arasi wrote: ↑18 Jan 2010, 18:27
VKV and others have related anecdotes about the great vidvAn to us. Here is an interesting piece of work from none other than SubbuDu which I came across. This piece not only adds to the magnanimity of our beloved MMI but also gives a new perspective on the oft-maligned critic as well.
This must have appeared about fifty years ago in the literary tamizh magazine kaNaiyAzhi. Ten years ago, Kalaignan Padippagam published an anthology of prose and poetry selecting them from what appeared in the magazine through several decades.I find no exact dates to go by.
Here is the translation from tamizh:
Madurai Mani Iyer
by
SubbuDu
It was an unforgettable meeting. I had the great privilege of meeting madhura GAna Mani Iyer. It came about as the result of the review that I wrote of his Mumbai concert in Kalki.
"As usual, MMI sang an AlApanA in shaNmukapriya, swung back and forth with his 'U U-s' and ended the concert with the English note", I had written. I had summed it all up in that one line.
This must have happened six or seven years ago.The very next year, MMI came to Delhi to perform. He said to his host that my review struck him as being out of the way. He also expressed his wish to meet me and to know what I meant to say by way of that one-liner.
I was extremely keen on meeting him. Yet, I felt awkward to face and interview the eminent vidwAn who was obviously upset about my pronouncement. If things got out of hand, how was I going to cope with the situation?--my being younger and lacking in my experience in music? I explained this to Sri. Krishnamurthy (the host?) on the phone. On his assuring me that the discussion would be dignified and meaningful, I went to meet MMI at his place.
As I entered, someone was reading The Hindu to MMI. He was keen on following the daily news. My arrival was announced by Vembu Iyer.
"Are you SubbuDu sir?"
"Yes."
"How come you wrote in such detail about other musicians and made such a sweeping statement about me in a single line?"
"There is a lot I want to convey to you. You are a mahA vidvAn, sangIta sAgaram (ocean of music). If you are patient, I will bare my heart to you."
"By all means!"
"To start with, why do you keep singing the same songs over and over again in your concerts?"
"RasikAs love those songs."
"I agree. Yet, if brilliant singers like you do not popularize at least two songs every year, won't the Trinity's songs be forgotten?"
"Do you want me to ignore the rasikAS?"
"Not really. Cater to them three quarters of the time. Can't you allot quarter of the time to the Trinity?
"Do you know, it takes a year or two to popularize a single song?"
"I agree. But, isn't it your responsibility to develop rasanai in your listeners? Out of the four hundred krutis of TyAgarAjA, not even fifty are in vogue."
"Ah, that's what you are saying!"
"I am prepared to listen to you, whatever you have to say about it.To recognize and to propagate them--isn't that a service to music by vidvAns like you?''
"I have in my repertoire countless krutis. But look at the number of request chits that reach the stage even at the beginning of the concert!"
"Have you tried new song lists at any time and have tested it out?"
"The public doesn't give me a chance!"
"Delhi rasikAs are super rasikAs. You won't find MaharAjapuram, GNB or AriyakkuDi fans as such here in Delhi. We are all just music fans. We are nostalgic about our homeland. We are thrilled to hear good CM from any source. We do not get many chances to hear music in this far away place. Based on all this, why don't you try your experiment here? If I am wrong, I will take back my word and apologize no end..."
"What, VEmbu? This evening, we will sing all new uruppaDis (items). These reviewers perhaps think that we don't know that many krutis!"
That evening, not a single 'rubber stamp' kruti was sung.TyAgaiyyA, DIkshitar, SyAMa Sastry and Sivan danced in glee on that stage. The Statesman the next morning did not contain a review but a dedication. On reading it, MMI sent a congratulatory letter to the editor and he in turn sent it to me.
I treasure it as a priceless possession of mine.
* * *
I felt compelled to share this with you folks! Thanks again to KaNaiyAzhi Trust and Kalaignan Padippagam.