Personally my best bet has always been the academy because of the ambience and historically musicians give their best at the vidwat sabhai. It is not merely a stage, emotions run high as musicians ascend on the stage and there is this buzz of what can we expect. In this era of FB lives and twitter, rasikas have double powered microscopic view of the concert. Poor musicians
.I wonder how it would have been in the GN sir era or for that matter when MS Amma, MLV amma and DKP amma ascended the stage. Were the rasikas so acerbic as they are today? I am particularly talking about the academy.
All of you might wonder where am I heading in this post. Let me give a disclaimer. This is no way related to my personal musical taste or liking. It is just a my feeling or adhankam (as they say in tamil) that I wanted to share with all the rasikas here. In the last couple of years, the way musicians are being subjected to personal barbs or criticism is worrying me. And unfortunately, some of them participating in this include the office bearers of sabhas too. Isn’t the credibility of the institution at stake when an office bearer points fingers at the musicians concert happening at their sabha.
Why does it bother me one might ask? I was brought up in Mumbai and forumites here have known me for over a decade of listening to almost all artist across india in the financial capital. I was taught by a guru who insisted on having an open mind to any good music. But I fear the current trend of groupism and following one artist like a fanatic will hamper the artist and the art form on the whole.
I have a very high regard for margazhi music season and especially the academy because of its history, the amount of musical stalwarts it has nurtured for so many years. Yet today, we see office bearers of the sabha openly showing their favoritism be it in the social media, or in the hallway. This person might love xyz musician but shouldn’t he keep it out before entering the doors of his office. For instance, we know vidwan Sanjay Subrahmanyam is a musician par excellence. There are hundereds of rasikas who adore his music and that includes me. But how can a office bearer write and promote Sanjay in a national newspaper for a private concert of his that was conducted at the academy. Aren’t members of the academy noticing it or is it just that it is being ignored. I know historically this isn’t the first time such things have happened at the academy.
Lets come to the academy this year. Mr Murali announced this year during the inauguration thay the academy would upload the morning session in youtube and they plan to go digital slowly. Fantastic move in my opinion. Sitting miles away on a freezing cold sunday morning, in USA I caught up on some fantastic lec dems by Vidwan Sriram Parasuram and others. I have attended many morning sessions and concerts at the academy. Never would they allow even to click pics. I in fact walked into their office and showed my press pass when I was interning with a local newspaper there . They refused to give permission to click pics. (COncert photography is my favorite hobby). Coming to the point, till last year they never allowed anyone to go live during sessions, even musicians themselves weren’t allowed I was told. I was requested by couple of musicians who wanted their lec dems to go live for various reasons. The volunteer would immediately stop me there and say it wasn’t allowed and that rasikas can come to the tag centre to listen if they want. How is that this year Smt Sowmya’s opinions were allowed. Of course welcome by me, but isn’t it double standard by the academy.
Coming back this office bearer, who spoke about the costume and jewelry of a Sangita Kalanidhi few years back, continues to comment upon some of the musicians attire or their performances. I laughed at his comments, because in this day and age you have every musician actually promoting a saree brand, their jewellery or their kurtas. Of course they do look presentable of stage
Honestly, an office bearer is expected to be unbiased and not really share his opinion about artists performing at his sabha. Obviously, this leads to groupism in carnatic music. If you want to talk about or write about concerts then, then why do you hold this post, resign from the post and share as a rasika.
Earlier when the academy updated on their performances, they would give in the details of the artist on stage. This year the new entry was the songlist too because they didn’t publish the song list of any senior performer in their publication. But if any of you visited the academy’s social media pages in FB and Instagram, the academy actually used adjectives for certain performances which in my opinion shouldn’t have been done. Why is that certain musicians concerts are preferred over others. Should I point my finger at the person who uploaded it or are they acting on someone else’s directive. How can Mr Murali ignore such lapses?
Strong institutions grow by killing in group favoritisms. But here you have office bearers who are making it their business by encouraging it.
I am not here to question any musician or the music. I am more hurt as a rasikas as to where are we heading. Why is that couple of people in power are allowed to manipulate the views, making us question the credibility of an institution (in my example is the academy). when it actually boasts of being the meccah of all stages. One might argue, that music doesn’t suffer in this, it is the institution that is affected. But at the end of the day, there are so many youngsters who look upon such sabhas to begin the career. Aren’t sending wrong signals or worst even discouraging them. Aren’t we telling the next generation to climb up the ladder on wrong methods. Carnatic Music to me is a never ending journey. Can the academy please have set of rules that is common for all and not allow it to be altered according to the whims and fancies of few.
PS: I did read moderators recent post and I have been one of the not so regular forumites these days thanks to my one year old toddler. But here is a person who has benefitted immensely from so many discussions and tonnes of music concerts here that I consider this place as the right forum to open this topic.
Aren't they the worst? 
. I wish they did! 