The reach and depth of a genius is seldom understood in his lifetime. History is witness to the fact that the real genius has got his or her due mostly at a later date. Saint Thyagaraja was no exception. But a major difference between the other artistes and Thyagaraja was that fame was of least... Continue Reading →
Last week, I happened to watch Gulzar’s Mere Apne (1971). It told the story of an old woman who comes from a village to live in a city after being persuaded by a distant relative and his wife, only to realise that she is nothing more than an unpaid aayah in the city, meant to... Continue Reading →
Aruna Sairam carries forward the legacy of the greatest of vidwans in Carnatic music. Her quest for music that led her from Matunga to Mylapore, has now taken her voice to the greatest halls across the world As we connect over the phone for a conversation, Aruna Sairam is in the midst of a tour... Continue Reading →
It's the evening show at a Chennai multiplex. The theatre is packed, the audience is waiting with bated breath. And the moment finally arrives. When Rajinikanth leans across the table of a college chairman and says, "Ayya en peru Manickam… Enakku innoru peru irukku.” The next one minute is drowned in whistles, claps and the... Continue Reading →
Madraswallah 