Straddling two worlds
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What is it for women in the arts to pursue a career and manage a home? A recent discussion raised some questions
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FINDING ANSWERS Musician Shyamala Bhave, danseuse Prathibha Prahlad, and critic S.N. Chandrashekar tookpart in the dialogue
How different are contemporary women from conventional women? Is art a matter of choice or heritage? Questions like these and many more were convincingly answered by cultural figures such as Prathibha Prahlad, the famous danseuse, Shyamala Bhave, the well-known musician and S.N. Chandrashekhar, senior journalist & art critic at the Oxford Bookstore, Bangalore.
The objective of the session was to understand a women's search for self-identity and her struggle for survival with dignity. For a considerable length of time, women had been at the centre of all domestic and familial roles as sisters, mothers, and wives and above all homemakers, around whom every stable, prosperous and happy family revolved. The session was moderated by S.N.Chandrashekhar who believed that women are not traditional any more. They have come out of the kitchen though their interest remains there. Women are not confined to just their profession but also do a lot of other things. They no longer hesitate to showcase their hidden potentials and are increasingly becoming conscious of their existence, their rights, their work situations and are constantly exploring new avenues. They are sensible and have a sensitive approach towards what they do.
Prathibha Prahlad
Earlier, women had to belong to a group or social structure to learn an art, but now women are taking up different forms of art — dance, music, literature, theatre, sculpture and painting as a matter of choice and not heritage. This is how Shyamala Bhave put it: "Women have limitations. A woman who fulfils the responsibilities of her house and profession with the support of her family can reach the pinnacle."
States Prathibha Prahlad: "Today women are multitasking unlike the traditional artistes, she has heterogeneous factors to deal with and so her life is harder but nevertheless she manages to strike a balance between her family and her career."
S.N. Chandrashekar
We would like to believe that we are a modern country with present-day thinking and tastes but to a large extent it is not true, for the simple reason that we still have a conservative traditional society and audience.
The discussion ended on the note that though fine arts is gradually being forgotten, various organisations such as ICCR and Sangeet Natak Academy have been formed to protect, preserve and propagate art.
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