Qualities of a Listener

What are the qualities of a Rasika? what are the various aspects of a listener or listening rather?

In my earlier posts, I have talked about the qualities of a performer, the carnatic vocalist. Its more relevant and important to discuss the qualities of a listener since the population sitting on the chair is huge while those on the stage are handful. There are plenty of misconstrued ideas and deep rooted opinions (simply reinforced by 3rd party ) floating among the audience which makes listening less fulfilling.

Here are some guidelines for a satisfactory,elevating and intellectual listening. I will try to keep the feel good factor preserved!

Listen with ears, not eyes -

We all know this. I need to be very careful in explaining my point to take you further and beyond. 

The carnatic singers and the accompanists somehow seemed to have reached a code of dressing  very suitable for Indian climate! With a lady performer, it's the silk saree, appropriate jewels, jasmine flowers and slight make-up (ear ring must especially swing, dance and glitter for the sangathis). With men, it's the jippa (silk or cotton depending on how hot he wants to feel; color depends on I-don't-know-what), veshti and some mark horizontal or vertical on the forehead. 

We all invariably notice everything since we all are human beings. Come on, we are sitting 3 to 4 hours in a room and listening to them. Where else can we look? It is indeed appealing to have a pleasant team on stage. 

BUT, why does their apperance become the yardstick to judge their music????????????????

why does it get carried over when listening to an mp3 file on the music system (not YouTube) ???????????

My friend, philosopher and guide (I fondly call him Thatha) could not wait to comment on BJ's "Thoomani maadathu" on YouTube - The silk saree is too gaudy. What a mess! 

After listening to it fully though, he openly said, "I have listened to many hamirkalyanis. Never ever liked the ragam. Now, listening to BJ, I have fallen in love with hamirkalyani. Can you send me more BJ mp3s?". This happened in Thatha's place way back in 2008 when I introduced Carnatic pieces on Youtube to him.

My Uncle, whom I thought to have refined taste, threw a bomb - TMK's hand gestures are very unprofessional. So, he doesn't listen to TMK.

Yes, TMK's hand gestures are indeed distracting.  I get lost too following his hands. It was like vading thru a maze. So, I learnt to look at the ceiling or simply close my eyes while in a TMK concert. I make sure I sit behind someone really tall. His kurtas are especially not so suited to carnatic stage. This is a very decent and well-meaning comment from me (adakki vaasikkiren). I am the kind that asks my spouse to wear Men's dress if he starts the kurta play. 

But, have you ever really listened to TMK? Isn't he smart with his choices of ragas and kritis, his way of connecting with the audience, his redefining the carnatic parampara ? His music is really out of the world. If you are listening to carnatic vocal, TMK should be in your deemed-highest  list. 

Listen to the music, not the musician  - 

(This point is a deviation from my original thoughts explained in earlier blogs - over a period of time, we listen to the musician more than the music. I will explain later if this blog doesn't get too long)

Why do you care what the performer is behind the stage? Why do you want to fill your mind  with any thing pertaining to his personal life? That is plain gossip and cheap. Further, he has every right to be what he is. His personal choices are to be given dignified privacy, just like any one else's. Carnatic musicians are not karnatakams. He does not  have to follow in spirit every word of all those kritis he sings. To sing a Tyagaraja kriti, one does not have to be a Tygaraja. This is 21st century. 

My friend's father quipped - TMK chooses people he talks to. He is headhigh and does not respond to emails. So, he stopped listening to TMK and stopped going to his kutcheris. Oops! Well, Sudha Raghunathan is excellently dressed and her PR is impeccable. Are you listening to her crap then?

I could not see the connection because there is none.  You are not dealing with the musician on a day-to-day basis. You know him because of the music. So, why bother with everything else? why do you care what ethics he follows?

When the mind is filled with strong opinions about a person, listening takes a back seat. It is a waste of time to go behind those opinions when music so nice is flowing for you to absorb.

Just close your eyes and open your mind beyond all that is mundane and irrelevant.

A ragam is presented to you so diligently. 

Listen with you ears, to the music. 

Let all judgements, past and waste, drop. 

You would have then done justice to the music and your time. 

Rasikathvam samarpayami.