TRENDS
On a song, all day long
ARUNA CHANDARAJU
|
Is the idea of a 24-hour TV channel devoted to classical music viable?
|
Visual element: Music at any time. Photo: N. Sridharan
IT'S been a fond fantasy of many a rasika like me. Switching on TV to a channel dedicated to classical music and soaking in kutcheri after kutcheri and listening to stimulating discussions on the intricacies and nuances of the art. Yet, it has been, till now, just a fantasy. Currently, there is a radio channel but one still misses the complete audio-visual experience that TV can provide.
No doubt we'll receive rejoinders about commercial viability. However, we decided to focus only on the opinions of musicians and critics. All of whom say this is long overdue. Santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma says there is "a dire need for a TV channel dedicated to Indian classical music. Current channels allocate little or no time for classical music and much of what we see of Indian music is Indipop, remixes and film music."
"Very desirable," feels Chitraveena N. Ravikiran, while Padmabhushan T.N. Seshagopalan says he's felt the need even more after listening to 24-hour radio channel devoted to classical music. "It will make a big, positive difference to the music lovers' world. And offer viewers a healthy, classy alternative to those mega-serials," he adds, with a laugh. Pandit Jasraj points out that our classical music traditions are "proven rich both in spiritual and scientific value" and hence deserve a dedicated channel. Sangeeta Kalanidhi R.K. Srikantan feels it "is a great pity the music world hasn't managed such a facility till now. Even current channels allocate inadequate time to classical music, the authorities seem to prefer cinemas and visual arts." Bombay Jayashri long wondered why not a dedicated channel for classical music when there are similar ones for sports, animals, travel...
In favour
And there are strong arguments in its favour. First, it'd provide a wonderful added opportunity and platform for artistes. While sabhas and concert halls have increased they haven't kept pace with the growing numbers of performers. And for connoisseurs, getting their fix of music at home, at the switch of the button and at any time would be a boon, especially since many performances and lec-dems happen at inconvenient places and hours. And for those in remote areas/small towns/villages, a good concert is a pleasure for which they have to travel to a nearby town or city.
Granted, there is an excellent 24-hour private radio channel, but its cost confines it to a small number of upper or upper-middle class homes. So TV would be a great means for carrying classical music into homes nationwide. Additonally, as Ravikiran points out, there is a "huge market abroad for our music". The growing numbers of NRI connoisseurs and students too can benefit from tuning in. There is also a great advantage to an audio-visual medium like TV over radio. "The TV programme offers a sense of immediacy and closeness to the musical experience that the audio can't deliver," explains Seshagopalan. "Also, in music, nothing compares with the experience of sitting in an auditorium and live telecasts will come very close to that." Pandit Jasraj agrees that a visual element would make the performance more gripping. Equally, TV offers insights into techniques that a purely audio medium can't match. The expert and student in the audience can closely watch the differences in the meetus, how a rise in pitch, a gamaka, a change of raga in ragamalika are produced. In instrumental performances, especially veena or mridangam, one can follow the movement of the fingers for a better appreciation of the musician's technique.
Value addition
Ravikiran points out that visuals make a big value-add, in a concert or lec-dem. "It will give a live feel to concerts. In a visual medium, people can get to enjoy the interaction among the various artistes, watch techniques in close-up shots and be entertained and educated." In fact, the close-ups that TV can provide give it an advantage over even the live auditorium experience. As Jayashri says, TV's advantage is: "Besides listening to a musician, I also want to watch closely how he manages the thalam in a complicated cycle; how his expressions are during a bhava-laden composition-rendition; how his gestures vary during various stages. Finally a concert is about a fascinating chemistry between performer and accompanists and an audio-visual medium enables us to see that."
Contentwise, performances,whether live or recorded; teaching sessions; lec-dems; discussions and quizzes would make a good mix, say all the musicians. Ravikiran suggests, "Special collaborations (jugalbandi/fusion with other world artistes), star interviews (one artiste interviewing another), panel discussions (on amplification, gamakas, talas), debates (mikes vs mikeless concerts) classical ragas in film music..." Shivkumar Sharma believes such a channel would be a welcome means of passing on music traditions to the younger generation. He suggests that whoever sets up such a channel contact a wide cross-section of artists for ideas on content. Srikantan feels this channel will be a "wonderful medium for music-appreciation classes with the instructor taking up one raga/technical concept each day. We can also train audiences in understanding a good concert."
K.S. Ramnath, Bangalore's sabha-organiser doyen, wants "a regular slot for promising youngsters, the future of our music." Seshagopalan advocates a 24-hour channel so it caters to people even with odd work-timings. Most feel the channel could have a mix of Hindustani and Carnatic music though Jayashri feels separate channels might work better. Ramnath feels a mix will reinforce "classical music's reputation as a unifying force". Ravikiran believes a single channel would bring much interaction among artistes and music lovers of both systems, as long as equal importance, time wise and profile wise, is given to both." Hopefully, the right people are listening.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Magazine
