The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Will the annual festival be held?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 28, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Will the annual festival be held?

By T. Ramakrishnan

CHENNAI, NOV. 27 . The semi-circular T.T. Krishnamachari auditorium of the 77-year-old Music Academy in the upmarket Alwarpet does not seem to be ready for the annual music festival.

Normally by now musicians and rasikas, particularly overseas Indians, would have come to know the schedule of the festival, which used to be held for two weeks from mid-December. This year no programme has been finalised or festival schedule announced. Committee members say a case is pending before the Madras High Court and if that is settled, there could be a limited edition.

Rasikas' concern

At a function here on Friday, K.S. Bakthavatsalam, chief of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's local chapter, made an open appeal that the academy hold its festival, as in the previous years. His appeal reflects the concerns of innumerable musicians and rasikas, who feel that if the festival is not held this year, it will be a "big loss" to the cultural life of south India.

Performing at the academy and attending the festival there during the `Margazhi season' are considered prestigious. Budding artistes who want to make it big think that getting a slot in the academy's tight schedule is a lifetime break. They then aspire to perform during the `peak hours.' Conferences are held in Chennai to coincide with the festival to enable participants to attend at least a few `cutcheris' or dances.

The big question now is: Will the Music Academy's festival be held this year? Though there is no sign yet of its being finalised, rasikas hope that wisdom will dawn on the committee members to resolve the crisis in time and present a worthy feast.

`Mecca of Carnatic music'

`Mandolin' U. Shrinivas, who created a sensation in the early 1980s, says that "to musicians, the Music Academy is like the Mecca or the Supreme Court of Carnatic music."

Calling the academy a "model for others," B. Rajam Iyer, one of the oldest vocalists in the country, whose association with the institution began in 1948, says its authorities went about in a "systematic and organised" manner in conducting the festival each year. The event acquired credibility and respectability because "the festival details were finalised every year by a committee of people, unlike in some sabhas that are characterised by `one-man shows,'" he says.

For Haridwaramangalm A.K. Palanivelu, tavil exponent, "the academy festival always provided me an experience of intellectual enrichment because of lecture-demonstration programmes in the mornings which were attended by leading musicologists and seasoned musicians."

Crucial platform

Making the same point, Sanjay Subramanian, a younger generation vocalist, says the academy has been functioning as a crucial platform for shaping the career of numerous musicians in their formative years. "Excellent ambience and international audience are among other attractions," he says.

"The academy is known for clean environment and the canteen producing delicious food," says Achuthan Kudalur, an artist who has been attending the concerts there. M. Narmada, violinist-vocalist, says the institution attached equal importance to art and artistes, evident from the manner in which concerts were organised and musicians honoured.

Srinidhi Chidambaram, a danseuse who has been performing Bharatanatyam programmes during the academy's festival for over a decade, says that "as a rasika, I feel that some arrangement has to be made for the conduct of the festival this year."

There are many others who feel the same way. N. Ramachandran, a chartered accountant, suggests that popular and affluent musicians join together and arrange concerts. They should approach legal or other forums for permission to have the concerts held in the Krishnamachari auditorium. Music lovers in Chennai and those who visit the city for this festival think that the academy committee will be letting them down badly if it fails to conduct the event this year.

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