"People think an auditorium is just something to protect one from the rain and sun..."

A conversation with S. V. Krishnan of Nada Inbam

When was Ragasudha started?

I started Ragasudha, as a small sabha in 1974 in Coimbatore. A lot of people said "unless you come to Madras you cannot make a mark or dent in the music world". I came here and started Naada Inbam in 1982 mainly because I found that certain talented artistes like vainika Sangeetha Kalanidhi K. S. Narayanaswami  were totally ignored by major sabhas. Sabhas tend to present artistes who approach them and those who are economically and socially prominent and influential. Influence need not be through music only. It may be that they are able to mix socially, are well-to-do or well-known or children of well-known artistes!

What is the important consideration while choosing an artiste?

Not all artistes are called to perform. The artistes approach most sabhas. There is another angle too... Unless you give an opportunity for someone who approaches you, his or her talent cannot be realized. But what is the acknowledgement for what we have done? They do not even think of us. They say I am living for music full time but he does not even come here and see us. Should we search for him?

When the artistes were few, did the sabhas use to approach them?

Not exactly. Anyone who learns music longs to become an artiste sometime. There is a craving to perform publicly and gain recognition. Some are dependent on earnings from this. Success to some is money and fame to others. In this I had the best advice from Palghat Mani Iyer. He said, "Think of your sabha as a school or hospital. There should be quality. All patients should be healthy and school children should be good. So few artists should be given overtime. Give them more than one chance. Even if an artist performs whenever you call him, pay him as usual. Don't make your sabha a money-making place. Give more opportunities if one is good". That is valid advice and I am surviving because of it for 30 years. In big sabhas, some of the more popular and well-known artists are repeated every year and it has come to be that no capable young man has any hope.

What is your criteria in the choice of artistes?

If a person says he wants to perform, then I call him here and ask him to sing for half an hour or one hour if he is inside the city. If I happen to go out of station I always attend juniors' concerts. I assess the capacity, clarity, simple rhythm, raga delineation, gamaka aspects and the presentation of the songs. Carnatic Music has got certain norms. I go by the opinion of senior but not very popular musicians like K. V. Krishnan and Chengalpattu Ranganathan. They are not popular but their lineage is high. So if they say that a person sings well I will feature him. Neyattinkara Mohanachandran recommended that the sons of Trichur Mohan would sing well and I featured them because I felt that he would definitely suggest only good singers. Youngsters, when they want to sing have to go to places and literally beg. It should not be that way... they must have the assurance that if they have merit they will certainly be considered. If they go to a place and the secretary says, "No, all the kutcheris are fixed", they feel discouraged to go to a second place. I also point out the defects in the singing but not at the end of a kutcheri. I ask him to come the next day along with a witness so that he can also know what takes place. An organizer should always reflect the views of a good listener. I don't give importance to radio grading. I listen to radio concerts and if I find them good I find their details and call them.

How do you recognize a good artiste?

Voice should be good. When ordinary people listen, it should be very pleasing to the ear. The singing may be correct and his teacher would have told him that he was singing a wonderful Thodi but it would not appeal to the ordinary people. So I usually tell such people, I cannot give you a kutcheri but you can do well as a teacher. Diction is also important. The teacher would have sung like that and there would have been a defective voice production. Secondly when singing a Thodi, there should not be traces of Bhairavi, Dhanyasi...! Thirdly, when an opportunity is given to them they should keep it with the feeling "they called me with a good intention, let me see them". To move with affection with everyone is important. The feeling "what I know is ultimate", that arrogance and impunity should not be there. Others' opinion should be heard to improve. This feeling is not there among many . Once I met Semmangudi. I asked him to sing Bhairavi. He was at a level when he could easily think, "What? This man is asking me to sing Bhairavi... whatever I sing he has to agree". But he said "You want Bhairavi, come in the evening for the concert and I will sing it for you". There was veeryam but also graciousness in it. In the evening after the concert he asked me how it was. I said I do not know to the extent of analyzing it but it was very good. I once asked Pudukode Krishnamurthy to give a performance with VVS and Umayalpuram Sivaraman. I gave him a gift of Rs. 400 or 500 and told him the remuneration may be less, but we are not able to give more, please do not make a big issue of it. He said, "Not at all. We must always sing in front of good listeners. I have that opportunity today. I take it that you have paid me Rs. 1000 and that I have returned Rs. 500 to you". That thought is great. Fortunately during the festival special people come. For ticket sales and gate collection, sabhas give prominence to those artists who can draw crowds. Gate collection is given importance and music diluted. 

Your concerts are mostly free... how do you meet the expenses?

Luckily I saved enough to build an auditorium. Initially I had planned to have an office upstairs, but later I thought instead of staying elsewhere and attending to the sabha work I could have my residence here. It is centrally air-conditioned with good acoustics and has become familiar through word of mouth. I rent out the hall for social functions like birthday parties, general body meetings of companies and get the commercial rate of rent. I use these returns for music. 

Do you feature senior artistes?

I feature those who contribute to good music. Vedavalli, Suguna Purushottaman, Suguna Varadachari, T. N. Krishnan, T. K. Govinda Rao, to name a few. They are invited to perform. They do not approach me. Their wealth of music should reach the ordinary student of music. If it is good music, people will listen and youngsters will learn. Sometimes an artiste is awarded a Padma Bhushan, and there is a felicitation function and people get the wrong impression that his/her music is extraordinary. Organizers always go to people who can sing well and hence they are always in demand. In December the proliferation of sabhas has helped. Gifted youngsters get more opportunities.

When is your festival?

20 -25 days during the season.

All the sabhas have their concerts at the same time...

It is the holiday season and during the festival time there is a good tourist crowd. Weather is pleasant. Secondly psychology of the people from time immemorial has been to assemble at a time in a place. Even in temple festivals it can be seen. At that time the people who are established and have auditorium facilities are preferred. Even here people criticize about the absence of refreshments. I always ask them, have you come for the kutcheri or to have refreshments? I say I can assure you of certain comforts like good toilet facilities, acoustics, ventilation, drinking water, two inverters to act in the time of power failure, thus causing no interruption to the music and more than anything else, feedback for the artists is available. There are ten speakers unlike some sabhas were there are two; AC facilities for juniors and seniors and also mike adjustments are made such that the violin is not handicapped and vocalist also comes out clearly. There is no echo. In foreign countries carpeted floors absorb sound whereas here there is a lot of of dust which requires a lot of cleaning. People think an auditorium is just something to protect one from the rain and sun and a few chairs to be seated! Acoustics is important. Those who know about it only can appreciate it. So even if an artiste is not gifted it can be made pleasant with the help of the sound system.

What about sponsorship?

If we are sincere in not cheating the artiste, and have their co-operation and the appreciation of the audience it is good. The listener does not care what we pay the artiste. If sponsors are there, good; if not, it is not going to reflect on the concerts.

Who is an "organizer"?

If we go to an artiste 's house and ask him to sing Bhairavi and he says I will sing in the evening, we go and listen. Once you make an artiste perform, you become an organiser. We can then call him for a small function at home, and a few people hear him and one recommends him for a temple concert. Then if people are impressed, we start making a small collection for him and then a chance in a sabha... we help him gain popularity. Quality and not crowd should be our objective. Lots of young children sing well. They can be given an opportunity and in that happiness they further themselves.  A sabha has to play the role of a creator. It should not be like a school student but a research scholar who widens the net and searches for good quality music.

How about the perception that Carnatic music is for the elite? 

In a group of 1000, 100 are enlightened. Sixty years ago, agriculture was the only occupation and arts were patronized by temples and royal families. All music was temple-related. The raja called the artiste and ordered that he would only play for the temple and that artiste became synonymous with it. Now in that 1000, 500 are labourers who cannot appreciate a Kalyani or Kambhoji. Out of the other 500, 400 listen to cine music. All cine music is not bad. Kannadasan's lyrics are good. There is no need to know ragam and talam for such type of music to be appreciated. Rhythm counts. Sixty years back there was no cinema music and all listened to Carnatic music. Now people have started understanding how cine music is spoiling youngsters and are looking for music teachers. There is a shortage of teachers in Madras and sometimes recommendation is needed to become a student of a well-known artiste. Lots of people want to preserve Carnatic music. It is not like sports. It can influence somebody.

You are the final authority here?

Here I and only I take the final decision. I have an informal panel advising me. There is transparency in what I do. 

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