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`Rat race' for unearthing rare and new kritis assailed

Special Correspondent

63rd Annual Thyagaraja Music and Dance Festival opened

MUSICAL FETE: Justice K.S. Bhakthsvathsalam, retired judge of Madras High Court and head of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Chennai kendra, speaking after inaugurating the 63rd Thyagaraja festival of music and dance in Tirupati on Monday.

TIRUPATI: Justice K.S. Bhakthsvathsalam, retired Judge of the Chennai High Court, on Monday deprecated the `rat race' especially among the younger artistes to unearth rare and the new kritis for their programmes and cited it as the reason for the fall in the standard of Carnatic music.

Another reason which he cited was the lack of practice and recalled instances wherein artistes were seen rendering even the well known kritis of Thyagaraja, Deekshithad and Syama Sashti only after scribbling them down on a piece of paper. What can be said about their rendition of new kritis which are not well learned, he asked.

He was speaking after inaugurating the 63rd Annual Thyagaraja Music and Dance Festival being organised here as is the convention from time immemorial in collaboration with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Touching upon the sensitive subject of level of Carnatic music, he said it could not be entirely blamed on the youngsters who he said had no occasion to listen to the veterans when they were in the peak of their career. Justice Bhakthavathsalam pointed out that in the music halls, young artistes occupied the dais while listeners above the age of 40-50 filled the auditorium.

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