Season is not taking off; zing is just not there

Now that all sabhas have launched their festivals one can safely say this - the season's zing is simply not there. 

We are at Narada Gana Sabha campus, Alwarpet - there seem to be more people in the canteen than in the queues to get in for the concert.

Many rasikas were disappointed that K. J. Yesudoss had cancelled his recitals - they were unaware of this and decided to move on.

"The other evening for Unnikrishnan's recital there were hardly hundred people here," a rasika tells us as he enjoys a dish of semiya during the concert break.

At Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore local residents walk in and out of the mini halls. That in anyway is their daily routine and is taken for granted.

Dance students make most of the audience at guru and dancer A. Lakshmanaswamy winds up his recital and a dance production of guru Ranganayaki Jayaraman unfolds.

Sabha managers are not taking a second look at their boxes for tickets and cash.

Next door, the R K Swamy Auditorium zone is bathed  in darkness ( the streetlights here never burn), there is some buzz inside - two young, star dancers of guru Sheela Unnikrishan are on stage and there are some 150 guests watching the recital here.

Most must be well-wishers and parents of the dance academy's students. But the sizable audience cheers the artistes on stage.

One has not seen a big queue at the box office counter at The Music Academy when tickets are sold from 9 a.m. More people double up to head to the canteen; and they aren't rasikas.

Clearly, the 2015 edition of the December Season is low-key. Understandable. There are many rasikas who have been severely affected by the deluge of December 2. They surely cannot think of enjoying music and dance in sabha halls now.