First posted by me on Aneeshji’s blog as a comment to his “DJ Divine” article…
http://blog.aneeshpradhan.com/2006/09/dj-divine/
I am just back from visiting the Kullu dassera,the folk extravagnza,that was part of my usual weekend tours that I try to undergo when I am to receive and know more about
Indian Music .This is the only duration when I am away from my riyaaz.During the trip I also visited Dharmshala (Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts)and North most part of Himachal Pradesh(i.e.Lahoul & Spiti ),thinking that the area and its ambience would teach me w.r.t. the rusticness and the ancient folk culture of India.
I have been in Delhi for almost 6months now and been transferred from Pune,where I regularly used to visit “Sawai Gandharva Music Festival” and other musical mehfills taking places.
In those mehfills I used to listen to great performers talking very highly about Pune’s very keen and observant audiences, and used to say that these people(the audience of Pune) is the major factor to bridge the gap between old and new generation of classical music or in other way to sustain the culture of Indian classical music.
Those days I being in Pune , was a little surprised to understand that how could such a vast and deep culture of Indian classical music ,according to these people is vanishing gradually?Then started my quest for the exploration of more music and incidently happen to come to Delhi.
While roaming in Cannought Place (The Bookwirm book store to be precise),I found a book titled “India’s lost music”-that talked literally about the demise of Indian classical music giving some snapshots of the great masters like Ustd. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab,Pdt.Mallikarjun Manoor Ji,Pdt.Omkarnath Thakur Ji ,Roshanara begum ji,Pandita Saraswati baai Rane and many other respected exponents of Indian classical music of the era earlier than 1960s.Does west really think that Indian classical music is dead,or do we think except Punekars,Banaraswallas and Mumbai & Delhiites??
While attending a concert of Pdt.Bhajan Sopori ji in Delhi ,when he asked audience about the farmaish (by this time he has already finished raagas Gawati & Bageshri ),then one of the front seaters said very enthusiastically(yes enthusiastically as the fellow seemed to enjoy the show till then very much ) “Panditji Bhairavi ho jaye”.
On the other occasion another audience said “Panditji Jan Gan Man bajaiye”.
Well todays generation (of which I am also a part of),seems to be drifting away with whatever has been shown by the media.It really hurts when the folk dances and music is also biased with the tunes of Reshmiya and Malik’s songs.Enchanting of stotras and artis are composed with bollywood’s tunes,on Ganesh or navratri prosessions there is always a race w.r.t. the loud speaker’s decibel levels and mostly everywhere one can listen to “Kaala Kouwa Kaat Khayega” and songs like this on which people are dancing to the limitless.
I believe that media has to take the responsibilty to preserve and broadcast some good stuff to the youth ,if doordarshan or AIR needs a sponsorship then Indian corporate circle has to come forward or the advertising has to be done accordingly by the responsible intellectual media personalities of our country.
At last being a learner of Indian classical music, I can only say that this is the high time to preserve the music of south asia in the form of Ghazals(those old sonorous from Great Mehdi Hassan which used to be composed on some or the other raag only ),folk music and Indian Classical Music-the core ,I would say .
The classical music is definitley not gone and cannot die also ,but we need to aggressively carry out a crisp plan so that we can give the Indian Classical Music its due.We the youth are ready to implement the path shown by our Gurujans to the ultimate.
Rudra hoon vish chod ,madhu ki kaamna main kyon karoonga,
Hai amit samrthya mujhme,yaachna main kyon karoonga