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A passion for the fine arts and a deep commitment to further them was the catalyst for him to sacrifice
a fine career with the
Post Office. And yet he never regretted it, despite the frustrations and
hurdles that are inevitable in running an organisation.
Meet R Rajagopal, Secretary of Karthik Fine Arts. This writer’s
preconceived idea that all Sabha secretaries are always in a tearing hurry
and mark time as you talk to them was quickly dispelled when Rajagopal
presented himself - down to earth, modest and willing to share his
thoughts in spite of a long day ahead. Several years as founder-secretary of
Mylapore Fine Arts Club, and then founder of Karthik Fine Arts, Rajagopal is so synonymous with the
latter that the prefix “Karthik” has been added to his name!
Honouring upcoming young musicians and dancers with the titles of Isai Peroli
and
Nadanamamani respectively are among the many 'firsts' that
Rajagopal has to his credit. The 10-day Kodai Nataka Vizha during summer is another
feather in his cap. Yet he has his feet on the ground even as he aims for
the stars on behalf of the Sabha.
Let’s start with basics. How do Sabhas select and identify new talent? Pat
comes the answer - do you see the rows of files stacked up there? They
contain artistes' resumes. Another way is to get
reports of younger artistes from rasikas who attend their programmes and,
of course, some committee members who are part of the audience. Having
been a part of the Sabha ethos for 50 years now, Rajagopal empathises with
youngsters who are trying to climb the
ladder of success. “It is hard to dampen the spirit of an aspirant who
chooses to present his
credentials at 7 am and point out to him that timing
is etiquette as well!”, he says with a smile.
Explaining the role of the Sabha, Rajagopal says the onus of accepting
responsibility for maintaining standards of performance does not fall on
the Sabhas alone. Sometimes Sabhas have to resist pressure from
sponsors in favour of specific performers, and that is certainly not
easy. Press reviews of concerts, seeking the opinions of connoisseurs, and weighing the
relative merits of each artiste
is the only yardstick to maintain standards in programme selection.
Artistes and rasikas wait with bated breath every year to know who will
receive the titles Isai Peroli and Nadanamamani. Diplomatically parrying the question as to who are in line, Rajagopal declares that
there are many stars on the horizon, and that it is anyway still too early to speculate, and that the committee has to
vote on it. He finally ends the subject with, "Time alone will tell."
He however adds that the titles are for artistes under 35 and
carry an award of Rs. 15000, a gold medallion and a
citation each. Another separate award has also been instituted recently and is now
given annually to a musician as part of the Tamil Isai festival held in Annanagar.
A patron of drama, Karthik Rajagopal was instrumental in
starting the Kodai Nataka Vizha [summer festival]. Awards are given to
the best director, actor, writer and producer of dramas. It has become a
tradition for only new troupes
to compete for the prizes while the big names in Tamil theatre stay off. Karthik Fine Arts is
relatively a more drama-oriented
Sabha than others, and therefore most inaugural shows are held under
our banner, he adds.
There is a rush for artistes to perform during the season and the result
is they accept too many engagements. Have there been occasions when a
programme had to be cancelled at the last minute? Yes, he agrees. Today musicians are a bit too ambitious and take on more than they
should, unlike the stalwarts of yesteryears like Semmangudi Srinivasa
Iyer, M D Ramanathan etc, who restricted themselves to one or two concerts a month. Now
artistes perform at weddings, temples and functions, in addition to going abroad. The Margazhi
season, with its weather changes, does affect their voice and the result is a performance that does not measure up to his or her true standard. Last
year, Aruna Sayeeram had to cancel her concert at the last minute
and rasikas were disappointed. However, a quick and worthy substitute was put on
at an hour’s notice.
"Can you recall any memorable incidents in your 50 years of association
with the world of music?" is the next question to Rajagopal. Pausing a
minute to reminisce, he relates how when he was secretary of Mylapore Fine
Arts Club, the Alathur Brothers were to perform and Lalgudi Jayaraman and
Palghat Mani Iyer were the accompanying artistes. "Due to unforeseen
circumstances, the duo were not able to keep their commitment and this put
us in a quandary", he says. After a
word with Mani Iyer, Rajagopal decided to make it a solo performance by
Lalgudi. This happened to be a turning point in Lalgudi’s life.
Now that he is going down memory lane, Rajagopal recalls another incident
in 1965. This time it was a performance by A K C Natarajan who was a much
sought-after performer then. The others in his group arrived on time but
there was no sign of Natarajan. Before the concert, the State
Government was honouring him, and Natarajan had said he would come right
after it. When he didn't turn up for quite some time, Rajagopal sent some people to search for him. Imagine finding
Natarajan standing next to his car on the beach road. The reason? A punctured
tyre! Riding on the pillion of a scooter was the only alternative and Natarajan
sportingly did so and managed to start the concert almost on time!
Anxious moments no doubt, but being resourceful and acting quickly was what
saved the day
His association with the two Sabhas has been a wonderfully memorable time
for Rajagopal. Do the other committee members of Karthik Fine Arts support
him? "We have a very strong team", he says, "and if I can be
deemed a success as secretary, it is because of the unfailing support from M R
Krishnamurthy, M S Manian, D S Ramanujam, A V S Raja and Sabaretnam." What
role does his family play? “They
never grudge or complain about my spending so much time with Sabha affairs.
They attend concerts, receive visitors, take calls and, above all, are there
for me always.”
There is a twinkle in his eyes when asked to recall some funny incidents
in his career. The clock strikes three and it is a reminder that he has other obligations to fulfill.
He promises to
share some funny anecdotes. "Let me think and get back to
you", he promises. Until then...
Geetha Iyengar
July 25, 2003
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