Kesarbai Kerkar, one of the most prominent vocalists of the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, was known as much for her genius and brilliance as she was for her mercurial temper and her ability to publicly downsize those she felt were a nuisance.
One such account that old-timers always narrated concerned a certain minister who received a message from his secretary just as Kerkar’s concert was about to begin. Not one to be held back, she chastised the minister in public and informed him that this was her performance space and not his office. She made it amply clear that he would have to leave or then sit through the concert. To his credit, the minister did not leave the venue.
The reason I mentioned this incident was to focus attention on a section of the audience that attends only to be seen by others as patrons and connoisseurs of the arts rather than to listen to the music. Such “listeners” have been present in concerts for several decades as is obvious from previous…