Zakir who? Where are my vadais?

This has been a bloody exhilarating, but exhausting weekend. It's taught me a couple of things about life and people. One is that truly great people are never obvious about the fact that they're great and the other that it is possible to have a grossly disproportionate idea of your own importance.

Saturday saw Masters of Percussion in Austin, led by Ustad Zakir Hussain and featuring Violin maestros Ganesh and Kumaresh. By a massive stroke of good fortune, the spouse I actually had the honour of being able to spend time with all three. I cannot say that I have ever met people as nice, friendly and chilled out as them. The Ustad has had a huge fan in me ever since I heard him as a young child and watched his delivery of 'Wah Taj Boliye' on TV hundreds of times. To be able to meet and speak with him was surreal, and I was totally starstruck. To me though, the stars of the show were Vidwans G + K. I have heard them many a time, but they were shining especially bright this Saturday evening. I'm still recovering from the stellar quality of the show.

Having seen my mother coordinate music concerts for many years, I have a fair idea just how much work it involves, so I am not without appreciation for those who put out a great effort to support and propagate Indian Classical Arts in other countries. But, and this is a very heartfelt but..spending the first 15 minutes of such a show honouring yourself for doing this negates the effort a little. It could just as easily have been a private celebration or done at the end of the show. When you have artistes of that calibre waiting behind the screen to perform..you do not try to steal their thunder. I also loved the fake surprise at being lauded.."I had no idea this was coming!!"..Really? Didn't you organize this show? Also unacceptable is telling your member base one thing and doing something else entirely. If you promised them good seats at the show in exchange for signing up, do not stick them in the upper balcony. If you do, it's safe to assume that that's probably the first and last time they want to be on your mailing list.

And to come to my favourite part of that evening, How much anxiety and distress does a lost plastic box of home made vadais call for? So much so that you ask everyone, including your star line up if they saw it. Admittedly, they're home-made and hard to come by in the Yoo Ess, so I'd be first in line trying to help you find them, so I can get some of the reward..namely that whole box. BUT, when I'm in the same room as Zakir Hussain, you've got a hope if you're sending me on a vadai hunt. Made or paid for.

Just when I was getting off the high from Saturday, I floated right back up. Sunday was tremendously inspiring. I saw my guru dancing her traditional repertoire for the first time. It made me even more proud to be her student. She was far and away the star of the show - this is my sincere opinion without bias, and let me add that I found the other performers wonderful as well. In fact, one of them is close to 80! I'd give an arm and a leg...ermm..I probably won't be able to dance much without an arm and a leg, so maybe a lot of vadais to have that kind of spirit when I'm 60..let alone 80!!

Here's to many weekends in the future filled with great art, the company of living legends, indomitable spirit and vadais out of the plastic dabba and in my stomach!