Debate on citys cultural events

CHENNAI: Culture is slowly becoming a racket in Chennai- it is far too competitive, making it necessary to know someone at every level to get a chance to perform. This was the collective opinion of rasikas present at the ‘Intellectual Face to Face Fight’ on fine arts and culture organised by Spectrum, the Think Tank Forum of Sri V Narayana Iyer Memorial Trust.Dancers Nandini Ramani, Guru Narasimhachari and Vasanthalakshmi, violinist Sikkil Baskaran and secretary of the Brahma Gana Sabha Balasubramanian spoke about the current state of cultural affairs in the city. On cultural imbroglio:The rasikas seemed to agree that public relations played a huge role in giving artists a chance to perform. They also alleged that under the garb of contemporary dance, only slightly modified traditional forms were presented. Danseuse Nandhini Ramanan pointed out that while things were bound to change, the spirit of the art should be preserved. Guru Narasimhachari, lamenting the lack of  cohesiveness among artists, said that artists did not attend their colleagues’ performances.  On the Role of Critics: It was argued that while the artist strives to master an art through arduous practice, overcoming great odds to find expression in the chosen art, the critic should view the endowment of the artist as a whole, rather than mindlessly criticise the performance based on personal prejudices.Recommendations:Violinist Sikkil Baskaran urged sponsors to encourage monthly performances in famous temples, rather than wait for the Margazhi festival. It was also suggested that during the Margazhi festival the afternoon slots be earmarked for senior artists’ performances, while evening slots could be given to youngsters of proven merit. This was met with a positive response from the well informed audience.The discussion ended on an optimistic note, with  senior dancer Vasanthalakshmi saying that culture was a perennial river in a world where men came and went.(This column is the concluding part of the article that appeared on this page last Monday, April 9.)