VIJAYAWADA: Violin maestro Annavarapu Ramaswamy is a dejected man.
This 91-year-old first generation musician, who pursued music for over 75 years, is peeved at the manner in which the present-day musicians were promoting music without direction in the new State of Andhra Pradesh in general and Vijayawada in particular.
“Music is lacking quality. The character of music is diluted. People without proper sadhana (dedicated practice) were seen on the stage churning out below-par programmes. It is sad they are setting a bench-mark for the youngsters to follow,” bemoaned Mr. Ramaswamy, who always accompanied late legendary Balamuralikrishna and the great GNB (G.N. Balasubramaniam).
He said with the capital city emerging at Amaravati, several cultural outfits had come up with the primary aim of getting close to powers-that-be by conceiving and executing programmes which were substandard.
No laya, No thala: Mr. Ramaswamy said several programmes in the city lacked laya , thala , diction and shruthi. “ Barring pomp and show, the quality of rendition is not taken care of.”
He said the cultural outfits and the State government-controlled cultural department should consult the experts and veterans to add quality to the programmes. “I am in my early nineties. I do not want any awards or rewards at this age. I want to give so many things to music which I acquired for over 75 years with dedication and passion. I wish I am consulted,” he said.
The violin maestro said the department was bringing in artistes from outside Andhra Pradesh thus handing out a raw deal to local artistes. “I am not against professionals from other States performing in Andhra Pradesh as art has no boundaries. But locals should be given preference.”
Mr Ramaswamy said the many orchestras staging film songs-based programmes lacked direction and commitment. “It is unfortunate the artistes are unable to reproduce the tunes and words in a proper manner. In fact the locals near the Ghantasala Music College have approached the court for the nuisance they are creating in the name of music,” he pointed out.
He said music in Tamil Nadu was thriving because the seniors and veterans were revered and respected by the fraternity. “The reason behind quality music in Tamil Nadu is because seniors are there to guide the juniors. It is missing here because the seniors are neglected,” he felt.
