`Hello... have you heard... ?'
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Proliferation has led to dilution even as lucrative alternatives lure professional musicians, muses SVK.
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THE DEFINING moment for Carnatic music is now. Many forces are at work. A controlled environment, brought about by sabhas, sponsors and the media, has created an illusion that Carnatic music is not on bad days at all. Certainly not, if we consider the mega sangita melas in December. But standard-wise, there is no room for exhilaration.
The other force is that the three `V's - voice, values and vision - seem to be irrelevant to a majority of performing artistes. Quality consciousness is not at work because the ever-growing sabhas competing to arrange five to six cutcheries a day from morning to night have to throw open their gates for the range of musicians from the novice to the veteran.
It is said that each sabha has a selection committee to sift the artistes from a flood of applications. Is the bio-data supplied by musicians sacrosanct? Do the sabha secretaries monitor the progress of young artistes during the course of the year to compare it with the worthiness claimed in the bio-data? In such a keen contest for a place in the December season in as many sabha festivals as possible, extraneous influences besides the concern of sabhas and the anxiety of vidwans/vidushis cannot be kept at bay.
There is another phenomenon as a fall-out of this unbridled festival proliferation. To the sabhas, sponsors and media, as mentioned earlier, a very active fourth limb has grown - a breed of lobbyists in music halls. I cite an experience.
"Sir, have you heard the girl artiste who sang in that sabha?" a lobbyist asked.
"No," I replied.
"She sang well. You have missed an excellent performance."
``... "
"She sang such an exquisite alapana of Abhogi followed by the song, "Nee Bhakti Bhaagya Sudha".
"Oh! Is it so?" I smiled.
"I have recommended her name to several sabha secretaries for a chance in their festival."
So went on his praise of the girl, who to him specially, sang an Abhogi alapana followed by a Jayamanohari piece. I have found him moving about in many kutcheries hopping from one rasika to another, in all probability, recommending his find of this young shining star, who he is certain, is going to make waves during the festival. While, according to his firm view, the existing musicians have gone to seed capable of singing only an Abhogi song after an alapana of the same raga. Here is a girl who can tag on a Jayamanohari kirtana to Abhogi alapana! Such is his knowledge of music to identify talent. What altruism to play the role of a Good Samaritan when the girl herself may be in the dark as regards the lobbyist's connoisseur qualification!
This leads to another question. How many listeners in a concert are not of the lobbyist brand?
Many bring printed kirtana catalogue to identify the musician's alapana and the song from the book. It often becomes a quiz session to them, for many songs beginning with the same word, say, "Parolaka" listed in the book create more confusion than enlightenment.
There are other enthusiasts, a few of them organisers of music concerts, who are overwhelmingly concerned that many ragas in the Carnatic music system may go out of vogue shortly because musicians, for the most part, choose only familiar ragas. I overheard a conversation between a regular visitor in all concerts and a boy who was given a chance in a particular organisation the previous week and who sat next to the old man.
"You sang fairly well, but why the choice of a ragam, tanam, pallavi in Kaikavasi?" the old man, in all seriousness, asked the young boy.
"The organiser, while giving me the chance, was very keen that I should sing a ragam, tanam and pallavi in Kaikavasi.
He said that such ragas should get proper exposure. I agreed because I can expect one or two more chances in the organisation in a year." The old man, turned away with a nod of his head that did not give away what was crossing his mind.
Perhaps he was wondering whether such organisers were trying to transform young musician trouts to swim like whales?
By such aggressive promotional efforts, music has become fragile. While this is the scene in relation to music organisers and self-proclaimed peddlers of talent, let us look at the situation from the point of view of professional musicians.
The new El-Dorado for instrumentalists is fusion music. It cannot be denied that when our music is linked to the transient influences of experimenting with new creative forms, the individuality of the Carnatic system is lost irretrievably.
At present, the conflict facing such musicians is between the still small voice of sensitivity and the nobility of Carnatic music, and the lures of the beckoning career environment.
The moorings of Carnatic music are loosening.
Other glamorous musical cultures are tempting.
As for vocalists, the call of the film and TV serial world seems to be an open house in the eyes of vocally gifted youngsters where they can walk in as light music enthusiasts and walk out with a bulging contract.
The demands of Carnatic music to make a name and the impulses of new entrants in the field, work at cross-purposes.
With such renegades, is there any indication of getting back to their roots?
Covering all these aspects, in a market-driven environment, musical salesmanship has become vital.
The underlying force is the ruthlessness of the popularity syndrome.
Those actively connected with efforts at pump-priming Carnatic music's resurgence may chuckle at pessimists, but the fact is, in spite of their claims, standards have gone into hiding.
One of the paradoxes of the Chennai cultural scene, particularly in December, is that Carnatic music has lost its shine with the proliferation of cutcheries. Promoters hail and pessimists wail. This is the current climate in the Carnatic music field.
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