The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Art needs to be made part of school curriculum

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Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Art needs to be made part of school curriculum

Staff Reporter

Aanmajothi’s National Music and Dance Festival inaugurated

— Photo: V.Ganesan

Connoisseurs: (From left) R. Krishnaswamy, secretary, Narada Gana Sabha, Sonal Mansingh, Odissi and Bharatanatyam exponent, and N. Murali, Managing Director, The Hindu, in a discussion at the inauguration of the National Music and Dance Festival 2008 in Chennai on Monday.

CHENNAI: It is time that the young think of music as a profession, said N. Murali, Managing Director, The Hindu and president, The Music Academy. “Earlier, parents were not sure whether music was lucrative or not,” he said, adding that the scenario has changed with lot of opportunities available today in India and abroad for musicians.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the National Music and Dance Festival 2008 organised by Aanmajothi here on Monday. Various artistes, including Mohiniyattam dancer Neena Prasad, violinists Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, Kuchipudi dancer Sathyapriya Ramana, Hindustani vocalist Meeta Pandit, mridangist Umayalapuram K. Sivaraman and veena exponent B. Kannan will perform in this eight-day festival.

Aanmajothi is an organisation that aspires to work towards preservation and propagation of Indian cultural heritage. Its project ‘Music to Schools’ is an attempt to sensitise youth on Indian art and culture through lecture-demonstrations.

Mr. Murali said that though many artistes from the younger generation are frontline musicians today, not many youngsters are seen in audiences. To inculcate the art of appreciation, art needs to be made a part of the curriculum in schools. Despite a handful of schools that do have a cultural wing, considering the number of schools and students, the scenario does not do full justice to our tradition, he added.

R. Krishnaswamy, secretary, Narada Gana Sabha and president, Federation of City Sabhas, Chennai, echoed Mr. Murali’s thoughts and said that unless schools cooperate, it will not be possible to take music to schools. He said that artistes should also cooperate by announcing the names of the song, the raaga and the significance of the piece to the audience to increase awareness.

Mr. Murali said that the young have a multiplicity of choices and distractions. Considering their exposure to so many forms of entertainment, it is a challenge for artistes, connoisseurs and citizens to encourage the value and art of music appreciation, which is not mere entertainment but transcends that to attain divinity. He commended Aanmajothi’s initiative in taking up this challenge.

Odissi and Bharatanatyam exponent Sonal Mansingh said that lecture-demonstration is a powerful tool to increase art appreciation among the youth. She said that the narrative needs to be interesting, filled with stories and anecdotes. Along with the print media, the electronic media also need to provide a space for Indian art and culture, she said.

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