Chennai Meetups

Nick-H

Wel, there was I thinking that that concert was 'tomorrow', and it wasn't.

By amazing coincidence I met Orange-Flamingo in a supermarket shop near my place on my home ---she'd just come from the gig.

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pooch

Nearest to camera are Colin and Les (L/R) Scott (Arjunaweeping) and Archana (sp?) (L/R) Vinay (this man can DRINK!), Nick-H and myself at the back (left to right)

vinayverma

Hey Pooch nice to see you online(or maybe I didn't read your posting coz I was offline for almost 2 weeks),
well are you in chennai?
Yeh, I drink almost 10 ltrs of water everyday

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ArjunaWeeping

"Yeh, I drink almost 10 ltrs of water everyday "

Yeah, when the beer runs out

Nick

The players were excellent, can't imagine how they got those sounds out of the instruments. However, it wasn't really my type of music, I was surprised at how different it was to the stuff I heard at the Bharatanatyam arangetrams (which I really loved).

Yes, 1000 Rs and we would have had just as good seats for 300 (like our friends only about 6 rows back). Still, we didn't mind since it was for "charity". However I must say I found it such a paradox, the Shakti Foundation doing all that charity work to put wheelchair ramps in public places yet there are disabled people who are homeless and hungry. (As a strange aside, the MA were thanked for allowing them to build a temporary ramp for the concert?!)Guess that's just my (judgemental) western mind thinking it's more logical to help those whose need is greatest first. Shame on me!

Last comment - the sound man at the Music Academy should be ashamed of himself. The musicians were gesturing for cosntant changes throughout the concert, and his finale was to drown out the singing of a hundred children on the stage singing along to MJ's "Heal the World" (how inappropriate is that?)

Cheers,

Scott

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In Search of Darshan - my trip to Chennai, India in 2005
Scott's Thotts - my meandering thoughts on Yoga and Life...

cram

Hi all

I am new here but I am based in Chennai. Let me know of any meetups. Like to meet fellow travellers.

Ciao for now

solostyle

Wow.. from what you described, Scott, sounds like the show was a riot. I wonder if that's because it was a little too new-agey? A little too fusiony? And more about winning applause than evoking peace and silence? And hence a little cold? I wasn't there and I've never seen their show, but this is the feeling I get.

temporary ramp! That's hilarious! I can't believe people are actually like that. "Hey look at us, we're all about helping disabled people! Quick, take a picture of me next to this ramp before it goes away!"

Does the Shakthi Foundation have anything to do with the band?

La la la.. I don't know anything.. wheee...
I read in the Hindu (amazing! I actually saw a copy lying around at my teacher's house today!) today about some upcoming events.

Ganesh & Kumaresh who play kanjira and ghatam (I think? I dunno for sure but they perform a lot together). At Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan (right by Kapaleeswarar Temple in Mylapore) 6pm February 19.

Salt Rain (Susheela Raman) who does this fusiony stuff between African American and Carnatic music styles. She was raised surrounded by a very traditional Tanjavoor style of Carnatic music, but got into Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday and the likes in her teens, apparently. It may be total crap, but you never know unless you go. February 20, YMCA Grounds in Nandanam (south of Mylapore) 7pm

There was something else going on.. a musical at Stella Maris College. It features all male roles except for one female role, and the whole thing is acted by women. I think it would be interesting, having seen what I have seen of Chennai's overly (and frustratingly, at times) traditional culture, to see how people here do musicals like this one. It runs Feb 15, 16, and 17, I think. I'll have to check again. Maybe it was 17, 18, and 19!

Nick-H

This was always going to be a contemporary performance. I'm not surprised that Scott didn't really go for it; I think he's joining us on the classical side of the fence. However many of the musicians involved are real masters, so I would have expected some great moments. Hey Scott; come to some classical concerts. Without the dance you'll get a deeper performance of the music and more of the improvised stuff.
Don't know, but several Shakti members in the band

They even try to keep the newspapers away from you?

Oh, Shame on you, SS! Ganesh and Kumaresh are child-prodigy violinists (Ganesh, at least, has been playing since he was 2). I hope to go to that kutchery, as I've missed them so far here twice. It will be classical, but they do have a specific sound --- they sometimes use electric violins, modified violins etc. They are very hot on rhythmic calculations and will do bafling kalpana swara calculations. They tend therefore to play with pretty hot percussionists, as well as getting involved in the percussion 'shows' like the other day

Traditionalists don't like her 'cos she sings religious songs in a sensuous jazzy way, and many consider that to be 'inapropriate'. I'd say that she is an interesting performer. Nice voice. I don't thing she has any classical training, jsut picked up what she grew up with.

ArjunaWeeping

SS

I don't know if it was fusion at all, but it was technically played very well.

I think about half of my course at KYM are going to that concert tonight, you may see them there - Les is one of them, so do say "Hi" if you're there. I've decided to do nothing today, we've had a hectic fortnight with extra classes yesterday.

Nick, a few excellent moments indeed. In the end if it's your cup of tea I'm sure it was outstanding, just wasn't mine.

Classical may well be my style - did I tell you I'm doing Vedic Chanting classes. We have to do a performance on Thursday (the group of about 10), chanting from the Veda-s, from memory, in front of our main teacher TKV Desikachar. Hmmm, no pressure at all guys, huh!?

Well, it's about my last week here - studying until Friday, then off to Tiruvannamalai (on a sort of pilgrimage for me) until Tuesday. Then back to Chennai for a last supper with some friends before flying home that night.

This Friday we will be going to a book release by KYM, a book on the life and yoga of Krishnamacharya. I have a vested interest, as I helped the author, Kausthub Desikachar, in editing the book (finally got my name in print!). I'll try to remember to post the details in case anyone's interested.

Cheers,

Scott

Nick-H

Scott, sorry you're departing and that we only got to meet the one time: it would have been good to talk more.

Definately I am on the classical side of the music fence, and fairly firmly in the Carnatic field (to stretch the agricultural metaphor!)

I went to see Ganesh and Kumaresh play last night, but it was the launch of an organisation and there were so many speaches I ended up feeling to hungry to stay for the music! Invited a lady along to see the music too: most embarrasing. Anyway, we had a pleasant bite to eat in a Mylapore eatery.

Hey! This Chennai weather is being most unfair to us! I was planning in a nice gentle increase to the unbearable heat of May. What do we get? Daytime temperatures at the moment 5C hotter than the usual for this time of year.

ArjunaWeeping

For sure Nick, I hope the monsoons come earlier this year if it comtinues like this. I remember hearing a couple of years back as I enjoyed fine weather in Sorrento in May that people were dying in India as a result of the high temperatures and late monsoon.

Am sure your good company would more than make up for the lack of music!

About the book release - the book is "Yoga of the Yogi - The Legacy of T Krishnamacharya" by Kausthub Desikachar. It will be at 5.30 pm (to be seated at 5pm) on Friday 25 February at Rani Seethai Hall, Anna Salai. If you come along you may see me make a slight visit onto the stage at some point (though in the Indian fashion for not making prior arrangements this has pnly been mentioned in passing).

Cheers,

Scott

Nick-H

Sorry; I won't be able to make that... Got a girlfriend

She's away on business this week

So when we meet again on Friday I don't think we'll be going out

ArjunaWeeping

Nick

After 4 weeks in this country WITHOUT my girlfriend, you can be 100% sure that I absolutely understand your non-attendance and agree with wholeheartedly your choice

If you're ever going near Scotland, drop me a message...

Scott

Nick-H

Thanks!

Happy Trails; Come back to Chennai soon!

Nick-H

New people around...

Time for another MeetUp? Some people in another thread have shown interest so let's do it.

Can one of natives suggest somewhere for the drinking of tea and the eating of snacks where those of us with older ears can hear each other speak? (This was a problem at Landmark...

I's suggest Vasantha Bhavan at Mylapore. They've got an A/C hall, the food is pretty good (standard S.Indian Veggie place) and I even drink the water there.

Nick-H

I'm here for next six weeks before having to go back to London for a while