Of Rasikas and Rasanai

 I always wondered what would be the exact equivalent for the term "Rasika" in English. Connoisseur sounds more French than common English and kind of sounds too complicated, if not pompous. The tamil word sounds bit closer to heart and feels it is applicable to even laymen. Just like how you don't have to be an expert cook to enjoy a good food, it applies across all disciplines of art where in your ability to enjoy something good need not necessarily means you are completely aware of the nuances of that particular art or an expert to pass on any comment. Enjoyment, though is shown as synonym for "Rasanai" feels more generic. "Taste" was another option that google threw as possible equivalent which i felt was bit closer to what i was looking for. It might sound dumbed down a bit too much but my quest towards finding a good English equivalent for the word Rasanai ended there.

I have often marveled at the devotion level explanation given by fans of respective artists, while sharing their thoughts on how a particular composition felt for them. Some with bit deeper knowledge even goes on to describe how the artist might've even come up such creations, their possible inspirations, the message behind the creation that they artist wants to convey and potentially other influences as well that might have led to the creation. I am not a big follower of carnatic music for it feels too complex, but the awe and amazement with which some of the followers wonder at certain ragas or their renditions by certain musicians make me wonder at the levels hidden in plain sight which the followers seamlessly explore and enjoy. Of the lot only a select few can relay what they experienced in a way that is relatable to larger masses. Such people, not only deserve more kudos for their observation and analytical bent of mind but also deserve much more appreciation from the content creators for whom they serve as free PRO's taking their work to the masses. In such a category one can surely place Actor Manikandan, who seems to be omnipresent across every Youtube channel, promoting his new movie.

This guy is a multi talented personality to say the least. He has won big accolades for his script work, mimicry (my god!!! even the original actor's voice wouldn't sound so authentic), fantastic actor and above all his devotion towards cinema, especially kamalhaasan's works. I doubt if even Kamal would've thought through all those things that this guy explains as behind the scene thought process across all of his movies. The way he notes down minutest of details which are otherwise passable scenes, makes one wonder at the number of times he might have seen those movies!! Especially for movies like "Guna", "Devar magan"  "Michael madana kama rajan" , "Sathya" and even not so big hits like "Mumbai express". I loved how he related Gandhi's own words on his strained relation with his son from "My experiments with truth" and how Kamal might've incorporated the same in "Hey Ram" was a classic example of fan boy who grows bigger than the artist for whom he is fan of. In elevating the thought process of Kamal, this man has grown leaps and bounds in everyone's eyes not just for his keen sense of observation but for being a real fan boy when he explains all these ideas from the heart in honest and true sense.

I guess there is a saying in Vaishanvism where in they talk about how the devotees at times are bigger than the lord himself, for their true devotion trumps even divinity. Art, for what its worth, is one thing that sets humans apart from other beings. Even animals have rasanai sense in them, as exhibited by the cows in Gokulam, which flock to Krishna whenever he plays his flute. But the ability to explain their feelings in a way that is as sweet as the art in itself, makes humans a class apart, for sure. Till the time the cows start speaking, we definitely are slightly ahead!