Cultural Begging!!
I didn't know how to coin the term for this...you can help me with the right term after reading the blog
During my childhood when high rise apartments weren't the norm and urbanization wasn't in vogue, lot of people would come across your street, perform and ask for alms..more than alms I'd say they were seeking money for the appreciation of their art.
Some one would play a shehnai, some one would make a bull perform dance (referred to as gangireddu melam) or there would be small drama etc.. At the end of all these acts people would contribute what ever amount they can, and the performers in turn would bless whoever has turned up.
In many cases, these performers themselves were considered divine and hence people would throng to see and give whatever they can. This helped many of these artists to survive and flourish in a few instances. They also brought the culture and folklore into limelight and ensured that traditional music thrived.
But of late, how many times have we seen people performing these arts on the streets. And how many times have you seen them being allowed to perform. Nowadays we want our privacy in our apartments, scared of security issues, these small artists are not even allowed to perform. So, they are forced to perform within the rural areas, where due to lack of demand, slowly the art itself is losing its charm.
Many arts like this have lost their shine and have almost become extinct (Tholubommalaata is an art form which is almost extinct. It is also termed as puppetry). Especially during festivals many of these arts and performances would be the limelight of the celebrations.
Can you imagine seeing any of these guys across our streets during normal days or during festivals. You can probably find some of these artists as a separate event in some cultural festival, or by some great performer in some art theater.
None of the smaller and unknown artists have a place to showcase their art and earn income even a pettance!
No wonder most of these artists have given up on their art and are becoming labor in major metros.
With exposure to internet and global connectivity we have access to entertainment across the world, and hence these small artists do not matter to us. And let me not get going about cultural alienation!
I have no answers about how to solve this issue..probably more shows, more melas or more whatever..just to ensure that these artists retain their skills and also earn decent income.
I do not have statistics to speak about the number of artists who have left their skills. Atleast in case of puppetry I know that there are no longer any of those shows happening in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India where earlier there used to be hundreds of artists relying on the same.
The only traditions which seem to still gather lot of attention of masses are the ones which have migrated towards soft porn or vulgarity. For example theatre in Rural Andhra pradesh or in rural Uttar Pradesh flourishes more as a show of nudity!!
All that I can say is, the next time any of these artists appear, lets atleast listen/watch their performances for few minutes and appreciate them with whatever we can. May be that will encourage to perform the arts at-least as a part time activity!!
PS: If you can tell me the right name for this article, Iam more than willing to change the title.
During my childhood when high rise apartments weren't the norm and urbanization wasn't in vogue, lot of people would come across your street, perform and ask for alms..more than alms I'd say they were seeking money for the appreciation of their art.
Some one would play a shehnai, some one would make a bull perform dance (referred to as gangireddu melam) or there would be small drama etc.. At the end of all these acts people would contribute what ever amount they can, and the performers in turn would bless whoever has turned up.
In many cases, these performers themselves were considered divine and hence people would throng to see and give whatever they can. This helped many of these artists to survive and flourish in a few instances. They also brought the culture and folklore into limelight and ensured that traditional music thrived.
But of late, how many times have we seen people performing these arts on the streets. And how many times have you seen them being allowed to perform. Nowadays we want our privacy in our apartments, scared of security issues, these small artists are not even allowed to perform. So, they are forced to perform within the rural areas, where due to lack of demand, slowly the art itself is losing its charm.
Many arts like this have lost their shine and have almost become extinct (Tholubommalaata is an art form which is almost extinct. It is also termed as puppetry). Especially during festivals many of these arts and performances would be the limelight of the celebrations.
Can you imagine seeing any of these guys across our streets during normal days or during festivals. You can probably find some of these artists as a separate event in some cultural festival, or by some great performer in some art theater.
None of the smaller and unknown artists have a place to showcase their art and earn income even a pettance!
No wonder most of these artists have given up on their art and are becoming labor in major metros.
With exposure to internet and global connectivity we have access to entertainment across the world, and hence these small artists do not matter to us. And let me not get going about cultural alienation!
I have no answers about how to solve this issue..probably more shows, more melas or more whatever..just to ensure that these artists retain their skills and also earn decent income.
I do not have statistics to speak about the number of artists who have left their skills. Atleast in case of puppetry I know that there are no longer any of those shows happening in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India where earlier there used to be hundreds of artists relying on the same.
The only traditions which seem to still gather lot of attention of masses are the ones which have migrated towards soft porn or vulgarity. For example theatre in Rural Andhra pradesh or in rural Uttar Pradesh flourishes more as a show of nudity!!
All that I can say is, the next time any of these artists appear, lets atleast listen/watch their performances for few minutes and appreciate them with whatever we can. May be that will encourage to perform the arts at-least as a part time activity!!
PS: If you can tell me the right name for this article, Iam more than willing to change the title.
Comments
I know this is not enuf for an art to survive but still a drop in ocean?