My conversations with
young and upcoming musicians are always interesting; each one has a story to tell
– of rigourous learning, a trial of patience and a desire to be ‘successful’!
This often leads to hours of discussing the changing tastes of the ‘connoisseur’
and the contributions of stalwarts to the field.
Music, particularly Indian
classical music, is complete as a form of art. It incorporates creativity, spontaneity,
aesthetics, passion, emotion and intellectual appeal. After all, ‘raga’ itself
is defined as ‘that which colours the mind’! It is interesting to observe that
Indian classical music isn’t just about the placement of tones and microtones;
it carries with it a rich history, is proof of a vibrant sociological
development and, more recently, has kindled the curiosity of anthropologists.
This form of music is surely not meant for those looking for an instant,
visible, temporary and superficial impact as a form of art or entertainment.
It is this aspect that
often leaves us with memories of specific concert renditions by an artiste and
it is no surprise that one could recollect the raga rendered, the compositions
in the raga and, on occasions, even certain note patterns that embellished the
entire rendition. More often than not, artistes don’t plan their recitals for a
concert. Most say they’d go with their ‘mood’, dictated only by the principle
of ‘samay- raga’ (time specific raga). It is no surprise that since this genre
of music takes so much of an involvement, not all performing artistes make for
a good guru. Unfortunately, therefore, some leave behind no one to carry forth
their rich legacy.
The yardstick by which
‘success’ is measured would be relative and a matter of perspective – money,
fame, quality of the art propagated,
performing to the galleries, earning the respect and adoration of juniors and
peers alike or being bestowed with the Nation’s civilian award? To some, the
success that they desire remains elusive but one cannot be certain if this
leaves them as disgruntled teachers, inadvertently passing on their sense of
bitterness to the disciple, for the process of teaching does not merely involve
the passing on of technical knowledge; it involves the recognition and
comprehension of the emotion that goes along with a raga. Having said that,
those musicians who have been able to contribute to the cause of music are
remembered irrespective of their degree of success as a performing artiste.
As in any field, the old
always make way for the new. Crudely put, this would mean that an artiste
always comes with a shelf life. There is no quick-fix method or mantra to
ensure that an artiste would be successful. Most certainly, success isn’t in
perpetuity. Vishwanathan Anand’s defeat just proved that, yet again!
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