Fashion Day at Tiruvaiyyaru

We have heard about the famed fashion week events held world-wide like NYFW or MFW or PFW. But have you heard about a fashion day event? There's at least one that I'm aware about. The Tiruvaiyyaru Fashion Day. Although some might recognise Tiruvaiyyaru, for the uninitiated, it is a sandwich between a village and a town, located about 8 miles from Thanjavur in TN. I call it a sandwich since it hopelessly fails all the prerequisites to qualify for either a village or a town. Neither is it sleepy enough to be a village, nor does it bear the din of a town. This place is better known amongst Carnatic music aficionados as the place where the Carnatic music colossus, Sri Thyagaraja, lived for most part of his life and also for enshrining his mortal remains on the banks of the Kaveri. Annually, it's become a tradition for the Carnatic music fraternity to pay tribute to this saint-composer by singing his compositions. But what started as a tribute event has metamorphosed into a fashion event. Come January, every year, Tiruvaiyyaru gets up and going, abound with lots of of energy and people. The reason behind this are the celebrities of the Carnatic world. One cannot miss ardent fans discussing at every given opportunity as to which artist might come this year or give it a miss. After all, this is the Woodstock of Carnatic music and the Gods descend here only once a year. These Gods arrive dressed far from befitting a solemn event such as this. Draped in their best Conjeevarams, Mysore silks, Benaras silks, etc., adorning gold bangles and diamond necklaces, they don't care if they look like a mannequin in a jewellery shop. For the only thing on their mind is not the tribute, but showcasing their fashion extravaganzas in the limited time frame. They are seen to vigorously shake their heads often. Although this could be mistaken for a sign of appreciation, it would in reality be to show off their gem-studded earrings. And how could the ubiquitous Tambrams keep themselves away from any such things? They are best known for their sharp olfactory sense for silk and gold. They may not be able to differentiate a ragam from a thalam, but they would profess and confess Carnatic music is their life breath. You can see hundreds of them straining their necks to catch a glimpse of, oh, no, not the saint's shrine, but their fave celebrities. The lesser fortunate ones that are unable to be physically present at the venue sit glued to the idiot box at their homes. Hurrying up their mundane activities, they sit all ready to glimpse their Gods, only to pass comments and comparisons about what 'X' artist wore last year and how 'Y' looks aged this year. A few are heard cursing the TV cameraman because he does not focus the camera much on 'Z'. And, yeah, coming to these cameramen, they are another appreciative lot. Tired of focusing on the same old celebrity faces year after year, they train their lenses towards attractive faces in the assembled crowd. So, there's every form of entertainment served in Tiruvaiyyaru - for the eyes, ears, mind, and body. And, if you by chance get to attend a Tambram wedding, trust me, you will for sure overhear somebody bragging, "Did you see me on TV during the Aradhana in Tiruvaiyyaru?" And then, the best part is reserved for the post event times. These die hard fans are seen headed directly from Tiruvaiyyaru, not to their homes, but to the ever-crowded Usman Road in Chennai, to purchase the sarees worn by X, Y, Z at the Tiruvaiyyaru event.

Sri Thyagaraja contributed a great mite towards Carnatic music during his life time, but did anybody imagine that his legacy would contribute, albeit surrogately, to the apparel industry, too?