You can take a girl out of Madras
My friends and family have been engaged in a somewhat alarming debate in recent months - the question is just how Tamil am I. “Sure, she has that unpronounceable name. But have you noticed how she sometimes gives out the pronounceable, but mangled American version? Heck, sometimes she even gives out false names just to get coffee. Yes, the girl drinks rasam by the litre, but what good does that do when she openly refuses to go watch Sivaji? We’ve lost our old girl to crazy Americans.”
In an effort to regain some of my street-cred, I did a very desi thing over the week end - attended an AR Rahman concert. I’d never been to one of these, and figured it’d serve as a litmus test for myself. If I had a good time, then clearly, I still had at least some of whatever it takes to be Tamil / desi these days. And I’d be able to tell people questioning my cultural identity to take a hike.
What I observed and experienced at the concert ranges from the mildly amusing to the vastly annoying: ubiquitous samosas and dhoklas that no desi gathering can go without; cell-phone waving during slow numbers; desi couples who can apparently afford $300+ for tickets, but not a fraction of that for a sitter (more than one kid was lugged around still strapped to the car seat, just in case it wanted to escape the noise. I feel an entire generation was scarred for life that night (somehow I don’t see these parents paying for therapy either)); much dancing and singing along; repeated requests for “mustafa mustafa”, etc. There were other things that were too bizarre for anger or amusement - the chief among them being the choreography. Why a musical concert needs random appearances by dancers sporting weird costumes (including transparent rain coats, and some sort of S&M thing, only everything was in white), and weirder accessories (golden flags and torch lights at one point) I don’t know. I admire the singers for not getting distracted, although Chitra did seem positively alarmed by the orange clad Bhangra group. And then there was the giant video screen in the background, sometimes playing scenes from the movie version of the song being played. At other times, it had a fish that looked like Nemo’s cousin swimming in what can only be described as an underwater field of dildos.
My biggest disappointment was with the proportion of Tamil songs to Hindi songs (roughly 1 Tamil song out of 5). Everytime a singer switched from Hindi to Tamil mid-song, I felt renewed excitement simply from the relief of familiarity. Our party of half a dozen Tamils was surrounded by dancing enthusiasts who visibly wilted whenever one Tamil song was performed immediately following another. Their lack of enthusiasm was understandable, given that the Tamil songs played were all quite new, and from nonmulti-lingual movies (Sivaji, Jillendu oru Kadhal). I couldn’t help smirking when a considerable perentage of the audience didn’t “get” New York Nagaram. I have to say that the band did an admirable job of not letting anyone get completely bored - bones of the right language were thrown out at regular intervals. At the opening strains of one of the last songs of the evening, everyone was up on their feet - we all knew it was Humma Humma. The music continued, Rahman walked to the mike, opened his mouth, and we heard what at that time felt like the sweetest words in the world “Antha arabi kadal orum“. I pumped my fists, and mentally said “Athu!!!” to myself as our man went on to complete the song in Tamil.
I returned home satisfied that I was as much of a Madras girl as ever. But it’s been a couple of days since. When I think back, I know that I won’t be going back for seconds. To me a concert is about live music of a quality you can’t get from the best equipment at home, and about watching musicians do their thing. Whatever quality there might have been was drowned out by the volume, which had to be high, simply to drown out the rest of the noise. And barring a few select musicians, no one else was even given the spotlight. For some reason, singers are superstars in our culture, never the orchestra. The point of attending a live musical performance - to be awed by a group of people who can produce the most beautiful sounds in the the world from devices I don’t even know the names of - is simply not there at such events. To be sure, it’s fun to be part of this high energy. But if I was truly into that, I’d also be watching oh, football or cricket. (There, I’ve said it - I don’t like cricket either.) Perhaps those debators can take a break now. Catch their breath a bit, before starting again.
Comments (11 comments)
[...] an effort to regain “street-cred”, DoZ checks out an A. R. Rahman concert, and is happy to find that she’s as much of a “Madrasi [...]
Can't take Madras out of a girl at Blogbharti / June 19th, 2007, 12:54 am / #
Madras = Food. Everything else is almost irrelevant.
neha / June 19th, 2007, 2:21 am / #
completely agree with you.. how many ever hindi songs come & go, still when the tamil number is played or heard theres one special feeling..
sathish / June 19th, 2007, 3:39 am / #
“live music of a quality you can’t get from the best equipment at home”…wrong reason to go to an ARR concert in the US of A…you should go for the nostalgia value…singing out loud while thinking of the time when you first heard the song you are screaming now…And after the WC you are allowed to say that which would otherwise be considered blasphemy!
curiouscat / June 19th, 2007, 5:31 am / #
Must say “Antha Arabi Kadal Oram” sounds so very sweet when you say it that way! As Curious Cat says, think ARR is about nostalgia - I would never go to one without a bunch of people I grew up with.
The key to be awed by “people who can produce the most beautiful sounds in the the world” while at the same time remember what you were doing the first time you heard that bit of music, IMHO, cannot be found at a ARR concert. Instead, go to Sivamani concert. Just him, no singers. There are not many of those, but if you get the chance, GO!
Veena / June 19th, 2007, 8:11 am / #
[...] DoZ tries to regain some of her street-cred by attending a A.R.Rahman concert. [...]
DesiPundit » Archives » Cultural identity / June 19th, 2007, 1:59 pm / #
[...] Posted by பிரேமலதா on June 20th, 2007 “Sure, she has that unpronounceable name. …………… Yes, the girl drinks… [...]
How Tamil are you? « கதம்ப மாலை / June 20th, 2007, 5:25 am / #
Well,
I can’t agree with you more on that Baby sitter stuff.. It always amazes me why these kids should be tortured listening/watching what the adults crave for. It was extremely disturbing to see some of these children being dragged to watch the Rajini starrer “Sivaji” over the weekend. There seems to be no enforcement of any kind as the certfications for these movies are not followed seriously by those who screen them. The result is that the kids get to watch violent fights, scintillating/suggestive pelvic thrusts and various other dance moves bordering on the “mild porno” variety from our heroes and heroines. I wish our community tunes out of this aspect of entertainment a little and “spare” the next generation to watch and enjoy something they really like.
Anyway, it was good to read your review. Being a first timer, I can’t help bookmarking it. When you find an extra minute, please stop by my “seldom updated blog as well. Have a great summer and keep ‘em blogs coming.
A
wizardofwashington / June 20th, 2007, 10:51 am / #
Ennavo.. I had fun
And thanks to me, some otologists in the Greater NYC area probably had a few more patients complaining of pain in their ear drums, in the past few days
Aah yes, I googled for “doctors specializing in ear ailments” found that they are called “otologists”
anantha / June 20th, 2007, 10:00 pm / #
[...] is as tamizh as it could ever get. June 21st, 2007 — vishnuvyas If this girl could say “Athu!!!” with the passion those three exclaimation marks imply, she is [...]
To us, here and now, it appears thus. She is as tamizh as it could ever get. « / June 21st, 2007, 5:14 pm / #
Another great post! While I am not a ‘Madrasi’ as my brethren in the North would put it, I understand the feeling completely. ARR is one of my fave musicians; I love him for the haunting melodious numbers as much as I do for his experimental and faster ‘items’ that are more popular.
Traveller / June 29th, 2007, 1:11 am / #
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