Re: On SatAvadhAnam
Srini (srini@usinet.usiva.com)
Fri, 20 Sep 96 18:31:38 EDT
SrI Ramakrishna gAru raised some interesting questions and I want to
share my opinions..
> 1. Was the SatAvadhAnam enough of a challenge to the avadhAni?
Well, not really! I think primarily the challenges are from two domains:
(1) Questions from prucchakas and (2) Posers by Aprastuta prasangam.
Reg. Questions from prucchakas:
*******************************
Mostly there was no real rapport or co-ordination between the organizers and the
"pruchhakas". The effort of the organizers to gather a question bank from which
questions were given is understandable and is actually a good idea, but badly
implemented. Personally I was given the question that I am supposed to ask
Avadhaani at the midnight before the Avadhanam! This is the first time a
Sataavadhaanam was conducted in USA and this is also the first time, I ever
heard or knew, where prucchakas were asked to ask a specific question! This
could have been a great idea, provided they gave more time and flexibility for
prucchakas to form their own questions. I agree that either way cannot be
guranteed of being perfect, but when pruchakas ask the questions themselves, it
is as good as the pruchakas make them to be, and which is what avadhaanams are
all about. What happened was as good as what the organizers made them to be.
There were indeed some very good questions even from the pre-selected ones by
the organizers. But that is no reason to justify the method. Only and only if
the organizers cannot find any prucchakas could that method be resorted.
I can understand if pruchakas are requested to form questions covering
various topics - social,cultural, mythological, contextual etc., to make
it diverse as well as variegated, but never imposing specific questions on them.
That in no way diminishes the great ingenuity and remarkable alacrity
with which Naagaphani Sarma gaaru handled every one of them.
(2) Aprastuta Prasangam:
This department was a very disappointing one for me. The whole tone and
tenor of this was entirely "aatma ninda, avadhaani stuti"! Although no
questions were asked with any 'jigISha", sadly not many questions were
asked with any "jignyaasa" either. It is a rare opportunity to have such a
great literary luminary in our presence, and it is obvious that this could be
used to elicit from him literary, and cultural insights alongwith his opinions
on many social issues as well as catering entertainment. The beneficiary
as well as loser is only the audience indeed and not the avadhaani!
>1. It did not look like much of a challenge for the avadhAni that day.
I agree. I also recall mEDasaani mOhan gaaru mentioning last year, that:
"mana poorvIkulu, vinOdam kevalam vinOdamu kOsamu kaaka, vinOdamu kooDa
vignyaana pradamgaa unDaali anE uddESaaniki ee avadhaana prakriya oka
nidarSanam". adE vidhamugaa, avadhaani okkarE kaaka, pruccakulu kooda
avadhAni nunci enta vinOdamu nu, vignyaanamu nu cilikimpa jEsaaru anEde muKhyam.
The celebrated writer Emerson used to greet his old friends with the
question "What is it that you have learnt new, since we last met" and
I feel that that there was so much more I could learn from avadhaani
than what he was allowed to speak on!
With best regards
-Srinivas Nagulapalli