It is early morning and I am sitting in my Arbeitsraum (work room). Its Friday and work at the moment is saturated and slow. I much my milk bread and scan the Hindu online for news. A caption brings back nostalgia. Quiz on carnatic music.
Way back in 2004, two amateur flautists and one vocal maestro joined forces for a quiz on carnatic music. My efforts to dig out the article that was published in Hindu turned futile and hence owing to my crammed memory, I have to skip details of the organizer. But I think it was carnatica.com or the like. The quiz master was Sanjay Subramanian.
It was none other than me, Vivek and Karthik. Notorious trio we have been, right from standard VI till B.Sc and we shared a common interest in music. And so, we decided to press our luck and participate in the carnatic quiz that was being held that year. Knowing that there would be a prize for the best team name; we racked our brains hard for days to find one. The three musikteers, Masters of Raga and many more were flushed way with the thought that they were common until we realized that we need a name which conveys a meaning that music is for everyone. Standing outside my apartment and balancing our cycles on null velocity we were rolling with laughter over the ingenious and ignoble names that cropped up until there arose a statement “jeez dude, some Tom, Dick and Harry is going to walk away with this prize.” That did it. Tom, Dick and Kambodhi was christened upon our team and the application was submitted.
The quiz was on a Sunday at an auditorium in a school in MRC Nagar. We cycled there and registered at the front desk and as soon as we went inside, we knew that we were not standing any chances to qualify for the finals! Music stalwarts were participating and we were just a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs! Yet, we took up the written preliminary round and were happy with the number of questions we answered right but as anticipated, failed to make it to the finals. We sat back and enjoyed the quizzing and then it was time to announce the prizes. Away went first and second and then came the best team name. Sanjay’s voice was booming in our ears “The best team name award goes to Tom, Dick and Kambodhi. What an innovative name! Come up on stage guys and which one of you is Kambodhi?!” That was a brilliant moment for us and our expectations were not in vain!
I feel a bit sad now, that I am not able to pursue this wonderful art of music with zest and zeal from here in Germany and I guess Vivek feels the same too being in USA. But we are happy that our Kambodhi ( Karthik) is doing it for the three of us back home. Cheers to you and our team!!
Way back in 2004, two amateur flautists and one vocal maestro joined forces for a quiz on carnatic music. My efforts to dig out the article that was published in Hindu turned futile and hence owing to my crammed memory, I have to skip details of the organizer. But I think it was carnatica.com or the like. The quiz master was Sanjay Subramanian.
It was none other than me, Vivek and Karthik. Notorious trio we have been, right from standard VI till B.Sc and we shared a common interest in music. And so, we decided to press our luck and participate in the carnatic quiz that was being held that year. Knowing that there would be a prize for the best team name; we racked our brains hard for days to find one. The three musikteers, Masters of Raga and many more were flushed way with the thought that they were common until we realized that we need a name which conveys a meaning that music is for everyone. Standing outside my apartment and balancing our cycles on null velocity we were rolling with laughter over the ingenious and ignoble names that cropped up until there arose a statement “jeez dude, some Tom, Dick and Harry is going to walk away with this prize.” That did it. Tom, Dick and Kambodhi was christened upon our team and the application was submitted.
The quiz was on a Sunday at an auditorium in a school in MRC Nagar. We cycled there and registered at the front desk and as soon as we went inside, we knew that we were not standing any chances to qualify for the finals! Music stalwarts were participating and we were just a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs! Yet, we took up the written preliminary round and were happy with the number of questions we answered right but as anticipated, failed to make it to the finals. We sat back and enjoyed the quizzing and then it was time to announce the prizes. Away went first and second and then came the best team name. Sanjay’s voice was booming in our ears “The best team name award goes to Tom, Dick and Kambodhi. What an innovative name! Come up on stage guys and which one of you is Kambodhi?!” That was a brilliant moment for us and our expectations were not in vain!
I feel a bit sad now, that I am not able to pursue this wonderful art of music with zest and zeal from here in Germany and I guess Vivek feels the same too being in USA. But we are happy that our Kambodhi ( Karthik) is doing it for the three of us back home. Cheers to you and our team!!
