The titles “Dedicated to MS”, “An ode to MS”, “Gems of MS”, “Remembering MS”, “Endrendum MS” all sound like titles of music albums, but increasingly many Sabhas host thematic concerts with such titles. Is it to leverage the mileage of the legend and pull crowd into the concert halls? Is it a musical stunt or a cheap imitation in name of thematic concert? What should the audience expect when they go for such shows in the future? How does the audience feel at the end of such concerts?
In an era of themes and schemes
We live in an era of themes; from Silk Sarees to Carnatic concerts we need personalization and an occasion for celebration. Do we really need an occasion to feel special even when it comes to music? Has Carnatic music turned into a commodity and do we need to use seasonal marketing? Do we need to throw a legend’s name to draw audience?
Artist may want to emulate MS, but the journey to bakthi is long, testing and most importantly one needs grace of almighty more than grace of Sabha secretaries and government officials! It is good to remember legends, showcase their contribution to music, and host thematic concerts to keep their gems alive and in circulation, but there are downsides to so many leveraging “Queen of Song”.
What does Brand MS stand for?
MS was the first female artist to receive Sangita Kalanidhi, Nobel of Carnatic Music, and it is a popular complaint (murmur) in the music circles that she has not created students and has left her lineage behind. From mountains of Badrinath to the plains of Kanyakumari, from Sri Venkateshwara Temple at Sydney to Shiva Vishnu Temple at Livermore, California, the temple doors open and even the sun rises to MS’s rendition of Suprabatham and Sahasranamam. Now should we heed to those murmurs and complains?
The MS brand was built inside-out unlike many who are trying to built outside-in. MS was not the kind who appeared in Saree advertisements or acted in tele-serials to build her brand. Infact she stopped acting soon after she took music seriously and married Sri. Sadasivam. From Kaatrinile varum geetham to Kurai Ondrum illai, there would no one in the audience without a tear when MS rendered these songs. Her music and her voice have universally been accepted for quality, bakthi, purity, and more importantly one-way ticket to the inward journey and salvation. Her career is a rare combination of hardwork, dedication, unwavering focus, along with divine intervention and guidance from her husband.
And then they leverage Brand “MS”
Every self-proclaimed “King” in the assembly smirked with arrogance and came forward to pick up and break the “Siva Dhanus” to marry to Sita, but none other than Lord Rama could pick up and break the bow. Call it divine intervention, or pre-destined, or made for each other, there was only one in the assembly of kings who could do it and that were Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya. Such is Carnatic Music and MS Subbalakshmi.
That Evening
This was at a popular Sabha, in a tier 2 city, performed by a popular artist leveraging brand “MS”. Even before the curtains went up, an announcement over the PA system reminded audience of Sep 16, Barath Ratna, MS Subbalakshmi’s birthday, and that the evening concert being dedicated to the legend.
The artist began the concert with Sriman Narayana in Bowli, and then moved to Thyagaraja krithi Yenati Nomu Phalamu in Bairavi and quickly shifted gears to render Thamizh Thyagaraja’s (Papanasam Sivan) Maa Ramanan in Hindolam. The artist tried hard and picked up the Gowlipantu krithi of Thyagaraja, Terateeyaga radha, and even the organizer tried hard to supplement the rendition with the trivia about the krithi on a PowerPoint, but the curtains of divinity simply wouldn’t open. The music was technically right, but it simply failed to evoke the 500 souls in the audience that evening. The only song that even came close to evoking emotion was the Meera Bhajan – Hari Tum haro.
For the forthcoming evenings
Before sabahas announce another concert leveraging “Brand MS” and before artists accept to perform, it will be good homework for both to find out what made MS stand apart from her peers, what made her revered among legends, and what made her music immortal without a lineage. Everyone must understand Carnatic Music has always had a divine purpose and composers used music as a ticket to their salvation and not filling up their pockets with money and homes with awards.
There is big difference between god and humans who dress-up as god and act like one. As rasikas, we all earn to see and hear another MS who would take our soul on a spiritual journey, but we must understand she is an “Avatara Purushi” and women like her and Meera Bai are not born that often, may be once in a several centuries. So, remember this fact before you drag yourself to performance with such themes and titles. Don't encourage people exploiting such a divine brand!
In an era of themes and schemes
We live in an era of themes; from Silk Sarees to Carnatic concerts we need personalization and an occasion for celebration. Do we really need an occasion to feel special even when it comes to music? Has Carnatic music turned into a commodity and do we need to use seasonal marketing? Do we need to throw a legend’s name to draw audience?
Artist may want to emulate MS, but the journey to bakthi is long, testing and most importantly one needs grace of almighty more than grace of Sabha secretaries and government officials! It is good to remember legends, showcase their contribution to music, and host thematic concerts to keep their gems alive and in circulation, but there are downsides to so many leveraging “Queen of Song”.
What does Brand MS stand for?
MS was the first female artist to receive Sangita Kalanidhi, Nobel of Carnatic Music, and it is a popular complaint (murmur) in the music circles that she has not created students and has left her lineage behind. From mountains of Badrinath to the plains of Kanyakumari, from Sri Venkateshwara Temple at Sydney to Shiva Vishnu Temple at Livermore, California, the temple doors open and even the sun rises to MS’s rendition of Suprabatham and Sahasranamam. Now should we heed to those murmurs and complains?
The MS brand was built inside-out unlike many who are trying to built outside-in. MS was not the kind who appeared in Saree advertisements or acted in tele-serials to build her brand. Infact she stopped acting soon after she took music seriously and married Sri. Sadasivam. From Kaatrinile varum geetham to Kurai Ondrum illai, there would no one in the audience without a tear when MS rendered these songs. Her music and her voice have universally been accepted for quality, bakthi, purity, and more importantly one-way ticket to the inward journey and salvation. Her career is a rare combination of hardwork, dedication, unwavering focus, along with divine intervention and guidance from her husband.
And then they leverage Brand “MS”
Every self-proclaimed “King” in the assembly smirked with arrogance and came forward to pick up and break the “Siva Dhanus” to marry to Sita, but none other than Lord Rama could pick up and break the bow. Call it divine intervention, or pre-destined, or made for each other, there was only one in the assembly of kings who could do it and that were Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya. Such is Carnatic Music and MS Subbalakshmi.
That Evening
This was at a popular Sabha, in a tier 2 city, performed by a popular artist leveraging brand “MS”. Even before the curtains went up, an announcement over the PA system reminded audience of Sep 16, Barath Ratna, MS Subbalakshmi’s birthday, and that the evening concert being dedicated to the legend.
The artist began the concert with Sriman Narayana in Bowli, and then moved to Thyagaraja krithi Yenati Nomu Phalamu in Bairavi and quickly shifted gears to render Thamizh Thyagaraja’s (Papanasam Sivan) Maa Ramanan in Hindolam. The artist tried hard and picked up the Gowlipantu krithi of Thyagaraja, Terateeyaga radha, and even the organizer tried hard to supplement the rendition with the trivia about the krithi on a PowerPoint, but the curtains of divinity simply wouldn’t open. The music was technically right, but it simply failed to evoke the 500 souls in the audience that evening. The only song that even came close to evoking emotion was the Meera Bhajan – Hari Tum haro.
For the forthcoming evenings
Before sabahas announce another concert leveraging “Brand MS” and before artists accept to perform, it will be good homework for both to find out what made MS stand apart from her peers, what made her revered among legends, and what made her music immortal without a lineage. Everyone must understand Carnatic Music has always had a divine purpose and composers used music as a ticket to their salvation and not filling up their pockets with money and homes with awards.
There is big difference between god and humans who dress-up as god and act like one. As rasikas, we all earn to see and hear another MS who would take our soul on a spiritual journey, but we must understand she is an “Avatara Purushi” and women like her and Meera Bai are not born that often, may be once in a several centuries. So, remember this fact before you drag yourself to performance with such themes and titles. Don't encourage people exploiting such a divine brand!
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