in the last couple years!
Last edited by sureshvv on 12 Jul 2008, 11:29, edited 1 time in total.

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »


arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Kudos to Aruna Sairam!

devidas
Posts: 6
Joined: 14 Jan 2009, 13:31

Post by devidas »

Padma Shri award has been announced for Aruna Sairam. Congrats for her. Probably the only person from CM field this year!

srinivasrgvn
Posts: 1013
Joined: 30 Nov 2008, 07:46

Post by srinivasrgvn »

devidas, even the Dhananjayans of Bharatanatyam fame are listed for Padma Bhushan.

srinivasrgvn
Posts: 1013
Joined: 30 Nov 2008, 07:46

Post by srinivasrgvn »

mohan! This link is dead. It reports a message like this:
Not Found

The requested URL /rn/podcast/current/audioonly/msw_20080614.mp3 was not found on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

Please help me ASAP.

cienu
Posts: 2387
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 11:40

Post by cienu »

Congratulations to Smt Aruna Sairam :)
Last edited by cienu on 26 Jan 2009, 21:35, edited 1 time in total.

VK RAMAN
Posts: 5009
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Post by VK RAMAN »

May Lord give her many more years of divine music rendition

VK RAMAN
Posts: 5009
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Post by VK RAMAN »

Moderator: it seems we have same topic started some where else and I suggest we merge both into one - see post 6 under General section.
Last edited by VK RAMAN on 27 Jan 2009, 04:12, edited 1 time in total.

thanjavooran
Posts: 2972
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Post by thanjavooran »

Congrats! Aruna sairam. A very nice honor. propa-gate more abhangs.
Thanjavooran

saranya
Posts: 30
Joined: 18 Jul 2008, 15:19

Post by saranya »

Happy that Smt Aruna Sairam has been awarder Padmasree. Expecting Padmabhushan and many more in the near future.

vallaki
Posts: 81
Joined: 02 Jul 2009, 20:45

Post by vallaki »

I still recall the first time I was listening to the Ranganatha Ashtakam followed by Kankal etharko on my ipod. It was simply blissful.
I Still get goose pimples listening to that !!!

I am truly grateful to artists like her.The world is surely enriched by their music.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

Nice writeup , especially the lines "I lost a few audience who were patronising me during my initial years. But instead, I gained thousands of audience from all walks of life. ". I wish aruna reaches and beats maharajapuram santhanam of 1980's and 1990's in terms of crowd pull (records are meant to be broken). In any case she must be all time no #2 atleast from 1970's in terms of rasikas crowd.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/08/18/stories ... 490200.htm

I would agree with the line "Singing in Madras highly demanding"
Last edited by rajeshnat on 18 Aug 2009, 12:09, edited 1 time in total.

Ramasubramanian M.K
Posts: 1226
Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33

Post by Ramasubramanian M.K »

Being a late-comer to the forum,I may be indulged if I join the Aruna Sairam foray rather late.

I think all the previous posts have adequately covered her style,'panache'(to quote Arasi),her popularity etc. I thought I could take readers down memory lane.

As readers know she grew up in Bombay--my father and Aruna's father (the late Sethuraman) have been friends for over 50 years--Mr. Sethuraman and his wife Rajalakshmi were an extraordinarily graceful couple who made supporting -- music and struggling artistes-- their life mission.Example:

In the late forties or early fifties(the exact year escapes me),,my father was invited by Mr.Sethuraman to his house in Matunga,Bombay and was introduced to a shy-,self-effacing artiste in his Mid-twenties.He had just come from Madras to explore opportunities in Bombay to pursue his career--mainly teaching and performing if chances arose. Apparently the young man had not gotten much traction in Chennai because he did not know people in high places,was too modest and self-effacing. Sethuraman family hosted the young man despite the fact that they had a small growing family of their own,arranged tuition sessions, a few chamber concerts--although my father was a good friend his influence in Shanmukhananda could not land this young man an opportunity to perform--those were the days when the SSI-MMI-Ariyakudi-GNB-MSS-DKP flags were flying aloft virtually choking opportuinities for struggling but talented artistes. My sister was taught a few songs by the young man.The Sethuramans were solid backers of the young man who returned to Madras to resume his struggles. But that detour to Bombay and the timely patronage of the Sethuraman family helped boost the morale of the young man. Although he did not hit the concert circuit much he found a 'niche' of admirers and sustained himself and for the last two decades has attained a stature and respect befitting his talents and is a regular fixture amongst the honorees in several music establishments in Chennai--his compositions are being sung regularly in concerts.

THAT YOUNG MAN IS THANJAVOOR SANKARA IYER!!
To this day I am convinced but for the Sethuraman Family's trust and support ,the CM world would not have recognized a great artiste/composer like Tanjavoor Sankara Iyer.

Mr. Sethuraman himself had an impeccable refined taste and loved the Brinda Muktha bani--they in turn having been convinced of Sethuraman's genuine allegiance to their style took Aruna under their wings. In those days no amount of money or influence would have coaxed the B-M sisters to undertake coaching students unless the followers were willing to be "slaves" to the School. Aruna to her credit took the tutelage seriously and tried to adhere to the bani--however,I do not know what made her switch the bani nor do I know how the B-M sisters reacted to the changes in her style. But I do know that Aruna did the right thing in making adjustments so that she could still be traditional and yet breezy and innovative.

To echo one of the previous posts on this topic, Aruna certainly did more to "broaden" the listener base of CM without deviating from tradition and trying silly experiments, than her contemporaries did. In fact I would say she built upon the Maharajapuram Santhanam formula of capturing a larger listener base than a stodgy adherence would have fetched.

I know there are purists who frown upon the abandonment of hoary styles and traditions like the Dhanammal bani,but the result in this case has benefitted the listening public without in any way detracting from the Dhanamma Bani constituents.

A story about how the B-M sisters showed their passion for their Bani.

In the late Sixties, B-M sisters had been engaged by Shanmukhananda Sabha to perform. One of their pupils(who subsequently became the head of the Sabha's music school) was a good friend of my father and was my Guru for 1 week!!(the tuition was interrupted by my mother's accident which put a stop to my learning attempts-HOw lucky the CM Music scene is today because of the turning point!!! I was sitting with my Guru chatting with Brindammaabout their days at the Carnatic Music College in Mylapore/Adyar . Then without any prior notice or introduction a middle-aged gentleman(about fortyish) barges in gushing about how much he has heard about the bani and wishing to learn a few padams so that' he could round off his repertoire"--his voice perhaps out of excitement was high-pitched. brindamma patiently but mischievously enquired about his background of learning to which the genthleman rattled off how he is an eclectic person and how he likes all banis--MS,GNB Semmangudi and how he has learnt their songs etc etc.--brindamma would from time to time ask him who else has he learnt from!! The gentleman went on and on thinking he could impress Brindamma with his penchant for broadening his repertoire and his enthusiasm etc. Brindamma turns around to her disciple(my guru) and raising his eyebrows tells him" See, how much he has learnt and said did you notice that he has a "Stage Voice"(now for readers who are not into the Vishamam of Vidwans and their lingos--Stage Voice means the person merely shouts and not sing-- a take-off from the old Drama days when there would be no mike and the singer has to literally shout to be heard in the back rows!!)--the gentleman thought it to be a compliment!!!. Then she becomes serious and tells the person that because he has already established himself with the other teachers he should continue to follow their styles and ended up saying in Tamil

" Nanga Banikunnu Usirai Vidaravanga(We give our lives to our Bani!!),namakku othuvaradu!!

They really cared about their Bani and their pupils adherence to it. Once they were convinced I myself have seen several cases where they literally unlocked their rare treasures of Dikshitar compositions and rare Padams and taught them to stidents who swore allegiance to the bani and still do.

As I said before how they would have reacted to Aruna' s switching styles I would not venture to guess-but I am sure they may not have been too happy!! At the same time I also believe that Aruna did the best thing for herself as well as the hordes of rasikas who otherwise would have been lost to CM.

VK RAMAN
Posts: 5009
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Post by VK RAMAN »

I like your memoirs. Please do share with us. Better late than never!

shriroop
Posts: 49
Joined: 17 Apr 2008, 14:32

Post by shriroop »

Aruna Sairam is one of the top singer in the field of carnatic Music today. One perticular album of her by name 'MAA', a collection of songs on Godess Durga in different Indian languages is one of my favorite Albums. This is released by Music Today. I have a collection of a large number of her Albums and according to me it is worth a collection.

I visit December season at Chennai and last year it was really difficult to fetch a ticker for her concert at Music Academy.

Shriroop

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by rshankar »

And let the comments flow: http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/04/02/stor ... 210200.htm
Don't be shy! ]:)

bilahari
Posts: 2631
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:02

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by bilahari »

OH GOD.
"The integrity of the music", they say?!

semmu86
Posts: 960
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:39

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by semmu86 »

OH NO ..

VK RAMAN
Posts: 5009
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by VK RAMAN »

United in diversity - a core principle in Dakshin sampradaya bhajan - has been well represented in this concert.

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by arasi »

Ravi,
A tough one for me. I have mixed feelings about this.
Aruna Sairam's singing for a cause--nothing less than for senior care makes me feel that:
She is an artiste who cares about seniors.
Singing in different languages is a good thing. Speaks of national unity.
The more they sell tickets, the more the cause benefits. She is a good draw at the box office and that is great.
Such high-priced tickets? Again, a good thing. Many who could afford them bought them and it was good for the cause. Did all the rich people who bought them attend the concert? Some did not, but they did'nt mind or better still, gave them to those who like her music but could not afford the tickets.
One thing I know for sure is that the organizers could have spent less money on the hoopla (how much of it went for the stage decor alone?)--by which I mean, every penny they saved would have meant, more for the seniors. Then again, 'lavish' is the mantra these days.
As for the review, all those who went to the concert and all those who wanted to but couldn't would have appreciated it.

thenpaanan
Posts: 635
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 19:45

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by thenpaanan »

rshankar wrote:And let the comments flow: http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/04/02/stor ... 210200.htm
Don't be shy! ]:)
Whatever one may think of the list of songs presented, one has to admit that singing in Italian of all languages requires some intestinal fortitude. Unfortunately the review does not give more details. Was it merely an Italian lyric tuned to an Indian melody or was the song sung to some WCM-based arrangement (as I am assuming it was)? Also the language list made the curious jump -- four South Indian Languages, Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Oriya, ... Italian! Perhaps the singer explained her choices at the concert that detail was not included in the review.

On an aside, it is interesting how we get only two kinds of reviews most of the time for anything out of the ordinary -- the overly adulatory ones bordering on hagiography of which this review is an example and the downright vicious ones -- perhaps it is the nature of the beast, you have to create an audience for innovation rather than just perform to an existing and trained audience. Of the latter, I have often heard mediocre artists performing "traditional" stuff getting reviews like "who are we to criticize him? After all he was trained by or sings like so and so." It is rare to find a balanced review of new stuff, but I have seen such reviews on this forum off and on.

-Then Paanan

kmrasika
Posts: 1258
Joined: 10 Mar 2006, 07:55

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by kmrasika »

thenpaanan wrote:And let the comments flow: http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/04/02/stor ... 210200.htm
Don't be shy!:)
Whatever one may think of the list of songs presented, one has to admit that singing in Italian of all languages requires some intestinal fortitude. Unfortunately the review does not give more details. Was it merely an Italian lyric tuned to an Indian melody or was the song sung to some WCM-based arrangement (as I am assuming it was)? Also the language list made the curious jump -- four South Indian Languages, Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Oriya, ... Italian! Perhaps the singer explained her choices at the concert that detail was not included in the review.
The Italian song is an apocryphal ode to Mary with the starting words, "ave, vergene gaudente, madre del omnipotente...," a very nice poetical composition, with a kalyANi-esque feel. Aruna also occasinally sings the cantigas, "rosas das rosas" by Alphonso El Salbio in Portugese, a nice hymn using the rose as an analogy with Mary.
thenpaanan wrote: On an aside, it is interesting how we get only two kinds of reviews most of the time for anything out of the ordinary -- the overly adulatory ones bordering on hagiography of which this review is an example and the downright vicious ones -- perhaps it is the nature of the beast, you have to create an audience for innovation rather than just perform to an existing and trained audience. Of the latter, I have often heard mediocre artists performing "traditional" stuff getting reviews like "who are we to criticize him? After all he was trained by or sings like so and so." It is rare to find a balanced review of new stuff, but I have seen such reviews on this forum off and on.
-Then Paanan
Viewpoints are rather individual in nature, considering the fact we all have different tastes and perception about the things we like and those we'd eschew. With Carnatic Music it seems a more complex task considering the taste and perception seem to change with many factors. Audiences sometimes have a predilection for innovation, which is sometimes a required element in the fine arts as in CM, which also by the same token resisted in the name of purity and tradition. We're in a a more globalized world today and it would be difficult to disregard the outside world anymore. All in all, music has a universal appeal in itself as well as its ability to move people from different walks of life.

gn.sn42
Posts: 396
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 23:56

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by gn.sn42 »

kmrasika wrote: The Italian song is an apocryphal ode to Mary with the starting words, "ave, vergene gaudente, madre del omnipotente...," a very nice poetical composition, with a kalyANi-esque feel. Aruna also occasinally sings the cantigas, "rosas das rosas" by Alphonso El Salbio in Portugese, a nice hymn using the rose as an analogy with Mary.
Any chance there's an album out there with either of these songs?

(Here's Isabel Palacios singing "Rosa das rosas": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DKC4Hp8GeM )

Update (a couple of hours later): Aruna Sairam's album with Dominique Vellard, Sources, has both these tracks. "Rosa das Rosas" is sung by Vellard; "Ave vergene gaudente" is sung by both. I liked both quite a bit, and they are available at last.fm.
Rosa das Rosas by Dominique Vellard
Ave vergene gaudente by Dominique Vellard and Aruna Sairam

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by rajeshnat »

Aruna's concert with Shankar mahAdevan
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2010/10/08/stor ... 030200.htm

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by rshankar »


vasanthakokilam
Posts: 10956
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by vasanthakokilam »

When I saw that hindu article title this morning, my first reaction was one of 'Oh another one of these fluff pieces about Aruna Sairam' but I was wrong on that impression. Very well spoken. Whether one likes to go to her concert or not, we have to give credit to her as a good ambassador for the music. She speaks clearly and cogently, and refreshingly in a non-defensive manner.

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by arasi »

VK,
You said it! AS is an excellent communicator. I have heard her speak a few times about music and of her own life with music--also on the radio in an hour long interview and on Jaya TV. She is an extremely intelligent woman and is amicable. As you say, if her concert format does not appeal to you, you need not go to her concerts. She is an artiste all the same, even though she does not fit in the mold of a classic CM performer.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by rajeshnat »

I really liked her last para in the interview
" People ask why are you not performing more often. Most of my colleagues do about 16 concerts in the (Chennai) music season between December 15 and January 15. I do only eight. Even that means two a week, and is too much. For the organisers it is also a question of box office. If your tickets sell they want you to perform, but you have to learn to say no without hard feelings. Otherwise you burn out."

ragam-talam
Posts: 1896
Joined: 28 Sep 2006, 02:15

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by ragam-talam »

AS is an excellent communicator
Yes, she is a very good speaker. So is Sudha.

thenpaanan
Posts: 635
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 19:45

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by thenpaanan »

Thanks for posting these pointers. I listened to the piece referenced above -- it sounds good but I cannot say that I have any deeper appreciation of the piece than that. Purely on the sound aspect then, AS is certainly on the leading edge of CM singers who have not been afraid of showcasing their voices (Bombay Jayashri and Nityashri are other examples). On this particular record where this pure sound aspect matters more than in traditional CM settings I felt that AS was "pushing" her voice in that her voice does not sound relaxed but somewhat forced. Did anyone else get that feeling? In my humble opinion, the sound of a voice amplified without much effort in a relaxed throat -- MMI (always) or MDR (mostly) or MLV (mostly) or MSS (sometimes) or Unnikrishnan are the more popular examples but one can get fleeting glimpses of it in all seasoned singers. It seems that one gets a more pleasing sound with (slightly?) less volume, let the mic do all the work. Trying to sound strong ('gAtram' is the tamil word used) only serves to rob the voice of its harmonics.

Any thoughts about which contemporary singers sound pleasing to the ear? By this I don't necessarily mean sweet (i.e. one does not have to be a Lata Mangeshkar) but that "well-rounded" sound (perhaps sowkhyam is the word I am looking for?) that seems somewhat common in HM (e.g. Mallikarjun Mansur) but very rare in CM.

-Then Paanan

thanjavooran
Posts: 2972
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by thanjavooran »

"Even when I go to the U.S, there are so many schools teaching classical music and dance..... But neither the teachers nor the students turn up at the concerts. It is part of the teacher's job to encourage students to go to concerts".

This biting criticism of Aruna means two things to me: (1) the attendance at her concerts whenever she visits America is thin and (2) this is because the teachers purposely boycot her along with the students.
The teachers around the place should rebut this trenchant remark of Aruna if it is not genuine
Thanjavooran 17 10 2010

vasanthakokilam
Posts: 10956
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by vasanthakokilam »

Thanjavooran, that was in the context of the question "On why music classes are full of children but audiences are grey-haired"

Ramasubramanian M.K
Posts: 1226
Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by Ramasubramanian M.K »

Dear Thanjavooran: Unfortunately as an NRI in the U.S.A, for over40 yearsI can vouchsafe for the TOTAL APATHY of the teachers especially in the NY area(other cities do not seem to fare any better) when it comes to attending concerts of visiting artistes OR encouraging/commanding their students and parents to attend the concerts.

In fact this has been my sore point. A newly formed organisation called Srutjilaya in the NY area by an enterprising true-music lover unflinching in his dedication despite the heavy odds, has been repeatedly exhorting teachers to encourage the insitution by patronising the concerts to no avail. Recently Sruthilaya boldly arranged a concert by OST's daughter in the Long Island area(where most of the music teachers and their wards live within 10 miles of the concert hall) .

THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE TEACHER OR THEIR STUDENTS IN THIS CONCERT.

THE FATE IS THE SAME--WHETHER YOU ARRANGE AN A GRADE ARTIST OR AN UPCOMING ARTIST!!

I am told in the Bay area in the West Coast,teachers not only insist their students attend--some of them even insist the students take down notes.

I have never been so riled up in these forums as I have been when it comes to this apathy on the part of teachers. To cap it all these teachers prepare their wards for Arangetrams--probably due to pressures from the parents--a canned effort bereft of any soul in the music--it is NOT the students' fault.

Today(Vijayadasami )I visited a prominent respectable teacher of an instrument who incidentally makes it a point to stress to the students the importance of attending concerts .Regrettably there was not a single student coming and paying their respects to the teacher. When I asked him why the students did not come,he smiled saying it is upto the parents to teach their children basic etiquette when it comes to learning any vidya.

I am told things are much better in NJ!!

You may legitimately ask WHAT HAVE I DONE ABOUT IT? I have taunted some of these teachers(some of whom have been friends for over 40 years!!) to no avail!!!
I rest my case!!!

vasanthakokilam
Posts: 10956
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by vasanthakokilam »

MKR: I see some students in concerts and those who show up, they consistently do so. They are usually very interested in CM ( and music in general ) and not just learning because their parents put them up in the class. Sitting through a full CM concert can be a torture for such students with only marginally interest in CM.

Compare this situation to kids who bug their parents to buy them tickets to a WM artist/group whose album they have just bought and loved it. ( or in their peer group that artist is considered cool ).

Ask kids and teenagers this question: What is on your iPod ? That will tell a lot about what they actually listen to. If CM is there, you have got someone who is really into CM.

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by rshankar »

vasanthakokilam wrote:MKR: I see some students in concerts and those who show up, they consistently do so. They are usually very interested in CM ( and music in general ) and not just learning because their parents put them up in the class.
Abhishek from Canada who posts wonderful reviews here is one such teen - may his tribe increase...

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by arasi »

Ramesh,
'paDikiRadu rAmAyaNam, iDikkiRadu perumAL kOil' (reads the rAmAyaNam but brings down the temple of VishNu) story :(
Yes, on the one hand, the kids have many commitments (homework, sports, western classical music, to name a few). Above all, their time with their friends--which means spending time on (peer-minded) music. Still, if they are into CM, they have to at least attend a few concerts. Parents, teachers and peers (the most effective way of all) have to work of this, because listening is very much part of learning.

Ravi,
This is where Abhishek and others mean a lot. Enthusiasm among peers is catching! Nothing, nothing like a live performance as an effective tool in their exposure to CM. I wish that parents emphasize the joy of listening rather than their getting extra lessons by listening. The teachers encouraging their students by being there themselves would help a great deal too.

VK,
Good to know that kids in Chicago area attend concerts.
Of course, those living outside North America, by seeing the super kids in Jaya TV's airing of the Cleveland Festival get the feeling that all the kids learning CM here are that intense.Yet, in a way, it's not very different from how it is in India. Unless the parents themselves frequent the sabhas, teachers encourage it, and above all peers inspire them, it is not easy.

thenpaanan
Posts: 635
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 19:45

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by thenpaanan »

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote:Dear Thanjavooran: Unfortunately as an NRI in the U.S.A, for over40 yearsI can vouchsafe for the TOTAL APATHY of the teachers especially in the NY area(other cities do not seem to fare any better) when it comes to attending concerts of visiting artistes OR encouraging/commanding their students and parents to attend the concerts.
...

THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE TEACHER OR THEIR STUDENTS IN THIS CONCERT.

THE FATE IS THE SAME--WHETHER YOU ARRANGE AN A GRADE ARTIST OR AN UPCOMING ARTIST!!
...
As for the children in NJ not attending concerts, I would venture that their lives are over-scheduled as it is. Besides their CM classes, they are probably taking a random subset of {BharatanAtyam, western violin, sanskrit/culture class, karate, chess} as well. There are probably other activities for the children on the list but these seem to be the top priorities of their NRI parents. Now tell me what should they drop to attend CM concerts? If you follow this advice they should also attend dance concerts, WM concerts, akhandapAtam, etc. When will they do their homework? Leave the children alone. They do admirably well as it is putting up with their parents' (sometimes insane) desires, sometimes even excelling in CM, and also finding the mental space to be happy children!

Now for the teachers. If you saw the weekend schedule for a typical CM teacher in NJ you would not be asking this question. They have classes from the break of dawn to late hours at night in the weekends, barely stopping for a snack.

Personally whenever I have the choice to attend a concert I find myself asking the question: should I rather dust off my tanpura and spend the time practising (or more accurately, preventing the forgetting of) what I have learned? How would you answer this question?

-Then Paanan

Nick H
Posts: 9379
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by Nick H »

You make very good points. I hope these children at least listen to CM at home: I get a mental picture of youngsters learning something without having too much idea what it is they are actually learning!

ragam-talam
Posts: 1896
Joined: 28 Sep 2006, 02:15

Re: Aruna Sairam

Post by ragam-talam »

Children enjoy a challenge... one way to attract them to carnatic music is to conduct quizzes/competitions etc where they have to identify ragas, composers, etc etc. I find this is a great way for them to get involved in our music, in addition to just learning kritis.

Post Reply