MUSIC
September 2011
Economics of Chennai Music and Dance
Season
- Sandhyavandanam Madhva Muni Rao, Bangalore
email: munirao2001@hotmail.com /
munirao2001@yahoo.com
Published version of my article
The Hindu
Today's Paper » OPINION
December 25, 2010
Letters to the editor
Music season
This refers to the article "A peep into the
economics of the Chennai music and dance Season"
(Dec. 23), which calls for introspection and
remedial measures. Barring very few academies and
institutions, we find that there is a lack of
professionalism and excellence in event management
skills. Event managers have a conditioned mindset
and give priority to self aggrandizement, relegating
the noble cause of serving music and dance to the
background. Artists are after opportunities to
perform even if it means compromise, humiliation,
loss of dignity and self-esteem.
There is a well-entrenched freebie culture as far as
classical music and dance is concerned. Many rasikas
identify taste and enjoyment with mass, not class.
Sponsors are unwilling to fund classical music and
dance as generously as they do western and film
music. Institutions and sabhas do not support
meritocracy over popularity and give opportunities
only to a few prominent artists, leaving the rest to
sulk.
Gurus should do more to strive for the development
of their students' knowledge. Opinion-makers and
influential persons should get rid of their
prejudices. The media should overcome nil or
conditioned coverage and allot more space and time
slots for music and dance.
Sandhyavandanam Madhva Muni Rao,
Bangalore
Full version of my letter
Economics of Chennai Music and Dance Season
The Hindu deserves high praise for giving the centre
page space and publishing Meera Srinivasan's article
"A peep.........." Dt.23rd, Dec, 2010, which beckons
serious introspection and remedial measures and
actions.
The most critical issues are:
1) Lack of professionalism and excellence in event
management skills, barring a very few
academies/institutions/sabhas/trusts in - policy,
practices, resources and infrastructure factors, in
particular.
2) Conditioned minds influencing and affecting:
2.1. Event Managers - self aggrandizement, leaving
the noble cause to serve the music and dance taking
a permanent back seat.
2.2. Artists and practitioners - weakness for
accepting opportunities to perform even with great
compromise, humiliation, loss of dignity and self
esteem, to meet their deep, genuine and insatiate
desire for performing.
2.3. Patrons- Rasikas - well entrenched freebie
culture for CM and Dance, unwillingness to learn
even the basic knowledge for appreciation and true
enjoyment, adoption of easiest method of identifying
taste and enjoyment with mass over the class.
2.4 Patrons-Sponsors - unwilling to fund equally and
generously the classical Carnitic Music and Dance,
in comparison with other forms- western and film
music.
2.5. Patrons- Institutions/Academies/Sabhas/Trusts-
not supporting meritocracy over popularity, giving
opportunities only to select very few prominent
artists, leaving the rest of the majority to sulk
and suffer in, ignominy. By making ridiculous and
shameful remuneration to the teachers,
practitioners, research scholars and musicologists
and not making music and dance art forms and its
practices attractive enough for confidentially
making a comfortable living option.
2.6. Patrons-Gurus- not sincerely striving for the
development of lakshya gnanam of their students by
the acquisition of knowledge through listening and
attendance of Great Maestros/Maestros performances.
2.7. Patrons-Opinion makers and influential persons
- are not getting rid of their prejudice and bias.
2.8. Patrons-Media- both the print and visual
media's abysmally poor (or even no coverage) and
conditioned coverage and space/time slots for music
and dance.
Meeting, decisions, actions from all the stake
holders together is the need of the hour for
results, including better economics of Chennai Music
and Dance.
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