The year 2014 galloped to its end. Be it any milieu, the turn of events were meteoric, melodramatic, maverick, melancholic and miserable. So it was, as if the six flavours of life (sweet ,sour, pungent, bitter, spicy and salty) engulfed us in speedy succession before we could savour one and go to the other. The State bifurcation tops the list; the deaths of so many artistes — some big, some small— the disastrous Hudhud and in the midst of all the melee , the rising art scenario which refused to be pulled down or confined to the narrow domestic walls when the clear stream of reason has lost its way.
Yes the artiste fraternity determined to stay in one piece and went on with their work unmindful of external pressures. Kudos to the SICA and Kalasagaram for organising their grand annual music and dance festivals in Hyderabad under one umbrella. They stood their ground despite all manner of bickerings; and by virtue of being the two major cultural organisations in the state, apart from the government, their activities served as a beacon for others to follow suit. Similarly, in Visakhapatnam, the emerging cultural capital of the newly carved out state of Andhra, enthusiastic art connoisseurs like Vikram Goud have gone ahead with their annual dance festival ushering in the senior-most talent and experience from varied dance genres, organising workshops and interactive sessions for exchange of ideas and maturity. All this, despite serious resource crunch and no aid from the powers that be!
Though there are any number of cultural fora in the cause of music and dance with innovative programmes and outlook, the sapling planted this year with great care and concern, Natya Sangraha has burgeoned into a conifer. This is so because the artistes converged, burying their minute personal discrepancies to work towards a common cause, viz. to educate and imbibe a sense of participation in the art lovers of the city for a better appreciation of the idiom.
On the other hand, the ray of hope is from the young, up and coming artistes, both of music and dance who have boldly chartered their own course keeping the tradition in tact. Danseuse Vyshnavie Sainath, for instance, showcased her skills at Kalaripayattu at ‘Nritya Vikasam’ along with her Bharatanatyam repertoire which also involved her pupils. Kartika Anagha and few others, young though they be, tried their hand at jugalbandi where the Carnatic music versus Hindustani and came out with flying colours. Senior musicians like A. Kanyakumari, inspired by the seven sacred hills of Tirupathi came up with seven new ragas named after each of the hills dedicating it to the deity of Tirumala. Music and dance contests galore as always but this year, it is special, simply because the political scenario was a major hurdle which art crossed with the lightest of footsteps, once again reiterating the oft-quoted, “art brooks no boundaries.” And that goes for age and years too!
A few losses to the field of art this year cannot be put behind though. In the field of entertainment, the Telugu film industry lost the best-both veterans and young blood. So too in the realm of music — Mandolin Srinivas and Nedunuri Krishnamurthy are simply irreplaceable, not to forget a guru par excellence, Vijjeswara Rao.
The state of Telangana is still in its nascent stage and Hyderabad still seems to be the art destination. But as the new year ushers in, we will find cultural centres of Andhra widening their horizons drawing more and more artistes from across the regions and emerging as a bastion on its own while the charming Hyderabad will open up vistas inviting cross-cultural currents to flow in the original Hyderabadi tehzeeb ! All augurs well for those whose hearts are in the art and continue to be so!
