New Delhi: The 'XII Jivan Pani Memorial Festival, 2015: Abhilasha' was themed along the lines of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan launched by PM Modi. We talked to its founding president Padma Vibhushan Awardee Dr. Sonal Mansingh about the condition of classical art forms in India and their future seeing the current government's commitment to them.
The theme of your festival 'Abhilasha', is Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, how have you planned to motivate people for cleanliness of their surroundings?
I was in Madras when PM Narendra Modi nominated me as one among nine Navratnas for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. This is the first time that an artist has been involved in such a big campaign. I didn't want to follow the path of making it a mere photo-opportunity, posing with brooms.
Swachh Bharat slogan is not for wielding a broom alone. It is to understand what it involves at every level of thought and action. I believe that if he nominated me as an artist, he would expect me to disseminate this message through our medium of expression. Every performance at the XII Jivan Pani Memorial Festival delivered the message of cleanliness through song, dance and poetry. After the performances, each artist recited a verse about the issue in Bengali, Assamese & Sanskrit and I translated & explained the message.
Our Prime Minister, on all his foreign tours, makes it a point to talk about Indian culture and art forms. What are your expectations from this government with regards to their efforts for Indian classical art forms?
I am happy that Hon'ble Prime Minister has at last started talking about Art and Culture. In the initial months of the formation of new Government, there was no mention of them. This coming from him has certainly a lot of value and impact. I look forward to greater budgets being alloted to the Ministry of Culture and other such organisations with adequate checks and balances to ensure its rightful utilization. In the past, many a times funds have been not put to right use and returned at the end of the year with absolutely no accountability for the same. I feel that a lot needs to be done in the field of Art and Culture. Skill development should coalesce with performing arts. We look forward to more energetic and more visible activities on ground. We hope that Parliamentarians will take a cue from Prime Minister's obvious respect for arts and artists, and will not make derogatory comments on them either inside or outside the Parliament.
How important is it to involve and introduce the next generation to the classical art forms and what are your suggestions for doing so?
If the next generation is not educated about art and culture from the very beginning and not exposed to its beauty and power then the forms will eventually become extinct. Performing arts has to be visible. If musicians do not train musicians or if dancers do not train dancers then the art forms will die; and all that will remain is their mention in books or museums. Successive generations have to be trained and for that we have to attract them. To do so, I feel we need to do the following:
1.) A mention of the importance of performing arts in the modern education system. At present there is little or no stress laid
about its importance. I feel that the mind has to be trained and eyes have to be opened.
2.)Increased role of the press and media including that of television to popularise and give correct information about the significant role of performing arts in society.
3.)Government institutions and organisations both at the Centre and the State level have to play a larger pro-active role in supporting and funding of artists and institutions. For that, the onus is on the Government to search and invite scholars and senior artists to play an active role in guiding and advising concerned ministries in formulating policies, evaluating existing norms and generally supporting initiatives taken by individuals or organisations
Does India provide enough opportunities for young aspiring classical dancers to launch their careers? What would be your advice to such young dancers?
Since 1977, my own institution, Centre for Indian Classical Dances, has introduced and launched many young dancers and musicians through regularly held festivals, workshops and tutoring. Apart from private efforts, the festivals and events hosted by various State Governments as well as the Central Government in India and abroad, the national TV channels like Doordarshan etc. have opened up the field for young artists as never before. There is however a lot more that can be done and I hope to see more people, corporate & Funding agencies coming forward to help this cause.
Do you think the involvement of Bollywood can be good or helpful for the classical music or dances?
If like Satyajit Ray's Jalsaghar, Shatranj ke Khiladi or films like Sankarabharanam and a few others could be taken as examples of how well classical dance can be used, Bollywood today can turn a new leaf. Bollywood can and has used classical music to great advantage in the past by inviting maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma etc. but Bollywood has not invited Gurus to choreograph except in the form of Kathak that too usually in Mehfil situations. Bollywood should open its doors to classical dance Maestros to choreograph dances because it will have salutary impact on millions of viewers apart from helping to cultivate good taste, values and take India's cultural identity to new heights.
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