The other day while flipping TV channels, I happened to listen to a conversation on a famous music channel of India. The panel had few of this generation's famous performers of Indian classical music and few event organisers of recent days. The topic was straight forward enough - why to the mass of India, Indian classical music is untouched, unattended. Take it or not, gone are the days when a concert of purest form of classical music used to be a crowd puller. Then I remembered how an auditorium in Kolkata went almost vacant on Dhrupad (most ancient form of Indian Music) Festival, and so was lot may other orthodox classical music concerts across the country.
From the day I started taking the vast field of Indian classical music seriously, one thing which I have certainly felt is, this is a sacred form of art, beyond the common understanding and far more complex yet lucid. The science behind sound is thoroughly represented in such a grammatical way in our shastriya sangeet that it has become world's best form of music. The amount of dynamism one finds in this is absolutely remarkable. The same raaga by the same artist would be represented completely differently in different occasions. The presentation will deeply vary on the improvisation of the artist on different moods. Thus although punctuated by the grammar of swar and it's typical combination, a raaga is so different each time it's represented and that makes the purity of the music so amusing.
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni -the swars (notes) - are the elementary pillars of Indian classical music. And they have originated from the sacred chanting of Veda, hence on the flow of history, this institution of music has been well preserved by the elite class of Indian society - the Brahmins. It has always been seen as a vista to please and meet the Almighty. Temples were the place where this form flourished.
Time passed by, this music rolled in to different corners of the community, influenced by other streams of musical traditions and it is now well preserved and nourished by a group of wise Pandits and Ustads and rare connoisseurs.
With ever changing time Indian music has been taking influence from all genre and culture. Entertainment has changed from listening to classical music to something more jazzy and easy to rock upon. The divine enchantment of temple raaga has now come down to the streets.
The equation is simple now, either the hard-earned knowledge of an artist goes in vein being not rewarded or recognised or get along with the demand of time. Being in the self-made cocoon of orthodox and conservative mindset won't do any good to the future of the Indian music. Adhering to the heritage of the rich culture there are still ways to reach the audience of today.
Today's young generation -obsessed with cultural influence of west - loves new things - vibrant things. Fast way of life does not get hand in hand with the deep and long taste of the traditional concerts of indulging delicacy of Indian Classical Music. And probably that's why this music is finding it's place in more of a fusion set up which even the most 'modern' audience is welcoming with excitement.
Fusion with Indian music has been coming up as a new interesting genre which is blended with tradition yet pulling the huge crowd which purest form is not able to.
From the day I started taking the vast field of Indian classical music seriously, one thing which I have certainly felt is, this is a sacred form of art, beyond the common understanding and far more complex yet lucid. The science behind sound is thoroughly represented in such a grammatical way in our shastriya sangeet that it has become world's best form of music. The amount of dynamism one finds in this is absolutely remarkable. The same raaga by the same artist would be represented completely differently in different occasions. The presentation will deeply vary on the improvisation of the artist on different moods. Thus although punctuated by the grammar of swar and it's typical combination, a raaga is so different each time it's represented and that makes the purity of the music so amusing.
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni -the swars (notes) - are the elementary pillars of Indian classical music. And they have originated from the sacred chanting of Veda, hence on the flow of history, this institution of music has been well preserved by the elite class of Indian society - the Brahmins. It has always been seen as a vista to please and meet the Almighty. Temples were the place where this form flourished.
Time passed by, this music rolled in to different corners of the community, influenced by other streams of musical traditions and it is now well preserved and nourished by a group of wise Pandits and Ustads and rare connoisseurs.
With ever changing time Indian music has been taking influence from all genre and culture. Entertainment has changed from listening to classical music to something more jazzy and easy to rock upon. The divine enchantment of temple raaga has now come down to the streets.
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| Alternative way to get known |
Today's young generation -obsessed with cultural influence of west - loves new things - vibrant things. Fast way of life does not get hand in hand with the deep and long taste of the traditional concerts of indulging delicacy of Indian Classical Music. And probably that's why this music is finding it's place in more of a fusion set up which even the most 'modern' audience is welcoming with excitement.
Fusion with Indian music has been coming up as a new interesting genre which is blended with tradition yet pulling the huge crowd which purest form is not able to.
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| Crowd puller |
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