- Drank
- Danced (using a very very generous interpretation of the word "dance")
- Wrote a little bit
- Slept well
- Made breakfast at home
- Was driven in a car...
- ...to a delicious home-made lunch
- Watched a little TV
- Took a train...
- ...to Mambalam and drank filter coffee in Pondy Bazaar
- Got some work done
- Took a bus...
- ...to a katcheri...
- ...and into the bargain discovered what seems to be a rather nice temple
- Contrary to default behaviour, took the initiative to catch up with friends and older friends, rendezvouses have been planned
- Took a share auto...
- ...and bought a biryani
- Read a little bit...
- ...and went to bed at a civilized hour.
On the whole, a highly satisfactory day. There are 3 VERY IMPORTANT and very pleasurable things I did not do yesterday, but on balance, all is well.
On the katcheri
Despite many promises to myself and others, I only managed to go to 2 performances (and more importantly 0 caterers) the whole month. Viral fever, trip home and so on more or less became eastern Iberians in the machinery. The concerts I did manage to go to were rather nice. The first was Sanjay Subhramanyam in a cavernous and freezing auditorium, but a most enjoyable concert. I am definitely more partial to Carnatic vocal than instrumental, so this was a good one to go to. Although, I have it from unimpeachable sources that 2 hours before the concert, the artist was doing Farmville updates on his Facebook profile, which makes the whole experience fluctuate between charming and disturbing.
The Ramani concert was a more intimate affair, a small-ish hall next to the temple tank. The performance was superb, even to Philistine ears. The violinist also sounded like a very manodharmam, paddhati, thirukuzhikundram sort of fellow. Enjoyed the whole thing thoroughly. The vennai on the pongal, as it were, was a speech by one sabha organizing mama that punctuated the performance. "Andha Todi! Enna Todi!! Onnume vidaame oru Todi!!! Todi si bewafaai..." and so on. Just scintillating.
Part of the concert paisa vasool is, of course, watching audience maamas and maamis putting taaLam. I have spawned a theory, bear with me.
Personally, I find it impossible to listen to both the main performer and the percussionists at the same time. If I start foot-tapping with mridangam, I can't pay attention to the other fellows, and vice versa. This reminds me rather of the time that my sister tried to measure my pulse rate, and thereby hangs a tale. And honestly, I suspect that the audience M&Ms (multi-coloured as they are in pattu podavais and angavastrams) are in the same boat :P It just comes us an utter surprise to me and the candies when on some downward foot-tap, some momentous conclusion occurs on stage, and we're all very thrilled with each other and much mutual pleasurable beaming occurs.
Usually, I end up scouting the neighbourhood to see if there is a competent and authoritative looking taaLam putter, and try to copy-paste her gestures. Once in a while, I will lose my count, but will catch up sooner or later. Unfortunately, ever so often, I end up picking some number which is mutually prime with the actual beat, and will only catch up after 17x8 beats. Ah well....
Finally, the audience demands the sabhas next year that the promising artiste on the tanpura yesterday become a feature during the season!
8 comments:
surely you mean neyyi on the pongal? you sound like you've had a good new year. i went out intermittently to watch the eclipse, but there were clouds were from eastern iberia (those iberian, i tell you.)
[space] aan, something like that only. it was a good day, all said and done.
what eclipse?
those iberians!!
Pseud taalam putter, bah. were M&M wearing woollen headscarves? I have reason for asking. Oh, and tell pulse rate story.
yes, i also want to know pulse rate story.
and there was a lunar eclipse on the night of 31-1, you science-fiend.
important AND pleasurable? hmm... thereof wonders the gentle reader..
[Sheetal] Yes, some scarves were in evidence. However, the flavour of this winter is leopard print, spring-loaded, ear muffs. You have surely seen these around.
[Space] Oh, like that a? Ergo, I am _not_ a science fiend. QED.
The pulse story is as follows:
Sibling once decides to measure my pulse, for whatever reason. She obtains a wristwatch from my mom and my pulse from me. When the second hand hit '12' she starts counting. About 30 seconds of staring at the clock (waiting for the hand to hit '12' again) later, she stops and has one very, very, sheepish grin on her face. I axe why. She says, "Heh. I started counting the seconds instead of the pulse."
[sujatha59] And like the blog's tag line says, whereof one cannot speak, thereof one muss mann schweigen :P
of course you're not. all you think of is religion. it occupies your mind to the exclusion of all else.
wv: statu! (minus the exclamation).
> all you think of is religion.
tat tvam asi
> it occupies your mind to the
> exclusion of all else.
you mean i'm religious about it?
> statu!
police will catu!
Post a Comment