When I met the Legend

 When I met the legend

I am a post graduate in Economics and I teach Information Technology. My students are predominantly employees of large corporates. I deliver training program in multiple technologies. Basically, I impart skills essential for their service delivery. Or to put it across in my daughter’s words it’s ‘Mudhiyor Kalvi’.

All my sessions are filled with thrills. Some of them would be challenging while the rest may be an easy task. Thanks to my Guru, I walk with pride that I speak technology in a layman’s perspective. Sometimes, when I sufficiently impress my audience with my technical knowledge they ask me a question as to where when and how do I update myself.  Answer is so simple “By the time you say you know a technology it would be obsolete”.  If I don’t update myself for 1 week I will know the difficulty. If I don’t work at it for 1 month my audience would know. If the same continues I would be rejected.

It was a hot summer day in April. I am referring to an incident that took place 2 decades ago. Naanal a music school at Tuticorin was celebrating Muthuswamy Dikshithar’s birthday. The chief guest was on the dais and started with Sri Mahaganapathim and when his bows played Ananthamirtha varshini it rained music inside and heavily outside. It was none other than Sri. Lalgudi. After the concert my guru Sri Thiruvalur Parthasarathy got me a personal audience with Sri Lalgudi. I felt humbled when he asked me did you like my kutchery? Was it good?

Next few questions were about me. He enquired how regular I was. Listening to my answers carefully he spoke to me in his soft voice. He inculcated in me the values of sadhaham. He spoke about him and I could even now hear him. “If I don’t practise for a day there wouldn’t be any harm. If I don’t practise for a week, I myself will know when I play. If I don’t practise for 6 months my accompanying artists - paka vadhyams will know. If I don’t practise for a year my rasikas will know and slowly everyone will know.” How else can someone instil these qualities in the younger generation?

Though in the past decade I have never indulged myself in music, his lessons travel with me every day. I learn, I update on a regular basis. I ask my audience if they were able to follow me and was there clarity in concepts end of every session. I would have narrated this incident a few hundred times and every time I narrate I feel refreshing and the journey continues.