Kanyakumari & Co.'s marathon musical effort brings rain to Chennai?

Noted violinist A. Kanyakumari, with a team of Ninety women artistes, performed a 12-hour musical recital at Chennai's Kapaleeshwarar Temple on Saturday, December 20. Their cause: praying for rains. Click Here to read a news item about the performance featured in The Hindu.

Less than a week before this musical effort, a depression in the Bay of Bengal had promised to bring lots of rains to Chennai--at least, according to the Met department and the very dark clouds. But, as is quite usual, the actual rains landed up in Andhra, dashing the hopes of people in Chennai.

Quite fascinatingly, a couple of days after Kanyakumari & Co.'s marathon effort, it rained in Chennai--without any forewarnings! Tuesday and Wednesday saw some very decent rains--by Chennai standards. However, on Wednesday evening--once the Met department woke up and announced that the rains would last for another 2 days--the rains promptly stopped.

It looks like a case of Kanyakumari proposes and the Met department disposes.

Why Odomos is an ideal sponsor for a leading Sabha

It is interesting to notice public sector petrol retail giants like Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil Corp. listed among the main sponsors of leading Sabhas in Chennai.

Interesting, since I can't see a direct business benefit for these companies from these sponsorships. Silk Saree and Fixed Deposit companies may get some good branding benefits. But Petrol? Not too many people would seek out an IOC petrol bunk--versus a bunk run by a competing firm located more conveniently--just because the former sponsored some concerts during the season, right?

There is however another large business category--mosquito repellant products--which can derive direct bottom line benefits by sponsoring Carnatic Music--especially at a particular Sabha located in the heart of Carnatic Chennai.

Given the number of mosquito bites that the audience receives at their hall, it would be a great--revenue generating--idea for the Sabha to tie-up with Balsara Home products, the makers of the Odomos brand of Mosquito repellant oinment.

Here's how the sponsorship agreement could work:

Balsara will agree to sponsor the handing out of free sample Odomos tubes to the audience at the Sabha.

The Sabha can get child laborers (aka "scouts")--that it currently employs to harass audience members while taking their seats and generally make a nuisance of themselves by chatting loudly when the concert is on--to hand out the sample tubes.

In case Balsara does not grab the opportunity, the Sabha can approach the mosquito repellent machine brands like All Out or Good Night. With these sponsors, the child laborers can hand out a flier which says "Do you hate the mosquito bites that you get in our hall? Avoid getting them in your home! Get All Out/Good Knight today!!"

The rise and rise of Sanjay

I attended 5 concerts of Sanjay Subramaniam during the December 2003 season.

COMMON FEATURES of these concerts:

1. Variety (Rishabapriya, Madhyamavati, Charukesi, Hari Khamboji were the main ragas that he sang)

2. Hard work (also called Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi)

3. Zest for the art (also called "sreshtai" by some folks)

Things that were NOT COMMON to these concerts:

1. Repetition
I don't recall a single ragam--let alone song--that was repeated at these venues!

Yes, at some point during a season, Sanjay might have to re-visit some ragas. But, compare this to some other "leading" artistes, who seem to be singing from a set of "concert templates".

2. Take it easy attitude
At the Jaya TV organized concert, Sanjay chose Bharatiyar Songs as the theme--and tried to prove that this needn't constrain an artiste from delivering a very serious concert. He sang Rishabapriya (Chandira Oliyil Avalai Kanden) quite wonderfully as the main raga and before that, Vande Mataram Enbom, in very sweet Kedaram.

At the event organized by Mirudangam vidwan Karaikudi Mani at Asthiga Samajam, Sanjay was featured in a 4 pm slot and had just 1.5 hours to perform! But, he still worked hard--and sang Papanasam Sivan's Saravana Bhava Guhane in Madhyamavati as the main ragam. "Sanjay Subramaniam is sincere and devoted to the highly demanding art of Carnatic classical music. Sanjay usually overcomes the limitations in his voice by sheer application," says T.M. Anantharaman in his review of the concert appearing on the Sify.com web site. "(The main ragam was) replete with cascading sangathis and highlighting the evocative appeal and happy prayerful mood of the raga. In places, he seemed to be pleading with and cajoling the deity to bless him," the reviewer adds.

My conclusion: Sanjay is peaking now--the way T.N.Seshagopalan did in the late nineties. It'll be a good idea to attend as many of his concerts as possible over the next few years.