At a time when youngsters are subjected to a lot of stress over academics and career choices, only music and arts may offer them some peace, said Vakkom Purushothaman, governor of Mizoram, at the inauguration of SPIC MACAY International Convention, at IIT-Madras (IIT-M) on Sunday.
‘Value systems collapsing’Due to paucity of time, people are becoming more individualistic; community and value systems are collapsing, as a result, he said.
The youth are turning egocentric and this is one of the reasons why they are being subjected to stress and suicidal thoughts, said Mr. Purushothaman.
“We cannot get out of this rat race but have to take time off to appreciate the finer things in life, like music and arts, to de-stress,” he said.
N. Ravi, editor-in-chief of The Hindu said India’s culture is vibrant and is bringing to the fore what has been termed the nation’s soft power.
“In this cultural milieu, classical music and dance and traditional folk art forms have to jostle for space in public consciousness,” he said.
In the Indian cultural scene, albums of films and popular music and dance are the favourites these days. Though the market for classical arts is smaller, it is still substantial, he said.
Efforts commendedHe appreciated SPIC MACAY for growing remarkably over the past 37 years.
Virendra Kataria, lieutenant-governor of Puducherry, Chinmaya R. Ghare, president of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Kiran Seth, founder chairperson of SPIC MACAY, and Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director of IIT-M, were among those who spoke at the event.
Concerts will be held at IIT-M as part of the event, from June 8-14.
