Cultural impresario Shobha Deepak Singh says that the charm of classical music is still intact as it helps understand the important elements of culture, heritage, history and the emotions of a country. By Team Viva
What is new in the 73rd edition of Shriram Shankarlal Music Festival?
Through it is one of the oldest festivals, we aim to make a mark in the arena of performing arts and nurture the basic ideology of binding rich Indian traditions with the current generation. It brings forth Indian classical music in the most unique way carrying with it the essence of a nation as culturally rich as ours.
We don’t have a particular theme. Everyone is free to sing and play what they want to. We just have some new artists who will perform for the first time. Of the established artistes, eminent sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan will also perform after a long gap. There’s dhrupad by Prashant and Nishant Mallick, vocals by Manjiri Asanare Kelkar, Ulhas Kashalkar and Bhuvanesh Komkali, sitar by Niladri Kumar, santoor by Rahul Sharma and many more.
Is there a specific criterion to choose the artistes?
We have a community that works all round the year and keeps selecting and discarding artistes. One month prior to the festival, we observe the pattern of the artistes who have performed consistently over the years, have a fine pitch and connect well with the audience. Over the last two decades, I have witnessed that the final list is much appreciated. Even this year, there has been a positive response from places such as Kolkata, Pune and Mumbai.
Do you think the charm of traditional music is still intact?
Yes, of course. Its charm is still intact as it helps to understand the elements of culture, heritage, history and the emotions of a country. The changes over time reflect in “traditional music” too through a different kind of rhythm or a musical instrument.
How has the festival evolved over the years?
Having had this festival for 73 consecutive years, where every well-known name has performed, it’s an achievement in itself. And that too, without any sponsors. It began in 1947 and since then it has evolved in many ways. Earlier, there were only instrumentalists, now we have vocalists too. Even the participation of good artistes has increased over time. We have seen the best musicians performing here, who have kept alive the interest in classical music. While celebrating renowned names, it serves as a platform for new artistes to showcase their talent. It gets bigger and better with every year.
Do you think it is important to try something new to keep the audience hooked?
We don’t want to step out of our traditional mythology and dance forms because that’s our forte. I recently saw the dance performance of a classical Bharatnatyam dancer. She attempted to do something new and it failed terribly. So I don’t want to try something new but prefer a contemporary touch to old classics.
We have reinvented mythology in a contemporary way several times. Our presentation changes keeping in mind the present scenario and times. For instance, three-four years ago, we gave a new twist to Sita’s ‘Agnipariksha’ in our Ramleela, which people had not seen before. Sita was portrayed as an independent entity who has a say like any other woman today.
I don’t look at mythology as something which is 200 years old and you can’t agree with it anymore. I try to add my personal understanding to it in a way that it is relatable to the current generation.
(The festival is on till March 15 at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra.)