The Sound of Music

Like many of you, I have also been a good lover of music. There ends the commonality. Mind you here the classification of  a music lover is just that of good, better and best. All these years,  good music meant just the sound which was 'music to the ears'.




Right from the school days, I have been fed on the staple diet of  PBS, SPB and of course in the later years the inimitable Dr Raj Kumar...  all in Kannada. The evergreen Binaca Geet Mala which was handed over down the generations, was a must to listen to, week after week, to be contemporary with the Bollywood music.

In terms of Indian classical music, all that I could then vaguely co relate was with the Greats, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and MS  Subbulakshmi. Who cared ... what the difference between Hindustani or Carnatic.. All that  raga, tala, pallavi and for that matter, the shruti, swara or the alankara were merely  some terms of the musical industry which were heard here and there.

Words such as Thumri, Kajri or the Gharana were never music to the ears.
The jazz, the rock or the hip - hop  etc were only noise.

After coming to Trivandrum, my whole perception about Carnatic music seems to be changing. These South Indian cities, by Jo, I mean ‘by Thyagaraja’, thrive in Carnatic music. It appears to be a way of life for most middle and upper class families. Every boy and girl is taught the basics by default.  How they follow up this art and craft later in their lives is left to them.

Perhaps the golden time of celebration of Carnatic music has just begun here in Trivandrum. The month preceding the ONAM festival is most keenly awaited by all these music fanatics. Many concerts and Sangeet Sabhas have already begun their Annual event with great fanfare.
I had the pleasure of attending couple of these Sabhas in the last week. What started off as a mere curiosity and subsequent interest is fast turning into an obsession. Can you believe I can now easily identify a mridangam, ghatam, kanjira, tambura, nadaswaram, voilin or the thalam. Not just identify the instruments but even discern the melodious sound of music they produce with eyes closed.

Names such as Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar,  A Ramanuja Ayengar, Dr M Balamuralikrishna, Nityashree Mahadevan, Bombay Jayashree, Sanjay Subramanian, NJ Nandini,  etc are fast becoming common names in general conversation. Just thinking about the forthcoming Carnatic music events in the coming days thrills my heart and eagerness to attend these concerts excites me no end.

Some of the pictures of the concerts I attended sometime back  are attached. Apart from the Greats who are on the stage and the their diehard followers, what impressed me most was the youngsters who were so intently listening to the renditions with all types of gestures emanating from their heads , hearts , hands and feet.

A mesmerizing feeling, wanting more of it even while leaving the hall at the end of the day.

Wonder how my life's journey in this God's own country is going to shape up in the coming year and half of my stay here. Wish me luck in this new journey that I have embarked upon here though little late in life.

               *********************************************************