While successive governments have invested thousands of crores of rupees in building sports infrastructure and promotion and conduct of sporting events, they have not considered it fit to spend even a tenth on preservation and promotion of classical music.
“Classical music, both Hindustani and Carnatic, are the most important components of our culture and need to be nurtured if it has to be passed on to future generations,” inventor of Mohana Veena and Vishwa Veena and Grammy Award winner Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt said in an interaction with The Hindu here on Saturday.
Pandit Viswa Mohan Bhatt was in the city to give a performance after receiving the title ‘Nada Vidya Bharathi’ conferred on him by the Visakha Music and Dance Academy at the inaugural of its annual seven-day festival of music, dance, and drama at Kalabharati Auditorium.
“The modern western music is pushed into your lives whether or not you seek it. You get mails, messages, and ringtones. There are half-a-dozen television channels promoting modern western music and singers are given iconic status by creating hype around them. On the other hand, there are only a few programmes on Indian classical music and not at prime time. We need the support of the government to promote classical music among youth and children,” the maestro said.
Surprising factor
The Hindustani exponent and guru appreciated the efforts of organisations that were working to keep alive the heritage of our classical music, and said: “Unlike in the South and Maharashtra, there is almost no patronage for classical music in the North.”
“It is unfortunate that children and youth of today are totally ignorant of classical music. When we go for SPIC-MACAY programmes and interact with the students, we find their ignorance appalling,” Pandit Salil Bhat, creator of Satwik Veena and son and disciple of Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt pointed out.
Salil Bhatt and another equally accomplished musician Pandit Ram Kumar Mishra of Benares Gharana accompanied Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt in his evening performance.
Unlike in the South it was not possible for anyone in the North to adopt classical music as a full-time livelihood, Salil Bhatt said arguing for greater State support to promote our rich cultural heritage.
