Booscuthalaa - Untying the Knots

Things that I didn't know I'll miss: (in no order, so don't judge me!) 'Semmozhi' song being played in continuous loops on TV - when it was played yesterday on TV, I realized that I hadn't seen the video in one whole week, almost blasphemous in TN nowadays! Normal Bollywood songs - Set Max, 9X etc.. An interesting Tamil Reality show like Airtel Super Singer - the Sangeetha Maha Yudham is crass! Mixie - at least to grind coconut ever silver tumbler - so that you get that froth on the coffee ever silver karandi - feels very vaaku, these peengon and plastic things are useless thayir saadam - I never knew I'd miss this one Short Power cuts - for that edge of unpredictability that adds spice to life! Time to read English and Tamil fiction - I actually do get it, this is a vetti point Physical Hindu newspapaer - the e-version just doesnt feel the same! Grand Sweets Pepper Rasam mix - it takes painfully long to make the rasam on my own!   Things I ha...

No, it's not the annual Thiruvaiyyaaru festival or Chicago or even the Cleveland utsavam, for that matter! If there's one place where every budding musician would want to perform, it should be the Music Academy in Madras. The name couldn't be more apt! With a long history and superlative performances, year after year, an Academy concert is where every discerning rasika wants to be. There is something unique and ineffable about this place that gives you those vibes - the good ones, of being in a supreme place, a longing to be sincere and a sense that the listener is no fool! The place boasts of  state-of-the-art acoustics (BOSE speakers et al), thoughtful parking arrangements, and of course, the artistes save their best for the Academy concert. It's no secret that they get almost a pittance for singing here. Performing here is a privilege in itself. For the average Madras man, it's something like getting a chance to act in a Maniratnam movie or sing an AR Rehman song...