INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC
for the Millennials ?
Why Not !
Article written by Nirali Kartik , Classical artist and one half of the band Maati Baani ’
Contrary to what many old timers might think , a lot of millennials find immense joy in the beauty and grandeur of Indian classical music .
Many millennial classical musicians talk about ragas , daily riyaz , the aesthetics et al . They delve into the design , clarity and precision aspects of a performance .
This is the world that the new breed of millennial classical musician lives in and that ’ s why it ’ s amusing when a recent market research conducted by a popular tea brand on the subject came out . That research revealed that teenagers who have been exposed to Indian Classical Music kept that as a secret with their peers as they felt they would be made fun of . Some classical mu-sic videos have comments from teenagers complaining about the fact that they are mocked because of their love for classical music .
On one hand , there are millennials for whom classical music is a universe in itself and on the other , there is a much larger group that considers classical music to be uncool . If this makes you wonder why ? Here are some answers .
Indians take much pride in their traditions and classical music is a part of India ’ s traditional music . When things are traditional by default , they become sacred . And when it becomes sacred , it needs to be revered . At times , this reverence turns into fear as there are “ guards ’ to protect this tradition and are ready to shoot people who don ’ t adhere to its rules .
When one of the most prominent vocalists of the country , Smt . Kaushiki Chakraborty sang for Coke studio , she performed a song based on Raga Hansadhwani . She got messages from the ‘ purists ’, saying how can a serious classical musician stand and sing ? And in a video she retaliated that how can she be a lesser classical vocalist if she stands and sings .
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