Sunday, August 29, 2010

Recollections of a Sunday Afternoon - a Long Time Ago

One Sunday afternoon - we gathered around the TV to watch "Sindhu Bhairavi". It's about a carnatic musician. (As usual I refer you to the indomitable Uttara for a deeper insight into carnatic music).

One of my uncles - the King of Kuchbinahi - ha therein lies a story so let me explain that before I continue. When I was in Kindergarten that uncle of mine solemnly told me that he was actually a King in disguise and I was never ever to reveal that secret. Naive little me swallowed hook-line-and-sinker and was told that the said Uncle's Kingdom was Kuch-Bhi-Nahin - that for my non-Hindi speaking readers means nothing, nada, zilch!!

Anyway my dear uncle began grumbling about how Carnatic music was meant for a certain mood and time and could not be enjoyed like pop-music when co-incidentally the very same thing began happening in the movie...


(Notes for V, R and S (and others who may not have understood) - A famous carnatic singer sings a pure classical song when the lady (actress by name of Suhasini) - dares to ask him something on the lines of why he cannot introduce popular songs interspersed with classical songs too - and also why not explain the classical songs. This argument ends up in the singer asking Suhasini to demo by singing - which she does - and therein validates all points in her argument that "regular" songs also have a raaga, thalam etc.)

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