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| Govt lacks vision for culture: Pt Jasraj |
| Chennai, Feb 26: Hindustani music maestro Pandit Jasraj has criticised the government for lack of vision for culture. Accusing the government of having turned a deaf ear to his requests for a TV channel devoted to ''Shastriya Sangeet'', he said he had made several efforts but all in vain. Give us one channel for Shastriya Sangeet. It will, in one year's time, become a listeners channel, he claimed. Now, after much persuasion, the government was taking some effort to telecast a half-hour weekly programme on classical music, he informed. Sharing his concerns about classical music with newspersons here, he said classical music was passing through turbulent times. Just like India was recognised as a power globally but did not have veto power in the UN, likewise was the perception about classical music. The renowned musician observed that unlike the West there was no showbiz in the Indian music community. The loss of Sanskrit as a national language was the cause for loss of integration. On whether India could have its own 'Grammy Awards,' Pandit Jasraj said there would certainly be a time when Indian Classical Music would carve its place on the world stage. We are looking to the West. They are looking to the East and the meeting point will be the Atlantic,' he said in a jocular vein. The acclaimed musician said he had eight schools of music running in the US and Canada, compared to three in Kerala. Asked to comment on the 'guru shishya parampara,' Pandit Jasraj said technological advancement had worked wonders. Music could be learnt more easily now as recorders were available unlike in the past when 'we used to remember it.' Bureau Report |
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
