I have a sinking feeling about this - my mind is still tortured by the outrage at Thiruvaiyyaru. Here is the link
http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/14/stories ... 160100.htm
What does this forum feel - how should the music community respond? I had posted this on sangeetham a few years back but my views have changed considerably since then (thanks to a better understanding of TN's nasty politics):
Vijay
In a utopian world music would, perhaps, be impervious to the diktats of commerce. We all know that's not the case - everyone from saree vendors to sweet shops and now, even retirement homes have sensed a commercial opportunity waiting to be tapped. Only the PSUs are an honorable exception, magnanimously distributing the taxpayer’s money for what they deem a lofty cause with no expectation or likelihood of any financial return. With privatisation well on its way, we can expect to increasingly depend on the Sareewallah’s largesse (or investment perception depending on how cynical one is).
Nothing wrong in all this – that’s the way art is headed all over the world. But when Sriram talks about lack of commercial focus, one presumes he is also referring to the regulation and professionalism which are typically associated with organized commerce (the caveat being inserted on “accountâ€
Government to promote Chennai music festival
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sbala
- Posts: 629
- Joined: 30 Jul 2006, 08:56
I think, in the short term, we'll just see the top artistes being roped in to talk about "Singara Chennai" or something of that sort. Ofcourse, Sun TV will get the rights to telecast the concerts. There could be more pressure to sing Tamizh songs. I would be very surprised if they would do much on the infrastructure front. The city is already wilting under the demands of the IT industry. Even if they succeed in addressing the existing infrastructure gaps, Amma will be back at the helm and she will try to bring in a "new perspective" to the whole thing.
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vsnatarajan
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 28 Nov 2006, 21:01
not to mention the fate that happened to all the temples in tamil nadu.
there will be a demand for artistes belonging to a particular sect and there will be Statues in front of Music academy.
This is the goverment which denigrates Hinduism and its Gods openly.
ultimately the marghazi will be the End of Fall season and willl go somewhere else.
(man, I am really becoming a cynic nowadys)
there will be a demand for artistes belonging to a particular sect and there will be Statues in front of Music academy.
This is the goverment which denigrates Hinduism and its Gods openly.
ultimately the marghazi will be the End of Fall season and willl go somewhere else.
(man, I am really becoming a cynic nowadys)
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Ananth
- Posts: 133
- Joined: 14 Feb 2006, 14:04
"Govt to police Chennai music festival" - Opening the Hindu in half slumber, this is what I read at first.
Natarajan, you are not the only cynic.
PS: Hindu has printed photos of Sanjay and Sudha alongside the front page article. Do you see what I see? Sudha - yes, but Sanjay? He has not even sung in films!?
Natarajan, you are not the only cynic.
PS: Hindu has printed photos of Sanjay and Sudha alongside the front page article. Do you see what I see? Sudha - yes, but Sanjay? He has not even sung in films!?
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Nick H
- Posts: 9472
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03
I'll sign up to the cynicism.
There will be half a dozen commercialised programs on the beach ---money will be wasted building an auditorium of sorts--- and one of the sabhas will get to host another series of light programs, with a 5-star hotel launch.
Gin available in the sabha canteen, anyone?
But, looking on the bright side: if that brings some extra tourists to town, and just a few of them realise that there's more to carnatic music than they are being spoon-fed, and they start buying the Hindu and wandering from hall to hall, then it may do some good.
I dare not say anything about 'TN's nasty politics'. I think we should keep that to the minimum (difficult to exclude altogether) in this forum.
There will be half a dozen commercialised programs on the beach ---money will be wasted building an auditorium of sorts--- and one of the sabhas will get to host another series of light programs, with a 5-star hotel launch.
Gin available in the sabha canteen, anyone?
But, looking on the bright side: if that brings some extra tourists to town, and just a few of them realise that there's more to carnatic music than they are being spoon-fed, and they start buying the Hindu and wandering from hall to hall, then it may do some good.
I dare not say anything about 'TN's nasty politics'. I think we should keep that to the minimum (difficult to exclude altogether) in this forum.
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rshankar
- Posts: 13754
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26
I think when the government steps in to 'police/streamline' anything, it just menas there is a perceived idea that things are not 'as they should be'. I wonder what it is about the current CM scene that irks the powers that be. I really hope someone asks Sanjay and Sudha to give a frank appraisal of the situation - a sort of 'state of the art' lecture, and let the world know what exactly it is we will have to look forward to, and what the government expects in return for their 'help'.
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vsnatarajan
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 28 Nov 2006, 21:01
nick, rshankar. ananth
In Europe people say personal life should not be mixed with public life and sometimes I wonder why not.
Imagine a serial Child killer who is also a minister in the Goverment as Child welfare Minister!!!.
The point is when politics starts to come in the way of CM, it needs to be discussed. But the music Academy is now controlled by "The Hindu" the english paper based out of Chennai and it is having dubious records.
The present Govt.. has one point agenda of finishing off Brahmins in tamil Nadu. And the CM is now literally being run by this community.(not mentioned in any elitist way but just the fact of this)People already know about the Chennai CM season and the last thing it needs is a Govt.. sponsored actions. This will slowly put the dictats of the govt..
Remember what is happening in Kalakshetra.
Art and Govt is like a Butcher and "ahimsa".
I am very sceptical.
In Europe people say personal life should not be mixed with public life and sometimes I wonder why not.
Imagine a serial Child killer who is also a minister in the Goverment as Child welfare Minister!!!.
The point is when politics starts to come in the way of CM, it needs to be discussed. But the music Academy is now controlled by "The Hindu" the english paper based out of Chennai and it is having dubious records.
The present Govt.. has one point agenda of finishing off Brahmins in tamil Nadu. And the CM is now literally being run by this community.(not mentioned in any elitist way but just the fact of this)People already know about the Chennai CM season and the last thing it needs is a Govt.. sponsored actions. This will slowly put the dictats of the govt..
Remember what is happening in Kalakshetra.
Art and Govt is like a Butcher and "ahimsa".
I am very sceptical.
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gnanasunyam
- Posts: 19
- Joined: 22 Dec 2006, 00:04
Do we need to feel so cynical?
First of all, it is not easy for the government to control 500 odd sabhas, what they do and how they do. They may utmost control a few big ones, if at all and try to 'convert' them. But if the rasikas are vigilant they would shift foucs to other sabhas and keep up the tradition.
In any case, the sabhas and artists are free to put conditions for suppoprt by government or provate parties. Since they are running without any support now, they do not have to succumb to pressures. Rather take the opportunity to demand a few good things and if they are not willing to, be ready to say 'get lost or good bye'.
If the sabhas and raiskas do not manage it right now and tighten their requirements, they will soon find themesleves watching from the sidelines.
First of all, it is not easy for the government to control 500 odd sabhas, what they do and how they do. They may utmost control a few big ones, if at all and try to 'convert' them. But if the rasikas are vigilant they would shift foucs to other sabhas and keep up the tradition.
In any case, the sabhas and artists are free to put conditions for suppoprt by government or provate parties. Since they are running without any support now, they do not have to succumb to pressures. Rather take the opportunity to demand a few good things and if they are not willing to, be ready to say 'get lost or good bye'.
If the sabhas and raiskas do not manage it right now and tighten their requirements, they will soon find themesleves watching from the sidelines.
Last edited by gnanasunyam on 16 Jan 2007, 00:08, edited 1 time in total.
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vsnatarajan
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 28 Nov 2006, 21:01
plus the Govt... controls 2000 temples, big and small.
recently i went to kapali Temple in Mylapore for some consecutive days.
every day in the morning pooja, a crowd will come and shout Karpagambikaa potri.
The same crowd followed in the next days.
when i asked the Archaka, he replied they were the paid ones by the Govt.. to chant during the five puja times.
holy cow.
one needs to live in this place to feel the disgust
recently i went to kapali Temple in Mylapore for some consecutive days.
every day in the morning pooja, a crowd will come and shout Karpagambikaa potri.
The same crowd followed in the next days.
when i asked the Archaka, he replied they were the paid ones by the Govt.. to chant during the five puja times.
holy cow.
one needs to live in this place to feel the disgust
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vijay
- Posts: 2522
- Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 16:06
Conceding Gnana's point, maybe we could look at some ways in which we can think of influencing the manner of the Government's participation. Maybe we can begin with some of the issues that plague the season:
Lack of Parking facilities
Public Transport late in the evening (many programs end at 10)
Audio systems
Reasonable and clean accommodation
Artist Remuneration
Information and Education
Limited socio-cultural reach
Quite a few of the above could be resolved through (well-intentioned) Government support besides the proposal to market the event using TN Tourism's ongoing campaign, which is, on the whole, quite tasteful (Enchanting Tamil Nadu). As Nick says, it may spawn a series of touristy events but if even a small fraction strays into the "serious stuff", it would mean a lot for our musicians and dancers, who are woefully short-changed in terms of recognition and remuneration.
I am afraid I haven't really been to any music festivals - what are the lessons we could learn from them - both postive and negative? How can we retain serious classicism while bringing in elements that would appeal to cultural tourists, with varying degress of knowledge about Indian music and dance....how about some of the following:
Broadening the fare on offer - I can see the hackles rising already but it may not be a bad idea to debate the merits and demerits of expanding the gamut of the Season beyond CM and Bharatanatyam to at least include other Indian art forms to begin with. To some extent, the Dance festivals tend to be a little more catholic than their Music counterparts which feature less than 5-10 HM performances during the whole season. International appeal would probably be contingent on offering a more eclectic variety of programmes...
Education - Absolutely vital to sustain intellectual art forms and a sadly neglected aspect of the season. I have already posted my rants on the Lec Dems in the Natya page. Educating rasikas of diverse interest and knowledge levels is something that needs to be done irrespective of the Government's participation. Developments in communication have made the task so much easier - we could have online material and CDs/books supporting interactive programs on the basics of raga music, the Cutchery pattern, CM v HM v Western Music, CM history, Dance forms and techniques. These could be supported by longer workshops for more advanced rasikas and those who hope to pursue the art once they get back home. The "walks", of course, are already popular and could perhaps be supplemented by trips to musically significant destinations such as Thiruvaiyyaru.
Information - The season regulars know where to get Nalli's book (although I had to manage without one this season) and to watch out for the Hindu's schedules but the first time visitor is likely to be less savvy. You could easily walk around Mylapore in the peak of the season without realizing that a music festival is on! By roping in hotels and making good use of signages/hoardings, a lot could be done to make it easier for the season newbies find their way around.
I am sure there are plenty of other postive ideas that could make the Season more meaningful (and fun) for battle-hardened rasikas like us as well as the lay tourist? Or is the best we can do, hope and pray that the Government will just let a good thing be....
Lack of Parking facilities
Public Transport late in the evening (many programs end at 10)
Audio systems
Reasonable and clean accommodation
Artist Remuneration
Information and Education
Limited socio-cultural reach
Quite a few of the above could be resolved through (well-intentioned) Government support besides the proposal to market the event using TN Tourism's ongoing campaign, which is, on the whole, quite tasteful (Enchanting Tamil Nadu). As Nick says, it may spawn a series of touristy events but if even a small fraction strays into the "serious stuff", it would mean a lot for our musicians and dancers, who are woefully short-changed in terms of recognition and remuneration.
I am afraid I haven't really been to any music festivals - what are the lessons we could learn from them - both postive and negative? How can we retain serious classicism while bringing in elements that would appeal to cultural tourists, with varying degress of knowledge about Indian music and dance....how about some of the following:
Broadening the fare on offer - I can see the hackles rising already but it may not be a bad idea to debate the merits and demerits of expanding the gamut of the Season beyond CM and Bharatanatyam to at least include other Indian art forms to begin with. To some extent, the Dance festivals tend to be a little more catholic than their Music counterparts which feature less than 5-10 HM performances during the whole season. International appeal would probably be contingent on offering a more eclectic variety of programmes...
Education - Absolutely vital to sustain intellectual art forms and a sadly neglected aspect of the season. I have already posted my rants on the Lec Dems in the Natya page. Educating rasikas of diverse interest and knowledge levels is something that needs to be done irrespective of the Government's participation. Developments in communication have made the task so much easier - we could have online material and CDs/books supporting interactive programs on the basics of raga music, the Cutchery pattern, CM v HM v Western Music, CM history, Dance forms and techniques. These could be supported by longer workshops for more advanced rasikas and those who hope to pursue the art once they get back home. The "walks", of course, are already popular and could perhaps be supplemented by trips to musically significant destinations such as Thiruvaiyyaru.
Information - The season regulars know where to get Nalli's book (although I had to manage without one this season) and to watch out for the Hindu's schedules but the first time visitor is likely to be less savvy. You could easily walk around Mylapore in the peak of the season without realizing that a music festival is on! By roping in hotels and making good use of signages/hoardings, a lot could be done to make it easier for the season newbies find their way around.
I am sure there are plenty of other postive ideas that could make the Season more meaningful (and fun) for battle-hardened rasikas like us as well as the lay tourist? Or is the best we can do, hope and pray that the Government will just let a good thing be....
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vsnatarajan
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 28 Nov 2006, 21:01