Anniversaries, great and small, in the season of Margazhi

As the December Music Season progresses, some of those behind the scenes seem to have reached significant landmarks in terms of years of service to the arts. There is, of course, the Music Academy, hosting its 99^th annual conference and concerts, though that does not mean it will complete a 100 next year – that landmark will be in 2028. The confusion, as far as the conference count is concerned, is due to the long history of the institution. I hope to explain that conundrum closer to the (actual) centenary.

The Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha (SPSS), the oldest surviving organisation of its kind, turned 125 this year. Interestingly, and in contrast to the Academy, it may be older than what it claims to be, for it was in 1896 that its parent body, the Sangita Vidwat Sabha, was founded in Thiruvallikeni. The SPSS was registered in 1900 and traces its origins to that date. What is interesting is that the Sangita Vidwat Sabha did not vanish as an idea, for in 1926, it gave birth to a Musical Academy. That seems to have been short-lived and then in 1928 came the Music Academy, which calls itself in the vernacular as the Sangita Vidwat Sabha! It all seems most confusing. But when we read in R. Rangaramanuja Iyengar’s Musings of a Musician, the rather cryptic remark that the present Music Academy is the third of its kind, we seem to see the logic behind it.

The SPSS has since moved from Thiruvallikeni to Mylapore but staying put where it was founded is the Sri Tyagabrahma Gana Sabha (STGS), of Vani Mahal fame, in T. Nagar. It is celebrating its 80^th year of founding. The prime mover was the actor Chittoor V. Nagiah, whose knowledge of music was profound. Begun essentially to provide entertainment to the residents of the newly developing area of T. Nagar, the Sabha had other prominent founding members, including Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao, V. Rama Iyengar, S. Soundararajan of Tamilnadu Talkies, S. Ramaswami Naidu (later Mayor of Madras), and P.B. Annangarachariar, leading doctor, owner of Vani Pharmacy, and municipal councillor. The Sabha held its initial programmes at the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha before acquiring 10 grounds of space, belonging to T.A. Rangachari, advocate. The building, constructed by V. Ganapathy Iyer, was named Vani Mahal. The inauguration was by C.P. Ramaswami Iyer, on November 18, 1945.

Unlike many others of its kind, the STGS was financially savvy. It wisely invested in land when prices were still low and enjoys a security today that many others, the SPSS included, do not have. Even the formidable Tamil Isai Sangam sits on leased land, owned by the government, and has to negotiate each time renewal comes around. The Narada Gana Sabha is the only other institution, like the STGS, to have saved early and purchased its own property and put up an auditorium. And that was in the 1970s/1980s. It is a telling story of the state of Carnatic music finances that nobody has since managed this feat.

Which brings me to the latest of the significant anniversaries. The Margazhi Maha Utsavam (MMU), promoted by Maximum Media, has completed 25 and is in its 26^th year. Even at inception, the founders, Subhasree Thanikachalam and V.K. Manimaran, were clear that the audience was not in the Sabhas but on a wider platform comprising cable television, and later internet audiences worldwide. The actual performances, however, took place at a venue, in the presence of a live audience, as in the view of Subhasree, nothing can equal performance that has the public in person. Impromptu engagement with the main performer by way of questions posed by members of the audience, with prizes for the queries selected, added to the magic and soon, the in-person performances began drawing large crowds. The television channels, that initially scoffed at the idea of featuring Carnatic performances, soon changed their view and today, apart from what MMU generates, there are Carnatic Idol kind of events in practically every one of them. It was a quiet revolution that MMU brought about and perhaps an indicator of what was to come later. But the MMU’s strength is not land and building, but a huge following worldwide.

The pandemic saw a few artistes experimenting with direct-to-viewer type of performances and it almost seemed as though the Sabha as a concept was dead. But after a few years, the audiences seem to be coming back, though how it translates to ticket sales is anybody’s guess. Barring a couple, Sabhas are cagey about publishing their accounts. But five years after the pandemic, technology remains a disruptor. The Sabhas have survived the gramophone, cinema, TV, cable and Internet, as there is still no alternative for a live, in-person experience.