Caste and the Cleveland Carnatic Music Festival

MulaiAzhagi wrote:For second-generation NRIs, flashing caste becomes a part of their cultural street cred with other communities. Some do it intentionally to elevate their identity while others operate from a misunderstanding of their own roots and blindly accept the symbols of their culture. Punjabi rappers throw down lyrics about being proud Jats. Tam- Brahms show off their sacred thread, recreate Thiruvayur in Cleveland, and learn Bharatanatyam while using their powerful networks to connect and succeed in the diaspora. Ultimately, we trade and calcify what is seen as proper Indian culture. But hidden within that idea of ‘proper’ lies the code for what is aspirational and ultimately upper caste.

http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?281938

MulaiAzhagi wrote:where is thiruvayur?




===> Aap ka point kya hai?

Thiruvayur is in TN.

..the author of the article who is a dalit complains that the Tamil Brahmins in America "recreate Thiruvayur in Cleveland.." and it is an act of flashing their caste credentials.

I thought Tyagaraja lived in Thiruvayur, and Muttuswamy Dikshitar did too. Is it not the place where they do this "aradhana" every year?

MulaiAzhagi wrote:where is thiruvayur?




===> Aap ka point kya hai?

Thiruvayur is in TN.

..the author of the article who is a dalit complains that the Tamil Brahmins in America "recreate Thiruvayur in Cleveland.." and it is an act of flashing their caste credentials.

Maria S wrote:

Here it is:

http://cvpram.blogspot.com/2007/03/visit-to-thiruvayur.html

I learn something new every day too.

MulaiAzhagi wrote:where is thiruvayur?

===> Aap ka point kya hai?

Thiruvayur is in TN.

..the author of the article who is a dalit complains that the Tamil Brahmins in America "recreate Thiruvayur in Cleveland.." and it is an act of flashing their caste credentials.

ThamizhanE:

it is ThiruvayAARU... about 9 miles from ThanjaVUR - one of my ancestral place (my grandmother came from there).

I dont think these dance/music classes are restricted to any specific castes. It is just that the Tam-Brahms show more interest due to nostalgiaa AND to keep with their tradition.

Just like the non-Brahmins want to continue whining about being ignored by the uppercaste, and the fantasy of marrying Brahmin women and win the trophy.

Actually, the non-Brahmins should jimbly change their last names to Iyer/Iyengar; Amithagujambaal, Kamakshi (note the s and h in spelling), and marry whities. That will put us far aheaad of the Tam-Brahms in Caste race.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:we have walked down this road before.

truthbetold wrote: I like thiruvaiyyuru. That sounds like telugu.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

truthbetold wrote: I like thiruvaiyyuru. That sounds like telugu.

thiruvaiyyAru not thiruvaiyyuru.

thiru (holy) + ai (five) + ARu (river). confluence of five holy rivers.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:it also happens to be my native place. thiruvayur is a misspelling. thiruvaiyyaru (thiru + ai + ARu, the confluence of five holy rivers). it totally changes the meaning if spelled as thiruvayur (holy mouth place? to my knowledge there is no such place). i suppose if you google, it will find all the misspelled instances. that someone misspells the name doesn't make it right.

uppili--it's a bit flip to minimize the sidelining of non-brahmins like dandapANi desigar in CM by tambrahms. i'm not in the mood right now to get into (totally consumed by american politics) it right now. maybe another time.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:it also happens to be my native place. thiruvayur is a misspelling. thiruvaiyyaru (thiru + ai + ARu, the confluence of five holy rivers). it totally changes the meaning if spelled as thiruvayur (holy mouth place? to my knowledge there is no such place). i suppose if you google, it will find all the misspelled instances. that someone misspells the name doesn't make it right.

uppili--it's a bit flip to minimize the sidelining of non-brahmins like dandapANi desigar in CM by tambrahms. i'm not in the mood right now to get into (totally consumed by american politics) it right now. maybe another time.

One ASSUMED that only singers are Carnautic musicians. They are forgetting the greta Nadaswara Vidwans - who were almost exclusively non-Brahmins and even Muslims. MS Subbulakshmi was NOT a Brahmin and so was Madurai Somasundaram.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:it also happens to be my native place. thiruvayur is a misspelling. thiruvaiyyaru (thiru + ai + ARu, the confluence of five holy rivers). it totally changes the meaning if spelled as thiruvayur (holy mouth place? to my knowledge there is no such place). i suppose if you google, it will find all the misspelled instances. that someone misspells the name doesn't make it right.

uppili--it's a bit flip to minimize the sidelining of non-brahmins like dandapANi desigar in CM by tambrahms. i'm not in the mood right now to get into (totally consumed by american politics) it right now. maybe another time.

One ASSUMED that only singers are Carnautic musicians. They are forgetting the greta Nadaswara Vidwans - who were almost exclusively non-Brahmins and even Muslims. MS Subbulakshmi was NOT a Brahmin and so was Madurai Somasundaram.

all covered here saamiyar. you're a bit late to the party.