By Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan
It is 04.45 am. Tuesday, the 27th Dec,2022 in the month of Margazhi. Chennai is up and about. A lot of mamis, mostly senior citizens, in their finest silk, are trying to walk as briskly as their knees obliged theirs pounding self. Which was, as if in a slow motion race. And a few mamas too were alongside keeping slow, short steps To the nearest temple for Choodikodutha Sudarkodi Andal’s Thiruppavai of the day recitation.
As I was trundling along on Avvai Shanmugam Salai, to ‘catch’ an auto to go to Central Station, I had this mama and mami peeping out of an auto. “Excuse me,where is Music Academy. We are going to attend a music concert there”. I said , ‘what’? They repeated themselves. I said, it is at 18.45 hrs. Not 06.45 am.
They said, it is fine. But we were told that we must be at the Academy by 05.00 am to pick up a ‘token’ by 18.00 hrs. Then be back there in two hours, to buy the ‘ticket’. I showed them the way by being allowed to get into their auto. It was just a short hop over. They were surprised that there was already an assembly sitting in a row of chairs. Three of us sat.
Promptly, four counter mamas revealed themselves. And we were asked – whether we wanted- A-H balcony daily tickets or I – to eternity tickets or Dias tickets or LED area tickets. I explained to the visitors, just for the day, from Bengaluru, what each meant. They said they had unacommodative knees which was not dias friendly. They came to hear a live concert not to see a LED movie on screen. A-H tickets costed more than their train tickets.The choice was made by elimination. To settle in for I-to eternity rows, for Rs.250/- each.
They ‘had to leave’ the same night, after the concert. They had a Silicon Valley Son, Bay Area daughter in law, who were staying in Welcom Hotel Chennai (previously Chola Sheraton), opposite to Music Academy, on a holiday, who were paying a ‘welcome visit’ to Bengaluru to ‘check us out’ tomorrow, for ‘a couple of hours’ – so we must be back by early morning ‘not to disappoint them, as they were coming after a decade or so, our only son. He was so generous to park us in an expensive elders’ home in Bengaluru, which we could not afford on our own, for about 2 years, after which he said that ‘they could not afford too’ anymore. My wife rudely reminded me that we sold our house three decades ago to ‘finance our son’s higher studies’ and he was generously reciprocating our gesture. You see it is our Karma. No one to blame”.
I offered to sponsor their stay in Hotel Maris, the poor man’s Chola Sheraton, next door to Sheraton, for the day. They politely declined and asked me to tell the auto driver to take them to a simple lodge opposite Central Station, offering a day’s stay for Rs.250/- or less tariff, the same as their ticket price. The auto driver caught the conversation and offered to ferry them for a total transit cost of Rs. 250/- for the day (as I told the auto driver, I will pick up the balance tab- duly noting his mobile for a GPay transfer). All in all, it was a simple Rs.250/- plus day for the elderly couple .
Bless the Silicon Valley Son who is surely not Padma Sri Sridhar Vembu, CEO from Zoho Corp, a Unicorn (3+mind you) from the Silincon Valley/Bay Area, now working from home, from a tiny village Mathalamparai, in Tenkasi District of TN. Vembu recently proudly celebrated the 80th birthday of his father, with a brief visit to a temple, which is what his father preferred, to a Sanjay Subramamyan Katcheri at the Academy, while being parked in Chola Sheraton. Note the difference/s.
I did not get to see the Bengaluru twosome at the concert. Did not wish to. Imagined, they chose to leave, even as ThaniAvarthanam commenced, as they ‘did not want to disappoint their Silicon Valley Son visiting them for a couple of hours, in Bengaluru, the day after”. This is the ‘Mylapore Mama’ that our friendly neighborhood urban naxal like Carnatic music genius Thodur Madabusi Krishna calls names of (Has this man disowned the TM in TMK, only K may know). Incidentally, I don’t know why the long lost Silicon Valley Son was also a Krishna. Hey Krishna!
Yes, the two ‘visitors’ must have enjoyed the concert.They had proudly said “We had trained our Krishna in Carnatic music which is what must be bringing him year on year, to Margazhi Music at the Academy, and incidentally enabling ‘them’ to ‘make time for us’ , this time, for 2 plus hours, long enough to perform a katcheri”, mama mused. Mami was not amused. What does one call such characters? Noble Karmayogis who had the best interests of their children all the time,notwithstanding….Or unfortunate parents of ungrateful progeny?
Sanjay came and sat. And sang. What else! Unlike Tiruchur Brothers, who are always into ‘mike testing’ even with Bose systems in the Academy. Sanjay is always on Song. He has earned the Sangita Kalanidhi status. Never sought it. He did not need to. For he was a Sangita Samrat to his legion of ‘mad fans’ a.k.a. rasikas. You can see the same set of fans in all his Katcheris. They follow him like the Pied Piper. And Sanjay makes it a point to sing different sets of Krithis on each platform. (No , Innikum Bhairaviya complaint). His repertoire is large like Vivian Richards’ spontaneous strokes. Sanjay is cricket mad. His rasikas are Sanjay mad. No wonder, the Bengaluru couple were drawn to his concert.
And looking from the Dais, what a sight to see a mixed fruit jam packed Academy Hall. It struck me then, that it would hardly matter if you were performing from that stage, even if there was an audience of one. It MUST be inspiring. If it was not, then you do not belong there. I was inspired. Not to perform, don’t you worry. Just to write. It is therefore little surprise that every performer, worth his salt and pepper, dreams and craves to make the platform. The 96 year old history of the Academy is proof of its standing and pedigree.
Lest I forget. Sanjay began with Née yenna Malayam seidhai – what magic did you perform? (prompting me to pose the same to Sanjay).Seamlessly sailed into SriRamanin terrain, ( what a beautiful and tuneful swing) to get into his groove.As if a Sehwag,blocked a few deliveries, for the sake of it. To test his timing with his customary accompanists S Varadarajan on the violin, Neyveli B Venkatesh on the mirudangam and S Venitaramanan on the Kanjira. (It is always said (not just rumoured) that the Academy picks the team for the performer and not the performer. For Sanjay?).
And then ranganAyakam bhAvayEham ranganAyakI samEtam, Muthuswami Dikshithar classic in Nayaki. The nelivu sulivu ( untranslatable) in the raagam and Krithi were awesome. Got into a zone, quite quickly. Words fail. Why bother with more? Bye. Let me enjoy listening.
They were all lapped up by his fans, entire assembly, it would seem. He did not disappoint. Rarely, if ever, does. He is always in the mood to sing. For, ‘this’ is his life. He possibly knows that he ‘makes a living’ by ‘getting paid to do what he loves’ ( a la Robin Marlar) and in the bargain ‘he entertains’ many a Bengaluru couple!
Bless this Sanjay, be he an atheist or an agnostic.I called him, years ago, in a column, Abou Ben Adam of Carnatic Music. God loved Abou Ben Adam, for Ben loved his fellow beings. Sanjay loves his music and his music lovers reciprocate.
(Author is practicing advocate in the Madras High Court)