AN EVENING'S ENTERTAINMENT

The West Masi and North Masi Street junction was a favourite place for music maestros to render concerts, recalls J. VASANTHAN.




TODAY OUR entertainment is film-oriented. In the evenings we can either go to a cinema hall or watch a film or serial on TV. We could also borrow a VCD for viewing at home. The choice is limited. But in the 50's a citizen of Madurai had a wide variety of choices when it came to entertainment. Of course, films were also there even then. But there were other options too - classical music concerts, dance performances, religious discourses, and many more. And these were not meant only for an elite audience in posh auditoria. They were performed on street corners for the common man too. Carnatic music stalwarts like Madurai Mani Aiyer, T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai and Mysore Chowdiah performed at road junctions without any fuss. The West Masi and North Masi Street junction was a favourite place for these concerts. I once attended a concert by Manakkal Rengarajan in a corner on the Workshop Road. Chowdiah was the violinist. His altered violin had a typical resonance of its own, and he was capable of achieving stunning effects with it. When he broke into a solo (thani aavarthanam), Manakkal Rengarajan applauded and said, "It is your concert today". The next day there was a violin concert by Chowdiah in the same place. Palghat Mani who accompanied him enthralled us with his wizardry on the mridangam. Chowdiah clapped and said, "Today's concert is all yours". But in a way our favourite was Madurai Mani Aiyer, particularly when he launched into his `English notes'. The dancers who performed in Madurai included the teenaged Vyjayanthimala, the very young Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini and Kumari Kamala (later Kamala Laxman). These performances were in cinema theatres when there were no film shows. Lalitha and Padmini used to include short dance dramas in their repertoire. And in one such, Lalitha as the sad wife, weeps, wipes her eyes with her saree and then wrings it as if it is saturated with water. The audience laughed, and Lalitha burst into laughter too, and so did Padmini (the husband). Everyone had a hearty laugh for a while and then it was back to the tearful routine. The religious discourses were held in the Adi Streets or in East Masi Street and attracted large crowds including college students. These discourses were witty and scholarly, interspersed with music. Scholarship sat lightly on the shoulders of these wonderful entertainers. Another kind of dance frequently seen those days was known as a `record dance', and was performed in the Tamukkam grounds on temporary wooden platforms. Loudspeakers spewed forth film songs and a provocatively dressed young woman danced vigorously, giving the lyrics her own interpretations. Most men who attended these dances came with huge turbans or covered their faces with towels since they were conscious of the low level of the entertainment. Occasionally police raided these performances, and as the crowd scattered and ran the towels sometimes slipped and revealed the anxious faces of some VIPs of the city. There were also football matches, rekla races and an occasional cricket match in the Race Course grounds in which the only national level player from Madurai, N. Kannayiram, took part. Among the more popular shows those days were the freestyle wrestling bouts. Staged in Mathichiyam, where the Anna Bus Stand later came to be. Star wrestlers like Dara Singh and King Kong panted and groaned and rolled about to entertain the Madurai crowd. Dara Singh was young and well-built, and became the favourite of the crowds. King Kong was massive with a bald head and a well-trimmed beard. We were told that he ate twenty ducks' eggs a day among other things. His daily menu was publicized to cause awe. He was billed as the mountain. During one match an arrogant young wrestler kept pulling King Kong's beard. The enraged man mountain threw the hapless chap down and sat on him. The man had to be carried out on a stretcher. A rumour went about that he had been squashed to death. King Kong was a big draw. Goldstein was a handsome golden haired wrestler who always played by the rules and was courteous to his opponents. Zepisco from Poland looked like a huge white ball. We used to crowd around Zepisco after the regular bouts. And he would hand wrestle with us, and pretend to lose, which brought on gales of laughter. These were the heroes. There were villains too. The masked Red Scorpion was reputed to be a master of the chop at vital points. When he delivered his chop his opponent fell on the ground and writhed in agony. The crowd hated Red Scorpion and was eager to see him lose. So when a match was announced between him and Dara Singh, record crowds turned up to see the foreign stringer being vanquished by the desi hero. But it was not to be. The scorpion stung as usual, and Dara had to be carried out. The crowd was unhappy. And then over the loudspeakers came an announcement. Dara Singh's guru had arrived that evening and seen his sishya being beaten. So he had challenged Red Scorpion to a bout the next day to avenge his pupil's defeat. Red Scorpion promised to remove his mask if he lost. Dara Singh's guru was comparatively small made but very tricky in his manoeuvres. He managed to keep the scorpion at arm's length, and not a single chop could be landed. The Indian won, and we were eagerly waiting for the Red Scorpion to remove his mask. But an announcement was made that Dara Singh had learnt a few lessons from his guru, and now wanted a return bout with the scorpion. So the removal of the mask was postponed. We knew in our heart of hearts that the whole thing was being stage managed and that we were being taken for a ride. But we rode along willingly because it was exciting after all. The next day there were huge crowds. Dara Singh imitated his guru's technique and won. But again they dodged, and we never could get to see the face of Red Scorpion, which was a good thing perhaps. Most of us who enjoyed all these shows cannot but feel that now the variety has gone out of entertainment. Well, those were the days!

(The author of this article can be contacted at the E-mail: jvasanthan@sancharnet.in)





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