When the city goes the extra mile for a Carnatic concert

Carnatic music, like Tamil films, has its set of crazy fans; for many, illness is not a deterrent

December 19, 2014 01:53 am | Updated April 04, 2016 11:10 pm IST

The Margazhi season is not just about the people in heavy Kancheepuram saris and dhotis, but also about the rasikas who just cannot keep away.

The lengths that people will go to, to listen to concerts at sabhas during the season is quite unimaginable. In Chennai, people will bunk classes, produce medical certificates to avail leave, and even find accommodation on rent in the city to attend the Carnatic fiesta.

Carnatic music, like Tamil films, has its set of crazy fans; for many, illness is not a deterrent. Vanaja Parthiban from Madipakkam and Seetha Balakrishnan from Pittsburgh, for instance, have chosen to attend concerts despite facing serious health issues.

Ms. Balakrishnan and her husband have not missed a single kutcheri season in the past 20 years. Every year, they come to Chennai in the beginning of December and stay for a month. “Two years ago, my wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and we almost cancelled our trip, but we realised that coming for the season would help ease our minds,” says Mr. Balakrishnan.

Similarly, 78-year-old Ms. Parthiban, who had a fall last year and is slowly recovering, still ensures that she does not miss concerts by O.S. Arun, Ghatam Karthick, Udayalur Kalyanaraman and Radha Bhaskar. Every year, to avoid long commutes to the concerts, she moves to her son’s house in West Mambalam during the Margazhi season.

“I travel from hall to hall in autorickshaws. I pick and choose the concerts I want to attend. There is so much to listen to, and it’s a very enjoyable time,” says Ms. Parthiban, who is often at the halls from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. when the free concerts are on.

There are people for whom Carnatic music takes precedence over work and education, at least during the season. K. Deepak, who works for a software firm, works late into the night on regular days. During the Margazhi season, however, things change.

“I am a big fan of Bombay Jayashree, so whenever she performs, I do my best to make up an emergency or a medical appointment so I don’t miss a concert,” he says. He often ends up going for concerts scheduled at 6 a.m., so he doesn’t have to miss work. “It is only the one month, so I don’t mind giving up sleep,” he says. 

T. Bharani Kumar, an engineering student who is from Hyderabad, says that he started appreciating Carnatic music only after he came here. “My friend dragged me for an Aruna Sairam concert, and I fell in love with the music. I now regularly go for concerts and I usually end up bunking classes to attend the afternoon concerts because they are free,” he says. Thanks to his passion, his friends too have started attending concerts.

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