The doyen among music, Illayaraja came to our campus very recently as a chief guest to add more color, festivity and all creative energy to ‘Tamizhar Festival’ . It was a great surprise for me as a celebrity figure of his stature, who normally shuns the public stage, accepted the invitation and graced the function. He was honest enough to identify the professor-who was instrumental for his arrival in the saintly soil of Puducherry.
He was so blind folded and bemused in his love and appreciation for that great Tamil scholar, who is adoring a prestigious Tamil chair in our university that , even he was prepared to visit the hell if commanded by him and then hasten to add that his sense of humor should be taken in proper spirit. I could not see Illayaraja as I was seated on the wrong side of the auditorium but still I was enjoying his celestial voice and the supremely divine music.
In the course of his short lived speech, he told the truth/ reason, as to why he avoids public stage: “either one blows ones own trumpets and or invariably he or she undermines others being very critical or cynical”, he mused .He profusely showered praises on Kannadasan, as the best poet, the world has ever seen.
Praise, “is the sweetest of all sounds”, which every one would like to hear. But are they happy while receiving it? The interesting answer from the great thinkers is that once we get these compliments we rarely know what to do with them. To be honest, we don’t know to what extent we deserve them I would say.
A few days back, while returning from morning walk, a classmate of mine (during the mid 60s in the undergraduate course) joined me and he was telling a few good things about me to my university colleagues, standing by my side.
Though it was a reasoned an objective appraisal of my personality and that my friend was not at all conducting an exhibition in the art of flattery, I was still feeling mildly uneasy. Hearing nice things from people is like a moderate diet, and it invigorates our health and sense of well being. But one should not be seduced by that kind of praise as it would inflict the egocentric segment of the personality. As someone said, “Direct praise of personality, like direct sunlight is uncomfortable and blinding.”
One must have the stamina and strength of character to feel humble even while praised and also learn to live with all criticism, without suffering from any identity crisis. Ultimately what every human needs at any point of civilization is ‘some food, some sun, some work, some fun, some one”
(Courtesy: William Cole in poems: One line and longer)
He was so blind folded and bemused in his love and appreciation for that great Tamil scholar, who is adoring a prestigious Tamil chair in our university that , even he was prepared to visit the hell if commanded by him and then hasten to add that his sense of humor should be taken in proper spirit. I could not see Illayaraja as I was seated on the wrong side of the auditorium but still I was enjoying his celestial voice and the supremely divine music.
In the course of his short lived speech, he told the truth/ reason, as to why he avoids public stage: “either one blows ones own trumpets and or invariably he or she undermines others being very critical or cynical”, he mused .He profusely showered praises on Kannadasan, as the best poet, the world has ever seen.
Praise, “is the sweetest of all sounds”, which every one would like to hear. But are they happy while receiving it? The interesting answer from the great thinkers is that once we get these compliments we rarely know what to do with them. To be honest, we don’t know to what extent we deserve them I would say.
A few days back, while returning from morning walk, a classmate of mine (during the mid 60s in the undergraduate course) joined me and he was telling a few good things about me to my university colleagues, standing by my side.
Though it was a reasoned an objective appraisal of my personality and that my friend was not at all conducting an exhibition in the art of flattery, I was still feeling mildly uneasy. Hearing nice things from people is like a moderate diet, and it invigorates our health and sense of well being. But one should not be seduced by that kind of praise as it would inflict the egocentric segment of the personality. As someone said, “Direct praise of personality, like direct sunlight is uncomfortable and blinding.”
One must have the stamina and strength of character to feel humble even while praised and also learn to live with all criticism, without suffering from any identity crisis. Ultimately what every human needs at any point of civilization is ‘some food, some sun, some work, some fun, some one”
(Courtesy: William Cole in poems: One line and longer)
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