Ramp Raga

Sixty-seven-year-old Sivaraman, however, defends his decision to participate in the show. 8216;8216;Whether it8217;s 15 minutes or 15 hours, a good musician can make an impact, which I did. I made an impression, I could see that. It felt great being recognised at the Taj coffee shop the next day,8217;8217; says the Chennai-based artiste. Like many of the leading mridangam players of the south, Sivaraman has never played for women artistes. But that did not stop him for recording a 105-minute-composition especially for the evening. 8216;8216;So what if it was a fashion show, there8217;s a lot of rhythm and music in the movements on the catwalk,8217;8217; he adds. 8216;8216;And playing for women singers was never a taboo. It is just that I did not get the opportunity,8217;8217; he bristles.

Chaurasia, too, refuses to go on the defensive about the show. 8216;8216;The experience was great,8217;8217; he says, 8216;8216;especially because the show was in keeping with Indian tradition. It was like a puja.8217;8217;

Dagar wields a different reason for his presence. 8216;8216;Satya Paul8217;s son Punit Nanda is my uncle8217;s student. One reason why I performed at the show,8217;8217; he says, adding 8216;8216;My first preference is to keep the classicism of Dhrupad intact. I performed only when there was no model on the ramp. I would not have sung to accompany them.8221;

Not everyone is taking kindly to the artistes8217; explanations. Well-known vocalist Neela Bhagwat voices her dissatisfaction very plainly. 8216;8216;I don8217;t know why they did it. These are the very people who uphold the guru-shisya parampara. And here they are treating tradition so cheaply. What kind of example are they setting,8217;8217; she asks, adding that she would normally never play at a fashion show.

While violinist Dr N Rajam also declares that she would not perform at such a happening, tablachi Aneesh Pradhan states he has no such reservations provided he is 8220;convinced of the project8221;. 8216;8216;My wife Shubha Mudgal played at the same company8217;s launch in New Delhi recently. The theme of the show was saris with some Vaishnavite designs I think and the artiste chose sacred hymns from the Vaishnava tradition to set the mood. In this case, classical music was only elevated,8217;8217; he justifies.

8216;8216;It all depends on the spirit of the presentation,8217;8217; says Bhagwat, who admits to have sung at hotels in Italy. 8216;8216;We requested them not to eat or smoke till the end of the programme, and they focused completely. It was different 8212; about bringing Indian music to audiences who loved it and wanted to hear it,8217;8217; she points out.

8216;8216;Even if you can get five new people to listen to classical music, it is a gain,8217;8217; reasons Durga Jasraj, daughter of Pandit Jasraj, disagreeing that the musicians desecrated the classical tradition.

Which brings us to the Taj coffee shop and Sivaraman. Post-show, the crowd, reborn as avid mridangam fans, were overheard discussing where they could buy the maestros8217; albums. So where does that leave the debate?