| About Us : Motivation | ||
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The Hindustani tradition, moreover, has evolved out of a deeply contextual and elaborately codified dialogue between artists themselves. Most of our musical thought, our compositions and our various styles of improvisation have emerged from an ambience in which artists were communicating not only with a general audience, but also amongst themselves. It has been a process of continuous conversation, of ‘savaal-jawaab’ between artists who understood each other’s language, though they may have differed immensely as to how they chose to use it.
What was essential for this sort of art was firstly, a social framework which allowed artists to live in close proximity to one–another; and secondly, a platform on which the public and the private realms of music-making became as thin as possible. The mehfil itself, was not so much of a special event as it has become today, but more a part of daily life. Hindustani music, moreover, has always depended on a strong rapport between artist and audience, a kind of rapport rarely achieved in any large modern auditorium , on radio, television, or in the recording studio. What we seek to repeatedly create in Kshitij is a mehfil-space in which artist-audience barriers are minimized, and one in which a shared experience of musical interaction between several artists is more possible. We feel that the repeated creation of such a space is vital to the survival and evolution of our music. |
The contemporary social scenario is certainly a dark one for Hindustani music; it is true that the younger generation has not produced a single vocalist , for instance, who can vie with the likes of Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Pt.Malikarjun Mansur, or Gana Sarasvati Kishori Amonkar. It is a scene that shows us very little color seeping through its predominant blacks; and yet that color remains significant, for the act of music-making continues, and the spirit of Hindustani music continues to seek out new spaces to inhabit, spaces where she can grow and flourish, re-inventing herself ingeniously without losing touch with her essential core; spaces where she learns to perceive in every new crisis, the seeds of a new challenge, the uncertain beginnings of a new alaap or the face of a new bandish revealing itself slowly. Kshitij, we believe, is one of those spaces; and it is our business, as musicians, music-lovers , hosts and human beings, to welcome her and make her feel at home, allowing her full scope to wield her ineffable power. | |
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