The Hindu : Front Page : Draw youth to appreciate Carnatic music: Murali

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Monday, Jul 21, 2008
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Draw youth to appreciate Carnatic music: Murali

Special Correspondent

Presents Swaramurthy V.N. Rao Memorial National Award to Rudrapatnam brothers

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Swaramurthy V.N. Rao Memorial National Awardees (sitting, from left) Rudrapatnam Brothers R.N. Tyagarajan and R.N. Tharanathan and Veena Seshanna Memorial National Awardee Kalpagam Swaminathan at the award ceremony in Bangalore on Sunday. Those standing (from left) are: N. Murali, President, Music Academy, Chennai, and Managing Director, The Hindu, I.M. Vittalamurthy, Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Kamalanath, President, National Educational Society, A.H. Rama Rao, NES Chairman and Mysore V. Subramanya.

Bangalore: Organisations which promote music should make a special effort to draw more young people to appreciate the classical forms, said N. Murali, President of the Music Academy, Chennai, and Managing Director of The Hindu.

Speaking after presenting the Swaramurthy V.N. Rao Memorial National Award to Carnatic musicians Rudrapatnam brothers R.N. Tyagarajan and R.N. Tharanathan at Bangalore Gayana Samaja on Sunday, he said that drawing the youth to Carnatic music is a challenge before all music organisations at a time when they have “multiplicity of choices.”

Referring to the Carnatic music tradition that pervades all over South India, Mr. Murali said that there had always been a “free of flow of musicians” between places like Bangalore, Mysore and Chennai. “There is a strong synthesis of traditions across States which needs to be further strengthened.”

I.M. Vittalamurthy, Secretary of Youth Services and Sports, who conferred Veena Seshanna Memorial National Award on veteran Veena artist Kalpagam Swaminathan, suggested that music organisations and government agencies could together draw up ways of taking classical music to the youth. The visual media, which has a huge influence on youngsters, could be used as a tool to disseminate classical music, he said.

A.H. Rama Rao, music patron and chairperson of the National Education Society, said that Carnatic music could be made more accessible by using the Internet.

Speaking after receiving the awards, Mr. Tyagarajan and Ms. Swaminathan said that young artists should not be in a hurry to become performers and should hone their skills first through intense ‘sadhana.” “Music should not become restricted to competitions on televisions,” said Mr. Tyagarajan.

Mr. Murali said that senior artists like Rudrapatnam brothers and Ms. Swaminathan, who have remained within the tradition and yet carved their own individualistic style, could be beacons of inspiration for the next generation.

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