Sudha Ragunathan

cck · Post by **cck** » 21 Jul 2008, 22:00

Needless to say, Sudha is an extremely gifted musician. I love music and respect Sudha for her music. However, I recently logged on to her website, and to say the least I was shocked by the unabashed publicity of her family, her wardrobe, and other details that are unnecessary and has nothing to do with Carnatic music. This sort of overt personal information are for those people who have an unsatiable need to know everything and anything about an artist. In my humble opinion, Sudha has gone over the board. Instead, I wish Sudha would devote her website to the art that Almighty has bestowed on her and educate and enlighten her admirers on the various aspects of Carnatic music.

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 22 Jul 2008, 05:39

One should be proud to talk about their family whatever passion they follow and I believe Sudha should not be exempt IMHO.

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 22 Jul 2008, 08:29

@ VK RAMAN

Why so? Of course, one shouldn't ignore one's family in pursuit of one's career, but why should they (be proud to) "talk about it"?

@ cck

It doesn't matter, people ask her what they want to know, she tells them what she wants to tell. If you want to know more about her achievements in her art, ask her! Btw what's her website? I'm sure there will be some "comments" section or a way to approach her with your questions mentioned on the site.

saranya · Post by **saranya** » 22 Jul 2008, 08:53

srikant1987: Her website is http://www.sudharagunathan.com/

There is a guest book section in the website. Also in the contact details, her mail id is also given. So one can proceed with asking questions.

maithree · Post by **maithree** » 22 Jul 2008, 09:09

On a similar note...

I was recently browsing through one of the very popular Tamil magazines (Kumudam/Kungumam dont remember) and found snaps of Sudha Raghunathan's trip to Mexico. Its nice to know that they have visited different places. However, the photographs published in that article were best relegated to their personal photo albums, considering the way they were attired. Personally, I was embarassed to see *such* photos of a cultural ambassador of our music/country being published in a magazine that has such a wide circulation.

Publishing photographs on websites may still be a personal choice but publishing in such magazines deserves a second thought. Surely, popularity comes with responsibility and sacrifices. Not publishing a few snaps in a magazine may not be a great sacrifice after all !

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 22 Jul 2008, 11:35

cck wrote:Needless to say, Sudha is an extremely gifted musician. I love music and respect Sudha for her music.

May be she is trying to communicate that she is also a human being - just like the rest of us.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 22 Jul 2008, 11:42

maithree wrote:On a similar note...

...considering the way they were attired. Personally, I was embarassed to see *such* photos of a cultural ambassador of our music/country being published in a magazine that has such a wide circulation.

Darn... I must have missed the bikini clad photos. Please scan and upload!

manvantara · Post by **manvantara** » 22 Jul 2008, 12:14

" and other details that are unnecessary and has nothing to do with Carnatic music" -- this is her website and it is up to her to decide what she wants to write there! And I don't see why she should not! We tend to put musicians (and others we admire) on a pedestal but remember that they too are human beings just like us! Just that their profession brings them to the limelight; they reach out to a lot more people than most of us can ever even imagine; they earn money and popularity on a scale that we can only look at (and admire or feel jealous!), etc.

Her music...speaks/will speak for itself.

saravanan · Post by **saravanan** » 22 Jul 2008, 14:54

Suresh VV sir

cant stop laughing.
She was in a skirt and tops!!
I can only share the interesting or jealous (??) comments from some mamis whom I heard in Kapaleshwarar Kovil was " 50 vayasula 25 vayasu nu kaatikara pola"!!

grsastrigal · Post by **grsastrigal** » 22 Jul 2008, 15:15

I did see the article in 'Kumudam', a Tamil weekly. Nothing sort of obscene as mentioned by Maithree. She was in the dress which is fit for "cruise travel". There was also one photo of Sudha in "Pattu Pudavai" and make the rest of the people surpised and jealous (!), as told by Sudha. . Another photo showing the simple dancing pose with her husband.

There could be a debate whether it is necessary for Sudha to give interview to weeklies and show her "personal tour" photos of confine only with Concerts .... But that particular story was ok.

shankarabharanam · Post by **shankarabharanam** » 22 Jul 2008, 16:43

I did see the pics uploaded in her site...I don't think it was obscene..Those were perfect holiday pics...Well we are no one to question whether she should share her pics...It is her site..Well haven't read the Kumudam piece so can't really comment on the same...But i agree with grsastrigal and it is debatable whether she should give interviews to weeklies about her holidays....

vanamali · Post by **vanamali** » 22 Jul 2008, 17:01

Reading the post, i dont think maithree meant it to be obscene or anything like that. I think it is just that as a senior vocalist she need not have to publish all those photographs on a public magazine. No one can stop her in uploading photos in her website at all though.. that is entirely her wish. But i think the question was if it was really necessary to publicise her personal tour photos in cruise travel clothes...

grsastrigal wrote:I did see the article in 'Kumudam', a Tamil weekly. Nothing sort of obscene as mentioned by Maithree. She was in the dress which is fit for "cruise travel". There was also one photo of Sudha in "Pattu Pudavai" and make the rest of the people surpised and jealous (!), as told by Sudha. . Another photo showing the simple dancing pose with her husband.

There could be a debate whether it is necessary for Sudha to give interview to weeklies and show her "personal tour" photos of confine only with Concerts .... But that particular story was ok.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 22 Jul 2008, 17:23

Like it or not, Sudha Ragunathan is probably the number one female vocalist and has a huge fan following (see www.sudharagunathanfans.com for example). That means there are people who interested in her non-musical life - her travel adventures, her saris and jewelery.

To expect a modern Indian woman (musician or not) to be wearing a sari 24 hours a day is backward thinking. We are indeed in the 21st century!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 22 Jul 2008, 20:48

Mohan,
I agree with you.
What are we, the so-called rasikAs doing, discussing at length a particular star musician here? Is it about her music?
While some of us might think that she could come down a notch when it comes to all the gold in her saris--in an indirect way influencing some upcoming artistes--I don't see why this should affect the rasikAs after the initial few minutes of noticing her attire and jewelry and then, hook on to her music. In a strange way, it may bring in more young rasikAs who are star-struck and love film music. Who knows? Their attraction to the glamor of a CM star might slowly instil a love for CM in them

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 22 Jul 2008, 20:53

And I want to say "No comment" when it comes to her music.
But maybe that's just me.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 23 Jul 2008, 00:28

Most of these people should be writing on "olai suvadugal" and not rasikas.org

(mod note: changed from nuts to people. Let us not characterize our fellow members )

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 23 Jul 2008, 00:35

Enjoy the music and leave personal life alone. If any one has issues with any artists life style, let she/he write to the artist directly.

rajesh_rs · Post by **rajesh_rs** » 23 Jul 2008, 01:43

I couldn't imagine a Madras maami masquerading around in jari pattu sarees in Cancun, try as hard as I may. What's the deal with all the hype? Papparazzi are everywhere. Papparazzi cover all kinds of trivial life events of celebrities. If Britney Spears is affected by these things, there are no guarantees that Sudha would not be.

As for her website, the best she can do to detract those who defile her in the name of publicity is to clarify everything through her website. Once your life is in the public eye (as hers has been since she was a "young turk" carnatic musician), there is very little one can do. I sympathize with her for the things she may have lost, laud her on some of her good performances, and as with other fans and CM lovers, criticize her less than excellent performances. She may aspire for heights like DKP or MSS or MLV (her guru) attained, but the Carnatic music world these days isn't the same it used to be, if you know what I mean.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 23 Jul 2008, 04:42

Agreed, Rajesh. If only it had been 'those' (Olaich chuvaDu?) times, her music would have reached the heights of her guru (or even more?). Times have changed, the media looms large, you have an image to keep and so on. Such a bright woman, both in life and in music--extremely intelligent, charming and very imaginative.
MLV, against all odds in life and in her profession too, in the days when a female singer was not taken seriously, did her own thing, singing like a man (in executing her manOdharmA). She was learning all the time and took pleasure in sharing her wealth of knowledge and imagination with her students and with her audience.
As for Sudha, if her lifestyle does not appeal to us, we can skip reading all the gossipy stuff written about her. What we can do is to discuss her music, and she has a lot to offer.
There are many performers that we praise or are indifferent to. It is not their merits, but our own preferences which make us do that. When it is someone who is not a favorite, some rasikAs tend to zero in on
anything and everything about an artiste which does not appeal to them!

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 23 Jul 2008, 09:22

sureshvv, lol! I agree with most of you. People want to know everything (personal and professional) about celebrities, we all have this sort of curiosity and let's not pretend to be superhuman and superevolved, and Sudha's doing nothing but oblige to her countless adoring fans. As people have pointed out, if you don't like it, turn the page or go browse another website. It's also worth mentioning that while the original poster chides Sudha for publicizing her sarees and family, he/she neglects to mention the website also talks about religious trips she has taken and the community service foundations she supports. Wonder why those were ignored?! Arasi is spot on: "When it is someone who is not a favorite, some rasikAs tend to zero in on anything and everything in an artiste which does not appeal to them!"

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 23 Jul 2008, 09:38

mohan wrote:Like it or not, Sudha Ragunathan is probably the number one female vocalist and has a huge fan following!

Well, a huge fan following may be true. But, 'probably number one' - what is the criterion for 'number one' -not necessarily the fan following - thats debatable.

Sathej

maithree · Post by **maithree** » 23 Jul 2008, 10:00

I'm surely not for prolonging this pointless discussion (though I made a mistake commenting on this in the first place). I think I was nowhere close to suggesting that Sudha should go on a Seine cruise in a madisaar.

Each of us are entitled to our views but we can atleast desist from making personal remarks a forum decorum...

Most of these people should be writing on "olai suvadugal" and not rasikas.org

(mod note: changed from nuts to people. Let us not characterize our fellow members )

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 23 Jul 2008, 10:04

Sathej wrote:Well, a huge fan following may be true. But, 'probably number one' - what is the criterion for 'number one' -not necessarily the fan following - thats debatable.
Sathej

Of course it is debatable but do remember that on 1 January 2008, during the Sadas session, Sudha was honoured by the Music Academy for the Best Performing Artist of the season (MLV Memorial Award).

Also recall this survey http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/22/stor ... 030200.htm that was discussed on this forum a while ago

saranya · Post by **saranya** » 23 Jul 2008, 10:16

I think this sort of debate is not of any use. Sudha has her own preferences. She has right to do anything she want. Every one has rights to do what they want, like we discussing in this forum. What ever thing we like we can take. What we dont like, let us abstain from it. Still if we cant digest, we can contact the artiste personally through email and i think it would be better if we stop commenting on the tamil weekly issue etc further.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 23 Jul 2008, 10:21

Interesting how both the 'number ones' got their last names mispelled in The Hindu item!

hindolam · Post by **hindolam** » 23 Jul 2008, 10:42

Such surveys are a joke! And as for the MA award---well well there are so many sposors now --its like this--sing at the MA and you have a chance of an award. In the old days there was only the Yogam Nagaswamy award--and yes that carried weight because only one senior artist got it. Today you almost have an award for best pallavi line, best charanam line and so on. It would not come as a surprise if in future there are awards for best dressed artists too!

shankarabharanam · Post by **shankarabharanam** » 23 Jul 2008, 10:56

Arasi you are spot on again..."When it is someone who is not a favorite, some rasikAs tend to zero in on anything and everything in an artiste which does not appeal to them!" Let us not forget that these days artist use internet as forum to talk about their personal life...I am sure many of use are part of community forums...and we would have uploaded personal photos...So what if a popular artist does...

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 23 Jul 2008, 11:07

A person who receives the best performing artiste award from the Academy is not necessarily the 'number one.' That, I guess, is simply based on their performances in the Academy concerts. And as for surveys, lesser said the better

Sathej

Das · Post by **Das** » 23 Jul 2008, 12:12

Sudha Ragunathan - a generous smile,elaborately woven silk sari,gold jewellery,string of jasmine flowers on the neatly pleated hair. And there is Sudha Ragunathan in "dress fit for cruise travel". The first which we're used to seeing at sabhas,ceremonies and other formal occasions possibly. The latter we see on pictures from casual outings maybe. An artiste of such immense popularity earns herself the Paparazzis attention. We're not having them tailing behind us now do we,and there is a reason for that; we're not that popular. We wouldn't see MS for one in a dress, that just would not fit the era she lived in. Sudha belongs to a younger generation,so why fault her for dressing in comfort. I'm sure if they'd called her on Oprah,she'd wear a sari. And yup,about the mamis at Kapaleeshwarar temple. I don't think we should pick a fight with them now should we,they'd already be having trouble figureing which serial they should be watching now.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 23 Jul 2008, 15:10

Listen up you people (i would spell this differently -- but the mods would correct it anyway)... Let me tell you something about Sudha...

She started a concert at 4 PM and was singing with the same gusto well past 9 PM - the organizers had to beg her to please stop -- fearing that her voice would get strained. She had arrived in town just the previous day and hadn't gotten over the jet lag yet. The last couple of hours were just audience requests - she accomodated every one of them. The hall that could hold over 500 people was overflowing and people were sitting on the floor - not very common in Los Angeles. This was over 8 years ago - I suspect she could repeat it tomorrow.

Any her most important contribution - her students. When any of them sing, one can definitely sense the tradition. I have never heard MLV sing live, but I suspect that has those that have would be reminded of it when they hear the same students.

She's not the "Queen" of carnatic music for nothing! If she is able to help sell sarees or jewellery, more power to her and carnatic music.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 23 Jul 2008, 15:15

maithree wrote:Each of us are entitled to our views but we can atleast desist from making personal remarks a forum decorum...

Love the way you get so indignant and self-righteous when someone gets personal against you while you are trashing away people without any consideration of their feelings.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 23 Jul 2008, 20:25

Just a general note to "people": This kind of topic can get very nasty very quickly. Then there is a risk that this thread will get closed. ( It is not there yet ). Firstly, let us not discuss the attitudes of members who are expressing their views on either side. Secondly, for the most part, it has been civil. Let us keep it that way.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 24 Jul 2008, 11:07

The tone of many posts is sadly quite sexist and medieval. I haven't seen anyone objecting to male artistes wearing jeans or shorts. As long as an artiste maintains decorum on stage (which is more than can be said of many male vidwans), I don't see why there should be a fuss....and Sudha is known for her extremely professional approach as Suresh mentions above. An online exhibition of Saris may invite a few titters but is certainly not objectionable.

manvantara · Post by **manvantara** » 24 Jul 2008, 14:50

Why is it that some of us seem to forget that artistes are.....people, like us! What we see/hear on stage is their professional side and what is wrong if they share a bit of their personal life too?
For the kind of money that Sudha Ragunathan is making, I'd think that travel (with her family) would be very much on the cards. And would she have to dress in a saree each time she steps out?! If she is fine sharing photos of her family's trip, that is what matters.
And yes, Vijay, I agree with you that many of the posts are sexist - no one seems to say anything when they see photos of Unnikrishnan or T.M.Krishna in informal clothes.

And talking about attire, this being a rasikas forum, it might be a better idea to talk about what rasikas ought to wear for concerts!

I have seen too many people (particularly men) dressed in jeans and t-shirt and arriving for concerts. Denim jeans is just far too informal, people! While the lady accompanying you is typically draped in a saree or dressed in a salwar kameez, why do you think a jeans and t-shirt combo is enough? Or worse, shorts and t-shirt?!!

vidya · Post by **vidya** » 24 Jul 2008, 20:09

manvantara,

Bravo! Excellent point about the lopsidedness and doublestandards with regard to the 'ought-tos' and gendered balance of convenience vs culture.

jananee · Post by **jananee** » 24 Jul 2008, 20:55

Well said Vijay and Manvantara!!!

kadambam · Post by **kadambam** » 24 Jul 2008, 22:20

I think one issue that people are facing is the deviation from a conventional carnatic musician's identity. I recollect another post where there was a discussion about Sivamani's attire in Thiruvayaru.

Carnatic Music, today is in a unique position. It is ready to embrace the benefits of globalization and personalization. There are mini Mylapores created in almost every continent. Also, there is a enormous supply of carnatic musicians, ranging from local to off-shore. Sanjay himself mentioned in an interview earlier that if a carnatic musician can sustain himself in the top for at least 2 decades then that is quite an achievement. i.e why every leading artist is creating a communication channel to establish relationship with the rasika base. Sudha is no exception to it, nor is Aruna Sairam or Sanjay or TMK. Rasika retention is going to be quite a challenge; and it can be done in two ways.. one continue to create a unique musical identity or quality in music that will attract and retain rasikas on its own (good examples are the Vijay Siva, Sowmya etc in the present generation)

or use a good PR strategy to retain the masses (sing familiar songs all the time & keep telling that rasikas are the gods!!) eg: Aruna Sairam or Sudha or even use films to get the critical mass (Nityashree or Unni)

and finally there is a hybrid version like that of TMK, Sanjay or Bombay Jayashree or even (Ranjani Gayatri) who not only invest in building a unique identity, but also indulge in good PR.

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 25 Jul 2008, 02:13

kadambam: Good analysis, esp the last two paras.

A generation ago, we had the likes of Maharajapuram Santhanam who were very popular, but not much appreciated by serious rasikas. And that brings up another important point: We have (at least two) distinct categories of rasikas who differ in the kind of music and musicians they seek. At one end of the continuum, we have rasikas who crave after weighty kritis, ragas, RTPs etc. while at the other end we have those who can't wait for the 'tukkada' section to begin. (And of course, there are those who need to have their favorite language pieces sung, else they are not satisfied.)

The 'famous' artistes in general are not the ones that serious rasikas go to listen to. So for example while you may find just a handful of hard-core rasikas at a Vairamangalam, S. Ramanathan or Kalpagam Swaminathan kutcheri, you can expect throngs of people ('standing room only' attendance) at a Sudha, Unni, Aruna, R-G concert.
And there also seems to be an inverse correlation between the 'seriousness' (as described above) of concert artistes (and rasikas) and the appendages (make-up, dress fashion, publicity etc) that they are associated with.

The show must go on.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 25 Jul 2008, 05:35

Artistes such as Sudha, Unnikrishnan and Bombay Jayshree are popular with the masses but on a particular day are also very able at producing the most serious classical music with weighty krithis, ragas, etc. At this year's Sydney Music Festival for example, where there were around 10 concerts from top artistes, I rated Unni's as the best in terms of depth of music presented. I have heard numerous of Sudha's concerts where her raga alapanas could be rated as among the best I have ever heard (eg Kharaharapriya, Thodi).

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 25 Jul 2008, 11:45

I guess we have our own ideas on the weightiness and classisicm of various artistes. I agree with Mohan that many artistes who receive flak from serious rasikas are not incapable of high quality classical music. Singing in films or being high profile socially do not automatically imply that an artiste is incompetent as a classical vidwan/vidushi. Nor do pattais/namams/unostentatious lifestyles guarantee excellence.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 25 Jul 2008, 11:56

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 25 Jul 2008, 12:05

manvantara wrote:And yes, Vijay, I agree with you that many of the posts are sexist - no one seems to say anything when they see photos of Unnikrishnan or T.M.Krishna in informal clothes.

But at the same time, people don't come to an Unnikrishnan or TMK concert just to see whether they bought their veshtis in Saravana Selvarathnam or Hayagreeva's.

They don't make money by coming in Premier veshti's ads either. Sexism works both ways.

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 25 Jul 2008, 12:12

ragam-talam wrote:So for example while you may find just a handful of hard-core rasikas at a Vairamangalam, S. Ramanathan or Kalpagam Swaminathan kutcheri, you can expect throngs of people ('standing room only' attendance) at a Sudha, Unni, Aruna, R-G concert.

You seem to be forgetting Sangeeta Kalanidhi T V Sankaranarayanan.

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 27 Jul 2008, 17:09

vijay wrote:I agree with Mohan that many artistes who receive flak from serious rasikas are not incapable of high quality classical music.

But if an artiste keeps singing to the gallery most of the time, they cease to be taken seriously. Also, there tends to be a marked shift in their style of singing that doesn't appeal to the serious listeners anymore. Again, a good example of this is Santhanam. Another is the Mandolin Srinivas of years ago vs his present 'jazzy' style.

Nor do pattais/namams/unostentatious lifestyles guarantee excellence.

Agreed. But as generalizations go, garish styles and ostentatious deportment do take away from the seriousness of a CM artiste. It feels like diamond-studded necklaces and matching sarees are the centre of attention, rather than the music.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 27 Jul 2008, 21:58

Playing to the gallery is essential when it comes to fame and fortune, from the musician's point of view. I remember a discussion about Singapore concerts a couple of years ago when the same points were thrashed out. It was Nityasri then. The serious listeners were feeling frustrated while the popular music lovers walked away from the concert feeling quite happy, but were subjected to a few heavy pieces too. The suggestion then was, why don't they organize two different concerts when the star singer is in town and advertise the nature of the concerts in terms like--a classical CM concert or a popular CM concert--so that all rasikAs are happy? Then they can decide if they want to attend a particular concert or not. After all, it makes it easy for the musicians too, to plan the concerts accordingly and reap the benefit of being appreciated by all rasikAs.
I suppose it is not that easy with concerts within India, but dependent upon the information they have from the organizers about the audience, they can cater the right fare on a given day--which they more or less do, I think. The key issue is: do the organizers specify the nature of the concert when they advertise it--if it is a classical CM concert or a popular one?
This sounds a bit odd, but I still feel that this simple measure of spelling out the content of the concert to the public might help the rasikAs and artistes when it comes to a handful of stars who cater to both the popular and the serious listeners...

Difficult a sit seems, how wonderful it would all be, if those who mainly cater to the popular crowd but are competent when it comes to classical CM sing to our heart's content while they are at it! I bet it is just as sayisfying for them...

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 27 Jul 2008, 22:54

@ Arasi

Yours is a good idea. But I raise the following issues:

=> What about people who perform serious music but carefully, so that it doesn't become elitist? The masses should not miss those performances!

=> In order to "promote" listeners from the "popular" or "serious" to "both", we might need mixed concerts.

=> Some people would like these mixed concerts ... listen to one song by the brain, then the next by the heart, so that neither is stressed at a stretch. Even performers might like mixed concerts for this reason.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Jul 2008, 02:37

I see your point. My thoughts on this are not very practical either.
Any so-called solution would leave some of us unsatisfied.
Take for instance, a simpler situation: a classical CM singer, gives a lovely concert; all are classical CM listeners; still, there is no unanimity in their expectations and gratification--some like the ame old rAgAs and krutis. Others don't. Some wish a particular rAgA had been elaborated more--the list goes on.
My point was not made with the expectation that things would change overnight! It was just to jog us (both the musicians and the audience) to rethink the existing situation. It is like a wedding feast. The best of cooks who cater with care to the tastes of both the young and the old, traditional and modern, still can pull a no-winner.
Compromises in planning a menu ( or list of songs) can win sometimes, but not at all times.
When I differentiated between the two kinds of concerts, I did not mean that one should be all heavy krutis, RTP, and all sung with RNS without including any tukkaDAs.
Nor did I mean that the lighter kind of concert should not to include a few serious krutis and RNS. When it gets to be lop sided, one way or the other, one kind of audience walk out with disappointment. I repeat, the performers do have an idea about their audiences even at the time of being booked for a concert. There are only a few star performers who traverse both kinds of singing--the classical and the light. They are just that handful of performers who have two distinct kind of audiences. All I was saying was that it would not mislead either kind if the nature of the concert is clarified before-hand when the concert is publicized.
The lighter kind of concerts by these able artistes will hopefully bring in more rasikAs to CM.
When I hear that a concert by one of these stars was excellent and if I happen to be in that vicinity, I feel it was my loss that I could not attend it. On the other hand, I am not sure what the fare is going to be like, before the concert!
This does not include all the musicians of CM. It relates to those stars who regale all kinds of audience and are capable of drawing more music lovers (those who listen to film music) to CM. We have among us several super rasikAs who came to CM that route.
By the way, I do not think those who listen to serious CM need to be called elitists...

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 28 Jul 2008, 04:28

Can some one define "tukkaDas", I mean what all songs or composers are considered tukkaDas?

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 28 Jul 2008, 06:29

Arasi, incidentally, prior to Nithyashree's temple concert in Singapore last year, she announced in a radio interview that the first half of the concert would be carnatic and the latter half purely devotional. So, a step forward definitely! And also incidentally, when Sudha performed last year, she gave two concerts: one hardcore carnatic, and the other hardcore tukkada (except for the elaborate Swara Raga Sudha). Both were well loved!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Jul 2008, 06:49

Bilahari,
Good news from your part of the world where the concert took place two years ago and the discussion began. In a way, I am happy it came up again--otherwise, we would not have heard that these two star performers did pull it off. Kudos to both of them! As you say, the rasikAs were very happy too!
A point to ponder: while good things happen, we need to pay as much attention to them as we do to things which give rise to criticisms...