My uncle who lives in Baroda is a much disappointed man these days. As an ardent follower of Carnatic music in general and the Chennai music season in particular, he has been a regular at the kacheri beat in Chennai every December for many years. But sadly, this year he will not be there. Like him, there are so many from all over the world who will maintain physical distancing from Chennai and the music season this year.
COVID-19 has disrupted the harmony of the entire music season in Chennai. Though theatres have opened and performances allowed, albeit with myriad restrictions, carrying on with the music season in business-as-usual mode has been understandably difficult for the organisers. First of all, the weather at this time in Chennai though pleasant is also conducive to spreading viral infections. Second, the chunk of the audience for concerts are senior citizens who fall in the more vulnerable category for COVID-19. Third, the air-conditioned halls, even with physical distancing norms, may not augur well for controlling the spread of the coronavirus.
Yet, in order to keep the music spirit and the tradition alive, the Federation of City Sabhas, a group of the leading sabhas in Chennai, has decided to roll out the music season – online. Branded Yours Truly Margazhi (December 15, 2020 to January 15, 2021), the idea is to take the music online so that people can enjoy it from the comfort of their homes wherever they are, appreciating the Thodi without worrying about COVID-19.
For Carnatic music lovers, this is a small consolation that they can still catch up with the kacheris during the season. But everyone without exception will admit that the whole experience of being in Chennai during the season is different and that will be thoroughly missed. Because it’s not just about the music.
First up, for rasikas young and old alike the music buzz in Chennai during the season is palpable. I’ve seen youngsters discussing the new kriti sung by a particular artist or an innovative tweak to a raga or a new technique adopted by an instrumentalist and so on after the concerts. There are also comparisons with the previous year’s selection of ragas/kritis, the differences, the repetitions, and so on. All that will be sorely missed this year.
Secondly, talk to anyone and they’ll tell you that during the season, the caterer and the menu at the sabha canteen is as important as the artist and the kacheri. It’s difficult to say which is more music to the ears. The excitement of opting for a Sanjay Subramanyam concert with Pattappa’s full meals at the Music Academy or a Priya sisters programme at Parthsarthyswamsabha (of stand-up comedian Alex fame) with Mountbatten Mani’s Carrot kheer after running a complex algorithm of Artist-Sabha-Caterer-Menu will be deeply missed this year. And my sympathies are with those for whom the season is the only chance in the whole year to savour Vazhapoo vadai or Elaneer Payasam and other such exotic stuff. So, while rasikas can log in and enjoy their favourite kacheris online, they’ll have to make do with homemade molaga bajjis or rava kesari this time.
Even for officegoers, the season usually is a godsend. I know of many who take a break from bringing lunch from home during the season. Instead, they just hop to one of the nearest sabha canteens during lunch break, have their fill and then get back to work. This year, since most are still working from home, there will be no canteen hopping.
For folks in Chennai though, I understand that some of the caterers are making arrangements for continuing with food and catering arrangements as usual with limited dine-in facility and of course home delivery. But people who would secretly gorge on tasty fried kuzhi paniyarams and ghee dripping kasi halwa at the sabha canteens during kacheri breaks, concealing it from their concerned family members, have to settle for safer options like steamed idlis, sevai, etc. even if they decide to order home delivery. On the positive side though, at home one can continue to munch on snacks and drink endless cups of filter coffee while the kacheri is in progress unlike live concerts where you can only do so during breaks.
Another aspect of the Chennai music season experience that will be missed this year is the opportunity to show off one’s musical knowledge. During kacheris, it is habitual for knowledgeable rasikas to guess the raga the moment the singer commences a raga alapana or during the Ragam-Thanam-Pallavi rendition and get brownie points from fellow rasikas. In the confines of your home, you can guess the raga and impress only your spouse/family, which of course has limited appeal.
‘Chennai has two seasons – summer season and music season’ is a beaten to death cliché now. But it is also a fact. So the music season is the only time Chennaivaasis get to take out their winter wear (read as mufflers, shawls and monkey caps!). However, one will have to wait another year to pop out the winter wear as it’ll be funny to wear mufflers and monkey caps while sitting in front of your screens watching the concerts online inside the house. Same is the situation for the collection of silk sarees that women normally flaunt during the season.
One solution for both of the above is to arrange small get-togethers at home for those interested in Carnatic music and watch kacheris together. Like how people in the US get together during Super Bowl matches. Live streaming on big screens at home, the company of likeminded friends, tasty homemade food or food ordered from outside, and discussions about music and related topics while watching concerts together may not be a bad alternative this year.
Lastly, one other thing ardent sabha hoppers will miss this year is posting selfies and pictures on social media from different sabhas and canteens. Insta posts of selfies from the same couch every day may be a tad boring even if you use different hashtags.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) season this year was also different. With no spectators at matches, the only audience was those watching from their homes. Yet, the tournament was a huge hit. Likewise, one hopes that the Chennai music season in spite of being not live this year will go on to be a huge success with the online streaming experience.
Similar to IPL where they played pre-recorded crowd cheers for every boundary or wicket, can they also pre-record and play “Besh, besh” and applause of the rasikas during the streaming to maintain the kacheri effect?
This season, music is going to pour literally from the “cloud”. Hopefully the experience will leave the fans in Cloud Nine.
Anand Kumar RS is a management professional by week and avid blogger by weekend. He writes on politics, business, and films.