Indira Sivasailam Endowment Concert

"Sivasailam" is a well known name in the city among the Industrialist and from today he will also be known and remembered in the "Music circuit". Sivasailam and his daughters, after Indira's demise, in association with Music Academy have instituted "Indira Sivasailam Endownment Prize" to be given away every year during Navarathri to Senior musicians with parampara (sure it is not Parampara Pattu?), wide repetoire of krithis, with innovation under the frameworks of classical music and finally with a huge fan following both local (Mylapore, Malleshwaram, Matunga, Mamis :-))and global (Sydney, Stolkholm, San Francisco). Hope the fan following is for music and not for costume and couture.

The phamplet distributed before the concert gave us an opportunity to know Indira and her musical dimensions, otherwise very less known outside of Music Academy, its office bearers and their family. And this also subtly answered why this prize was instituted in association with Music Academy. Government of India recognizes Musicians with Padmashri, PadmaBushan, etc. but Music Academy giving away prizes to Senior Musicians before they start using hearing aids, dentures, and walking sticks is like sighting blue moon. Though Music Academy is equally political when compared to Government of India, we only hope they are not corrupt. Should we construe that the Academy can never be influenced or bribed?

Mr. N. Murali, Mr. Krishna Prasad (office bearers of Music Academy) and Mallika Srinivasan (Sivasailam's daughter) in their speech multiple times re-iterated that the decision on this year's recipient was unanimous. Awards, Sabhas and Artist share a symbiotic relationship, did I say scratching each others back? Artists need awards to motivate them reach the stalwart stage and once they become Senior these Sabhas need their favor to build credibility to their awards and organization. Well it is not always that Musicians need awards to succeed (Lalgudi turned down Sangita Kalanidhi) but sometimes even organizations need ambassadors to carry them. Just like how Pothy's needed "her" to sell Silk Sarees to NRI Mamis in Manhattan?

So who could that be? Is it a he or a she? A week before the Oct 15, every news paper had an announcement unvieling both recipient and the award. Her presence can never be missed and there is always an aura created by her costumes, child like smile and stunning stage presence. She was the first classical musician to be featured in a saree ad and first of the page 3 from the Carnatic Music world. Do you need any more clues?

In the Chennai music circle you will definitely need to influence the Sabha Secretaries for a slot to perform(irrespective of whether you have talent or not), but to hear concerts you don't need invite or influence. But this concert surprisingly needed an invite. It was a part of pre-event hype. Who needed this hype? Was it the awardee or the award? Did the concert live up to the expectations? Well before I go answer this question, I will have to put my hands together for the organizers. From stage decor to decorum it was impressive and impeccable. Well what can you expect when the sets filled with lavendar colored silk and jari came from Thota Tharani and set dosai with chutney and chilli podi came from Arusuvai Arasu? From the moment invitees walked in traditionally dressed young girls walked everyone to their seat and specially I was moved to see them escorting Senior citizens to their seats. However much this was staged, it was nice to see seniors getting the respect they deserve. It was also refreshing to see all the support artist for the evening concert being called on the stage and honored.

The evening concert didn't start until 7.15 PM and with Mallika mentioning her mother's favorite songs, even a "dah" listener was sure of what was coming. Swarams emanating from the brand new Miraj Tampura before the brisk Viriboni - Bairavi varnam was rendered. It was nice to see Sudha strictly adhering to the concert format laid down by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. Did you know that Bairavi varnam is loaded with Shringara rasam? The next item was Sharanu Siddhi Vinayaka in Sourashtram, a Purundaradasar composition popularised by Smt. ML Vasanthakumari. Have you noticed that the swarams of Sourashtram meanders like the trunk of Ganesha? Aa: S R1 G3 M1 P M1 D2 N3 S Av: S N3 D2 N2 D2 P M1 G3 R1 S.

What could be the next number after a varnam and Ganesha invocation? Could there be a brief sketch of raga followed by a Devi Kriti by Dikshithar or Shyama Sastri? What followed was Ragasudharasa in Andholika by Thyagaraja, popularized by GNB school. While rest of the music world considered alapana of non-melakarthas outside the tradition, GNB was the first to do alapana of ragas like Andholika, Sunadavinodhini. One needs both skill and boldness to take such ragas for Alapana, but we didn't get to hear or see any of that that evening :-( Andholika is one such raga that grows on you and the lyrics "Raga Sudha Rasa" makes you ponder if raga lends kriti its life or it is the lyrics that accentuates the appeal of the raga.

3 songs down, no alapanai yet, Petra thaai thanai viruttham in Hindolam was followed with Nambikettavar by Papanasam Sivan. Sudha didn't seem to have faith in her memory and the relationship with note book in front of her reminded me of the umbilical relationship that mothers never severe. It was neither a difficult kriti, a rare one or in a different language, most of them in the audience murmured the lyrics, while Sudha needed an aide. Constant peeping into the paper was a distraction for both audience and the artist. May be she learnt it a few weeks before the concert? It showed in her rendition, there was no life and lack to practice was well exhibited. What added a little bit of flavor to the kriti was the kalpanaswarams in Hindolam. A beautiful raga worthy of expansion, just appeared like a drizzle and left the audience high and dry.

Where is Navarathir and where is the Devi kriti? Before audience lost their patience, Sudha picked up one of Dikshithar's masterpiece, Akilandeshwari and rendered it with perfection. Felt like a test match with all dot balls and no boundaries. 5 songs were over, all of them popular numbers and none with raga alapana. May be there was more to come the audience waited patiently, but what came next pushed many from their seats to the corridors of Music Academy. Not that Todi was a bad raga for the evening or Papanasam Sivan's Karthikeya Kangaeya was any worse, but definitely rasikas were disappointed. A short virutham Kandhaney Kadambaney was rendered prior to the kriti. With 2 viruthams the concert felt like a devotional rendition than a classical. Sudha quickly picked up GNB's Mangalakara in Kadanakuthuhalam, but that didn't retain rasikas in their seats, that included me as well.

I qualify to be called her "ardent rasika" I have heard Sudha from the days she accompanied her guru, I have all her albums and heard her in many venues outside the city. But I must confess I have stayed away from her concerts in the past 10 years, there is nothing new that she sings and there is no scope for matured listeners to gain from her concert. Her best performance came in the 15 years that followed her Guru's death and ever since titles, page 3 status, coast to coast tours and cinema songs have taken the best away from her and she has given room for other artists from Bombay to establish themselves. Hearing her is like having Molahu rasam with lot of pepper and perungayam, it smells good and makes you hungry for something more and better!

How does one plan for an award concert? Should one satisfy the rasikas or patronizer? Should they pick up popular melodies or deliver rare krithis? This concert left me with more question and quest for better music. I am already waiting to for the next edition of Indira Sivasailam Endowment Concert, but before then let us hope award and reward season (December) will bring more creativity, competence and variety to both listeners and performers.