Harassment of Musicians - Example: Karaikudi Mani

[Nick H]

This is true even in those areas of art where the rewards for success can be substantial. For every wealthy film star, there must be a million struggling actors, and twenty million that never get past the just-dreaming stage. A very few can earn their living from the fine art of painting, even the number of those who can earn their living from their skill but must 'prostitute' it to commercial design work of some sort is tiny compared with the number who would love to be doing even that.

Hey! Probably all of us here are more than twenty years old and do not need to be told of this --- but what I mean to emphasise is that carnatic musicians do not have a harder time than many, many other artists.

In a way, perhaps those resident in Chennai could even be said to be luckier than many. Consider the sheer number of performing slots this city offers each year!

But perhaps that makes the recognition game even more frustrating...

[mahakavi]

For every wealthy film star, there must be a million struggling actors, and twenty million that never get past the just-dreaming stage. A very few can earn their living from the fine art of painting, even the number of those who can earn their living from their skill but must 'prostitute' it to commercial design work of some sort is tiny compared with the number who would love to be doing even that.

-- but what I mean to emphasise is that carnatic musicians do not have a harder time than many, many other artists.

In a way, perhaps those resident in Chennai could even be said to be luckier than many. Consider the sheer number of performing slots this city offers each year!

...

nick H:
You said it! The same goes for every profession. Take science/engineering, for example. There is a lot of highly talented Ph.D level senior professors (in their fifties) who teach in the universities in India at a wage level that is the same or less than what is earned by the new twenty-something software guys. Who are crying their hearts out for those dedicated teachers who toiled for years at college and university to get their B.S/M.S/Ph.D and then on to get their tenure and still struggling to make ends meet? Even in the western countries the same is true. The Ph.D level folks (be they in the academia or industry) are paid a pittance compared to the salaries of freshly minted MBAs or J.Ds.

I think it is time we stopped this whining about low remuneration of musicians. It is their choice like it was my choice to choose science as a profession. If they are highly successful they can set their fees to a decent level. Look at the fees charged by Yesudas or BMK or others in that category (especially when they visit the US).

I should not complain about my remuneration level. I love science and my work (along with those of other scientists) benefits segments of the society through economic/healthcare advancement. I should be happy with that satisfaction and so should the musicians. I am sure they are happy and it is time that the rasikas stopped this whining. They should not "impose" this hardship on the musicians. Just as in other professions there is bound to be a significant number of the musicians struggling to make ends meet. That is life!

[Sundara Rajan]

Times really have changed ! Flutechandan wrote that Vainika Doraiswamy Iyengar got special permission through the then president of India to carry his veena on board his plane. My wife had left her vINa behind in India when we came here to the U.S. in 1960. She missed her Vina so much that she wanted to go back and bring it here in 1962. I booked her return flight directly through the Air India ( no travel agent involved) , talked to the regional manager by phone and got assurance that there would be no problem in her carrying her vIna with her on board her return flight from India. Yes, there was no problem and the stewardess kept the ViNa in the coat closet and handed it to the passenger upon arrival in the Idelwield air port(present JFK airport) and she carried it aboard local flight from New York to Chiacago ( I don't remember the name of the local carrier )with no problem whatsoever. Yes, those were different days indeed !

[arasi]

One of the things that stands out here is that those do the 'penance'--I wouldn't call it that, though I don't deny there are hardships involved--is that they are willing to live a life of music because it is important to them. It is their call. Would they give it up because of other problems? I don't think so. The pleasure and peace that music brings to them erases other negative elements and they go on. Not all the great dispensers of the arts are that agonized about star status. Some are content with thir gift and in grooming students for the continuance of their musical riches --guru Sundaresan whose loss is mourned more by his students than by mere rasikAs spells it out to us. Of course, who wouldn't like more fame and riches? However, if music is vital to them, it seems to me that music alone can be the reason for their existence, enjoyment and contentment. They will have frustrating moments like anyone else, no doubt.
It seems, it is not a penance, after all

[arasi]

Meena,
I had missed your post (#34) until now. How fascinating! BMK is faster and more proficient in naming towns than the old time vendors on the railway platform calling out their merchandise! His love for train travel in passenger trains (true slow coaches!) is understandable. They stopped at every little station and you took in not only the passing rural scenes as from a train in motion, but the human exchanges at the stations as well. My! Those little places that he rattles off with glee would have meant many long and tiring journeys, some involving even a bullock cart here and there!