Go through the link…..

http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/sep/29spec.htm

I am going to check out the credentials of the people who wrote it.

(Arati Menon Carroll & Shobhana Subramanian)
It is high time these writers and journalists get warned and should write anything after atleast doing some kind of homework or keep there opinion with themselves.

Anurag’s Comment on the same:

Manyawar, Namaskar

It is INDEED a fact that Classical Music is DEAD today. I am sorry to say so BUT it is the basic fact that we need to realize. Todays, new-coming so-called classical experts don’t know even what is the basic purpose of Classical Music. Why was it made? What is the real power of classical music and also what is the basic target of claasical music. I am NOT any great Classical Music expert but I got this very fact when while my in-depth research work on Music Therapy.

Do you know about Music Therapy? You will be amazed to know that the great experts of Classical Music from ITC SRA Kolkata DO NOT know any thing about Music Therapy!!!!!!!
They say it is beyond their understanding!!!!!!

If you make an in-depth study of Music Therapy, you will agree with me…..

My Reply for Anurag’s post:

Hello Friend,

First of all I would like to thank you for the scrap ,for pro-actively raising the issue –infact a very important issue and throwing out the question to a fellow researcher of Indian Classical Music and Performing Arts in India.

1.Classical Music is not dead and indeed never would be. There are abundance of young classical musicians coming up who are disciplined, are sincere ,creative and are more talented then there were students in any generation.

And yeah I have the data to support this that I Would love to share with you in future course of time.

This has also been my observation for the last 20 years (FYI, I am into learning , teaching and performing classical Music for the last 20 years).For the same fortunately I have been involved in classical music circles in Goa(1 year), was in Pune(3 years),Mumbai(2 years),Delhi (2 years),Bengaluru(2 years),Kolkata( 1 year), and Madhya Pradesh(7 years) and have found that Classical Music exponents , listeners are at a all time high, the only grey part is that externally the people are not coming to understand and realize this and the major reason for this is less coverage given by the media, newspapers ,television and radio .

You call it Vocal Classical- there are plenty of finer students and performers who are achieving higher goals (plenty of them-numerous),instrumentalists in every field sitar,tabla,sarod,santoor from cities like Pune,Delhi,Kolkata,Mumbai,Chennai.Hyderabad and others also.

The new generation is very creative, innovative ,energetic and aware because of the plenty of resources coming for their aid like music softwares,internet,orkut,youtubes,websites and systems etc.

2.The basic purpose of music was never known to anyone.Infact no body even knew that who and how was the classical music created.There have been plenty of schools of thoughts that suggests that Lord Shiva created the music, and some scriptures tell that Lord Ganesha was the creator .Samveda also talks about the origin of the music and considering the Bharat’s Natyshastra’s and Sangeet Ratnakara’s definition –“Ranjayati Iti raag”, means “That which entertains is music”.

Then there were the origins of the different categories of the music – like Kawwali,Dhrupad,Khayal,Bhajans,Thumri,Tappa etc(historically in the same sequence).

In Hindu mythology it is said that : Shiva produced the Khayal style,Krishna gave raise to Semi classical tradition,Hanuman started Dhrupad and Ganesha with the instrumental music.

Again in some realistc sense the history of Classical Music goes back to the vedic period(what is that and how long is that is again a matter of debate).

3.And if you think that if someone is unaware of Classical Music Therapy then he is ignorant about the basic purpose of classical music then friend you are stuck.

To enjoy,practice and play with classical music I don’t think that you must be taught about how and why it is made(the answer of which is known to on-one ).It Is recommended and but definitely not essential or a must.

Yep,healing is just one of the effects of the Indian Classical Music and nothing else, and this is again a topic for much debate, because the medicine for a specific person may not be suitable for the other.

For me a solving a mathematical puzzle would be a great pain reliever than taking a Pain Killer or listening to a hamsadhvani .

Again for that matter every subject will have its own healing effects and that is the reason there are so many therapies in resence:Reiki,Radiosonic,Telepathy,Unani,Ayurvedic,Homoeopathic,Biochemic,Acupuncture,Acupressure and Astrology as well and so on.

If you are using the Music as therapy then it is better till the patient is practicing it himself rather than listening to it because in the second case it will be merely similar to the other therapies mentioned above.

I would always abstain from all the above therapies in which one has to depend upon the external resources and music therapy of the second type also comes into the same category.

I am writing about the musical therapy after understanding the same and always categorically say that any kind of process of curing oneself should be applied by oneself and by not applying any external forces or the mediums.

4.At last I would say that you seem to be a bit negative with a wrong reason that people don’t know about the Indian Classical Music Therapy therefore they are zero in it .I would say that it is trivial as the gigantic musical tradition has created a just smaller application out of itself.

And Indian Classical will grow and more so in near future once it is realized that media and other agents have to play some more active role for the same.