Busy Harikatha artiste; Dushyanth Sridhar

Azhwargal Charithram - this was the theme of the Harikatha discourse that Dushyanth Sridhar presented on Dec.26 evening for Bharat Kalachar at the YGP Auditorium in T. Nagar. Assisting him on stage were vocalists and sisters, Anahitha and Apoorva.

Dushyanth has/had over 17 recitals this December at various venues - and besides Anahitha and Apoorva, his other co-artistes are the Carnatica Brothers and also sisters, Archana and Aarathi. 

His Harikatha/discourses continue in January 2020. A popular artiste with a busy schedule, especially at this time of the year.

A sabha puts out a newsletter for the Season

'Sangeeth Sarathy' is a four-page, colour news-sheet that is being published for the Season by Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha for rasikas who attend its events/concerts at Vidhya Bharathi hall in Mylapore. 

The content is based on events of the sabha here, co-ordinated by R. Revathi and S. Sivakumar, photos by Lingan Studios' Shankar and design by M. Fairy.

The first issue featured conversations with artistes who were honored with the sabha's awards.

Among them was violin maestro Prof. T. N. Krishnan, now 92 and still on the concert stage. 

Here is an anecdote that Krishnan shared -

'My relationship with this sabha is from 1943. I first performed for Semmangudi Srinivasaier and later for Ariyakudi, GNB, Alathur Brothers and Madurai Mani Iyer……. I used to live in a house in Triplicane High Road and this sabha used to hold its concerts in a hall on the third floor of Hindu High School. When the Sunday concerts were set to begin at 4.25 p.m. the concert hall used to get full by 4.15 p.m. People squatted on the floor and used to listen to the concert for three to four hours…'

A city hotel has its Christmas day-long music fest

This is a December Season tradition at Hotel Maris on Cathedral Road, a neighbour of The Music Academy.

Every Christmas day, the hotel hosts a day-long music concerts festival at its hall on the first floor and allows rasikas and its guests to soak in it for free.

So this Christmas day, the day began with a vocal concert by Muthukumar, followed by a lunch break and then, three concerts which ended with a delightful veena-flute-violin concert - on the veena was Mudikondan Ramesh and on the flute, Thyagarajan Ramani.

Coffee and fruit juices were on sale in a corner and since Maris has recently redesigned its very popular restaurant on the ground floor, with a smart look heightened by the soft lighting, this place was packed at lunch time - its meal is a hot-seller.

Folk music, dance fest also in the city

This December Season just got a new dimension. A series of folk music and dance performances are unfolding at the Kerala Samajam Auditorium off Poonamallee High Road in the city.

South Zone Cultural Centre, with its operations based in Thanjavur is hosting the Bharatheeya Lok Utsav fest, until Dec.29, 6 p.m. onwards. The launch was scheduled for Dec.23 evening.

The variety of folk is huge - from Lavani and Koli Nritya from Maharastra and Dollu Kunitha from Karnataka, from Kavadi from Tamil Nadu to Thangta from Manipur, from Siddhi Dhamal from Gujarat to Kaliyattam from Puducherry, every evening some 8 to 10 different folk artistes troupes are to perform at this venue, located off the old Dasaprakash hotel campus.

Prof. M. Balasubramoniam, director the the Centre says that over 20 folk artistes have been invited to this festival, the first of its kind. "We wanted to give Chennai a folk festival when the December Season of classical music and dance recitals is also on," said the director.

Music nook in city's new pedestrian plaza

The city has been talking about Pondy Bazaar's Pedestrian Plaza ever since it was launched formally a few weeks ago - a Smart City project of wide pavements with colorful furniture, wall art and avenue trees, electric buggies to transport seniors, 'smart' cycles stands, designated parking and smart street lighting in what is Chennai's hotspot for shopping.

Of late, musicians are being hosted in one inner space on the pavement to give shoppers some entertainment - and so, on Saturday last, in line with the December Season spirit, two kutcheris were held here, courtesy 'Times of India'. One was presented by sisters Archana and Aarati.  This was light music that let the small groups of shoppers soak in a bit and then move on.

Western music gigs have also been held here and more such events are planned.

Music Quiz on Dec.29. Register now.

Mudhra is hosting a Music Quiz on Dec.29 morning at its festival venue - Ramakrishna Mission School, Krishna Street, T. Nagar. Preethi Appliances is partnering the sabha and promises prizes worth Rs.1 lakh in toto.

To register, you must SMS or WhatsApp to 9382163330 with 'Music Quiz' typed on top of the message.

Artistes Radha Bhaskar and Gayatri Girish will conduct this quiz.

How to get daily concert tickets for Music Academy recitals

If you wish to buy tickets to the two, back-to-back concerts at The Music Academy, then you must buy them at the sales counter at the Academy, 9 a.m. onwards. 

First-come first-serve basis sale.

Chamber Concert at Musiri House. This Sunday morning.

Musiri Chamber Concert series presents a nagaswaram concert of Desur Selvarathnam and artistes on Sunday, December 22 from onwards 10:01am, at Musiri House in Alwarpet.

This is a chamber concert and rasikas sit on the floor or on chairs. 

Desur Selvarathnam is an accomplished nagaswaram artiste and a torchbearer for the instrument who was trained by Sangita Kalanidhi-awarded A K C Natarajan. He has performed at many prestigious venues and festivals worldwide. 

Open to all. Venue: “Musiri House”, 28/2, Musiri Subramaniam Road, Alwarpet. Tel: 2499 2114 / 94440 28677 / 94444 19465.

Chamber concerts at Musiri House have been held here for many years now, featuring the veterans, vidwans, the stars and the young talented.

Canteen buzz; lots of sweets, fresh

People who stepped into the canteen on the campus of Narada Gana Sabha in Alwarpet to have breakfast after the upanyasam that goes on in the mini hall here, found that the canteen offers a variety of sweets. Not just tiffin.

One morning's special was appam and vegetable stew.

There are at least five different sweets - from poli to halwa - on sale here. You can also pracel these - sold by the kilo or by units. We are told the sweets will be on offer through December.

A tribute to Mandolin Shrinivas, by his sishya

Young mandolin artiste Aravind Bhargav presented his concert on Dec.16 morning at The Music Academy. This was evidently a high-point in his growing career. 

A sishya os late mandolin maestro U. Shrinivas, Bhargav shared his feelings on social media of the invitation to perform where his guru had held centre-stage for many years. This is what Bhargav wrote -

A dream come true. It's only surreal to think that for close to a decade I used to sit on the stage close to the left side monitor, listening and seeing Shrinivas sir create magic year after year. I only ever wanted to be good enough to sit behind him as a support. To play solo is something I never honestly believed I would do on this holy dais. Guruji and the Universe have been incredibly kind. Truly overwhelmed.

Doyens of dance to perform, interact at art gallery: Dec.19 morning

Timeless - An afternoon with the Legends, is a unique event that has been curated among the few in the run-up to the Natya Darshan dance seminar and dances hosted by Kartik Fine Arts.

This is a coming together of the doyens of Bharatanatyam - Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy, The Dhananjayans,  Chitra Visweswaran & Rhadha, interact and perform on the same stage at Forum Art Gallery, Padmanabha Nagar, Adyar.

Date: Thursday, 19th December 2019

Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Venue: Forum Art Gallery, Adyar.

Open to all but seating is limited here, so get in early.

Music Academy canteen promises specials but city foodies miffed at stiff pricing

There are rasikas who cannot but step out to enjoy a cup of steaming coffee and hailing a friend before stepping into the sabha hall for a concert. 

Long before the Music Academy launched its festival at the TTK Auditorium on Sunday ( Dec.15), the canteen in its campus had a good number of people relishing Mysore bondas ( Rs.80) or khichidi (Rs.70) before ordering coffee (Rs.35).

Being day one of the fest here, Balaji Catering Services who manages the canteen here went tight on the menu but promised rasikas its curd rice (Rs.100) till late, after the first concert here.

We are told that the afternoon sapad meal here is priced at Rs.400 and is a big spread.  

Foodies of Chennai who keep a close watch on the sabha canteens and their menu are miffed that prices are stiff and sharing their disappointment on social media. But many may give in to the temptation of the specials that sabha canteens offer this season. Rarely does one get to feast on such food elsewhere.

KutcheriBuzz Dance Concerts Guide is out!

The KutcheriBuzz December Season 2019 Guide to Dance Concerts is in circulation now.

You can get a copy at the KutcheriBuzz office at the 2nd Floor office at Chennai Corporation Complex, 77, C. P. Ramaswamy Road in Alwarpet ( south side of the flyover).

The office is open 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

If you want a copy shipped to you, please talk to Paramesh at 044-24994599 / 24993767 for details on this service.

The Music Concerts Guide was put out a week ago; only limited copies are available at the KutcheriBuzz office.

Copies are given free of cost.

Handy ready-reckoner for the Season.

Nalli sponsors a very useful and handy book for the Season. The Concerts Guide. A sort of ready-reckoner.

The man who burns the midnight oil to compile the data, proof-read and oversee the printing of this little book is S. Kannan, a Mylaporean.  Imagine compiling over 1500 concerts into a little book!

He has been doing this for years and could breathe easy when Nalli Kuppuswamy chose to fund the effort every December. The book was released at Brahma Gana Sabha's opening evening. Copies are available at all Nalli stores in the city. Free of cost.

Birthday cake!

When was the last time you saw cakes being cut on a sabha stage?
Well, it happened last week at the opening evening of the music and dance festival of Chennai Cultural Academy in T. Nagar.

Soon after the guests and artistes were seated on stage, a cake was placed on a table and the emcee of the evening announced that the occasion was the celebration of the 80th birthday of Nalli Kuppuswamy, who is a big promoter of the arts. He was presented with a large garland of flowers and a flowery crown placed on his head and as he cut the cake, the emcee sang the birthday song.

Nalli Kuppuswamy celebrated the milestone in his life some weeks ago but the Academy's secretary for some 50 years who passed away recently, Dr. S. Natarajan had discussed with his team details of a grand event he planned for the arts patron to mark this birthday and so, to honour that plan, a symbolic celebration was held that evening at the venue - Rama Rao Kala Mantap, Habibullah Road, T. Nagar.

Sapad. Sapad. Canteens draw outsiders too.

The canteen at Vani Mahal, T. Nagar where Sri Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha hosts its December Season festival of music and dance took its own time to warm up to the early clients on day one of business.

With the smaller gate of the premises shut due to ongoing civil work at Vani Mahal, access was a roundabout - where the washrooms and dumps are located.
So people attending the opening day of the festival did a bit of huffing before sitting down to dine.

The menu was limited, understandably - kasi halwa, khicchidi, dosa, bonda and coffee. The stewards though hadn't warmed up yet - day one daze we suppose.

But every other person who had tiffin was keen to know more about the afternoon sapad. There are a set of people, who aren't rasikas who enjoy feasting on a canteen meal at lunch time.

The food is far better than whats served in local restaurants.

Walking Tour to get close look at December Season

There is a lot more than concerts and lectures that can enrich the December Season in  Chennai.

Walking Tours. Home-based cultural experience. Workshops. Chamber concerts.

A few enterprises are happening and here is one for those who are new to the Season - a heritage-cultural tour happening in Mylapore on Dec.15, Sunday.

Carnatic artiste Madhuvanthi Badri leads this tour will take a closer look at Chennai’s classical music and dance heritage as you walk in and around Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple. Those on this Walk will also get inside a sabha hall to get a firsthand expereince, we are told.

Charges: Adults - Rs. 800; Children aged 12 yrs and below - Rs. 400 (payable in advance along with the registration)

For more details, call 9940458435, latest by Dec.14.

25 years of Mudhra. In photos.

The husband-wife team of  Bhaskar and Radha, both artistes and festival curators who run 'Mudhra' and it allied activities like web radio and publications take some extra effort to make the venue of its annual music festival wear a smart look, thanks to Bhaskar's creative juices.

Getting to the venue - a school auditorium managed by the Sri Ramakrishna Mutt located off North Usman Road is a maddening exercise, considering the huge volumes of traffic in this busy shopping zone of the city.

This year marks Mudhra's 25 years and to mark this milestone, the Bhaskars and their team have set up a small but neat exhibition of photos of all the key events in this 25 year journey. 

A video of this journey with a lively commentary, spiced with anecdotal bytes, posted online could well reach far and wide. 

KutcheriBuzz Guide to Music Concerts is out

The KutcheriBuzz December Season 2019 Guide to music concerts is in circulation now, after the printer surprised us with a early delivery of the copies.

You can get a copy at the KutcheriBuzz office at the 2nd Floor office at Chennai Corporation Complex, 77, C. P. Ramaswamy Road in Alwarpet ( south side of the flyover).

The office is open 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

If you want a copy shipped to you, please talk to Paramesh at 24994599 / 24993767 for details on this service.

The Dance Concerts Guide should be out by Dec.13.

Whither Carnatic music? One more debate

Whither Carnatic Music?

This was the subject of a recent discussion held at a Mylapore auditorium. A subject, a question, a theme that has been asked, posed and debated over some years now.

'Only seniors attend concerts . . . Sabha halls are never full . . . Youngsters want to perform but aren't seen at concerts……are some of the points that rasikas raise.

And yet there does not seem to be something drastically going wrong in this music world.

Anyway, artistes Palghat Ramprasad, Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam and Anil Srinivasan and the Head of the Madras University's Music Department debated the topic. And made some strong points.

Ramprasad's focus was on the importance of an artiste's devotion to learning and practice than towards looking to grab performance invitations.

Anil said the music world was just fine, with lots of keen and knowledgable, young rasikas attending concerts around the world and that one must not get too excited at small attendances at concerts, because this was the norm worldwide for classical music.

Vijayalakshmi's thoughts were more for rasikas - rasikas patronising only the concerts of the famous and popular and ignoring young, bright talent elsewhere was a big discouragement for artistes. And for rasikas to not request for all-time favorites at concerts but be open to the music of less-known composers or rarely-sung songs.

First sabha canteen opens . . .

The first sabha canteen has opened. Sastha Catering handles the food at Brahma Gana Sabha's festival at Sivagami Petachi Auditorium in Alwarpet.

Sastha has maintained the quality of its snacks and draws a decent crowd. Mysore bondas and dosas were among the first orders guests placed as the music fest got off to a start on Tuesday evening.

Located at the rear of the auditorium.

Boring speeches at festival launches

Tamil Nadu's governor has been invited to be chief guest at the launch of many a music or dance festival. He makes an effort to say a few words in Thamizh; Bhanwarilal Purohit is from north India.

But his speeches are boring and dry. They sound like primer classes on south India classical arts for juniors. They will tell an audience who the Trinity are, how a flute is made, and the roots of Thamizh classics besides listing the Carnatic music maestros and their contribution.

Most guests don't fall asleep but tolerate it quietly. As they did at the opening evening of Brahma Gana Sabha's fest on December 3 evening.

Why can't such important people of the state have better speech writers who communicate well and look to knowledgeable people to learn a bit that will help them write something that rings with the audience ?

Do we really need over 1000 concerts?

The rain is coming down steadily. The campus of Narada Gana Sabha in Alwarpet isn't flooded but has a sheet of water. In the lit Woodlands restaurant, dance guru V. P. Dhananjayan is enjoying a cup of hot coffee before stepping into the hall for the launch of the fest of Kartik Fine Arts.

"Too many festivals . . . too many concerts," he tells me, indicating to the over 1000 concerts that have been formally made public this December.

Dhananjayan keeps shaking his head as he finishes the coffee. "More and more organizers are coming and having the same artistes all the same time. How does this help?"

This senior Bharatanatyam dancer-guru's observation is not new. But it illustrates what is known as Season Madness.

Narada Gana Sabha's new-look mini auditorium

The small auditorium of Narada Gana Sabha's complex on TTK Road in Alwarpet now has a smart look after fullscale redesign and renovation took place.

Located on the first floor at the rear, south side of the auditorium complex, this hall, commonly called mini hall now has refurbished seating, padded walls, better space in the aisle and on the side and access to two side exits which are well lit and a Bose audio sound system fitted inside the hall.

It can seat over 150 people and is best suited for music concerts. Dance recitals are also held here and some theatre groups have already shown interest in staging small plays here.

Access is available via the stairs as well as a small lift, and a ramp makes it easy for seniors and less abled to get into the this small auditorium. The lobby is well-lit as is the space adjoining the hall where the side exits are located.

Good place to listen to good music.

Monsoon is with us here in Chennai

The monsoon greeted Tamil Nadu late November and was sketchy in some parts. As it was in Chennai.

But it rained steady on December 1 as Kartik Fine Arts sabha prepared to launch its festival at Narada Gana Sabha.

The rains kept away people who may have wanted to drop in here for the event. Opening evenings are not great shows in most sabhas - they are routine and dull affairs.

At Kartik's opening event there were some 75 odd people, most being well wishers and family of artistes who were decorated with awards that Sunday evening.

Music Season Guide will be ready on Dec.7, hopefully

The KutcheriBuzz December Season Music Guide for 2019 has just gone to the press and we hope to have copies with us by December 6 / 7. 

It took some extra time to put the pages to rest because a few sabhas raised the red flag to indicate some changes had to be made as they worried over fixing accompanists. Its a tough job, we are aware.

Some accompanists have over 20 concerts across four / five weeks of the Season and there are some lead artistes who insist on a team he/she vibes well with.

The Guide is as always free, not priced. But those who may want it to reach them as soon as it is available and don't mind paying to get a posted copy can now avail of a facility - call us at 2499 3767 or 24994599 for details on payment options and mail delivery.

Welcome to December Season 2019!

Welcome to the 2019 edition of the December Season in Chennai. If we trust passionate, independent weather bloggers of this state then the monsoon is bound to lace the Season in its first half. And the weather could well be pleasant post December 15.

But one never knows with climate change.

The rain does not keep the dedicated rasika away from the city's sabha halls; the canteens though may see a rise in the sale of hot coffee, if it is great.

Rasikas whose lives are entwined with the Season get down to a lot of planning well before the Season unfolds. And these are rasikas who do not mind hopping from one sabha to another.

But sabhas who have long schedules do not release their concerts schedules till the last week of November. Much of the delay has to do with scheduling co-artistes of the main artiste.

And for the discerning rasika, complete information is essential. Even the khanjira artiste of the performing group counts!