Arts are now being marginalised in society, said Bharatanatyam exponent Alarmel Valli who was conferred the ‘Natya Kalasikhamani’ while inaugurating the 81st South Indian Music Conference and Festival of the Indian Fine Arts Society on Wednesday.
“We have to understand that society rests on the pillar of culture. [Importance to] science and technology alone is not enough,” she said.
Artistes including T.V. Gopalakrishnan, Guruvayur Dorai and Kadri Gopalnath, who started performing before the advent of the information era fuelled by the internet, have proved to be an inspiration for generations to come, she said.
Saxophone exponent Kadri Gopalnath was conferred the ‘Sangeetha Kalasikhamani’ and Mridangam exponent Srimushnam V. Raja Rao was awarded the Dr. Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman Award for the best Mridangam player.
“Guru Bhakti is clearly evident [in the artistes] and it is essential to have this quality,” said Justice Prabha Sridevan. She lauded Alarmel Valli for taking the arts to millions of people across the world.
Mridangam vidwan T.V. Gopalakrishnan said that Kadri Gopalnath who plays the most complex and nuanced ‘gamakas’ of Carnatic music on the saxophone, must now play Hindustani music too, in this instrument.
Senior mridangam artiste Guruvayur Dorai said, “In this field, it is important to stay on without being arrogant; Kadri Gopalnath is extremely polite, soft, compassionate and humble.”
Theatre, film artiste and member secretary of Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram, P.S. Sachu, industrialist Nalli Kuppusami Chetti and musicologist Mysore V. Subramanya were among those who participated in the event.
