Shekhar Kapur, famous director of
Oscar winning ‘Elizabeth’ did not set out to pursue a career in the film
industry. His pediatrician father urged him to pursue a professional
qualification – and thus he flew to England to study Chartered Accountancy.
Soon, he grew bored of his accounting job and the film bug bit him. He moved
back to India to pursue a career as a model, actor and was soon behind the
camera directing movies. All through, he was discouraged to get into films by
his father. He went on to achieve recognition and fame worldwide as an
acclaimed film director, which included directing the Oscar winning film
‘Elizabeth’.
Even today, many youngsters, do
not have the freedom to choose their own careers – especially in the field of
arts. High school students almost robotically choose popular professions such
as engineering, medicine, management, law or journalism. These are the areas
which are still believed to be ‘secure and successful’ in the minds of parents.
However, slowly, change has already crept into our society. With the advent of
the internet – virtually the world has opened up before us. Youngsters have
become increasingly aware of what is happening in various corners of the world.
A musical recital or a dance performance at any international forum or the
performance of their favourite music band or a literary festival or a virtual
tour of some of the world’s most famous art galleries are easily available at
the click of a button. This has helped in opening up their minds, promoting and
encouraging creative thinking, and encouraging them to take up ‘off-beat’
professions.
It is not as if India has not
produced famous musicians, artists, painters, or dancers. Amjad Ali Khan along
with his sons Amaan and Ayaan performed at the recent Nobel peace prize
ceremony at Oslo recently. MF Hussain, Tyeb Mehta, S.H. Raza, Anish Kapoor are
famous names’ known the world over. A.R Rahman, Vikram Seth, Pt. Ravi Shankar,
Zakir Hussain, Sonal Mansingh et al, have brought laurels to our country. Most
of these famous artists / performers broke off from the traditional paths,
pursued their passions and achieved fame and recognition at an international
stage.
In India, a career as a
professional artist is still, broadly speaking, considered to be risky and
unstable – but over the years, change has slowly but surely crept into our
society. How else do you explain the
numerous music festivals that are held all over the country – (NH7 Weekender,
Sunburn, Fireflies Music Festival etc), the several music/rock bands that
youngsters have found (Indian Ocean, Parikrama, Agni etc), the mushrooming art
galleries not only in the metros, but also in tier II and tier III cities, the
many literary festivals being organized – most popular among them being the
Jaipur Literature Festival, the popularity of contemporary dance schools –
Shiamak Davar Institute of Performing Arts, The Danceworx by Ashley Lobo), the
growing popularity of stand-up comics (Papa CJ, Vir Das, Kapil Sharma,
Gursimran Khamba) – the list is growing every day.
We find that performing arts are
gaining acceptance and providing a platform to countless talented youth in
India through the TV reality shows such as
‘India’s Got Talent’, ‘Indian Idol’, ‘Dance India Dance’, ‘Boogie
Woogie’, ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’ etc. These shows have encouraged not only young people
to participate and showcase their talent but have also helped the parents to
change their mindset about performing arts as a career option.
Even though new and contemporary
art forms are gaining popularity, the traditional, Indian art is struggling to
stay afloat. There are very few takers for classical dance forms like
Bharatnatyam, Odisi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, etc. Very few among the young want
to learn to play the table, sarod, flute, Shehnai, sitar and veena or sing
traditional classical music ragas. It is important that be handed the baton our
culturally rich past – we do not want to see it fade away. Many old and new
government intuitions help in preserving our heritage – National Bal Bhavan,
The National School of Drama, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Lalit
Kala Academy, SPIC MACAY (Society for the Promotion of Music and Culture among
youth), INTACH etc.
For every successful artist /
performer that we see or read about, there are thousands more who did not make
it. Sure, parents should, and to a large extent, are encouraging their children
to pursue their passions or talents for every parent wants his or her child to
be successful and happy in their careers. They should be permitted to explore
their passions, make their own mistakes and not be forced into a profession
just because their fathers or grandfathers were in a particular field. Their
career choices should definitely not be limited to what the family members
pursued before them. The change has to be brought about at the school
level. From the very beginning, children
should exposed to a wide variety of art forms be it ballets, plays, concerts or
exhibitions so that they can discover their passion and interest and then build
on it as they grow up. Schools should innovate and include a necessary arts
component in the curriculum. Schools can
play a formative role in the development of the artistic ability in children.
If they provide the right environment and resources, budding artists can be
nurtured. If from a young age itself, a
child is supported by his peers, teachers and parents, he will feel encouraged
and will continue to pursue it later in his life instead of abandoning it.
In order to pursue a career in the arts, it is
essential to have a supportive network, financially and emotionally. The road
to success is paved with obstacles but at least some roads have been built!
“Art washes away from the soul
the dust of everyday life”. Earlier the arts were considered to be the bastion
of those who were ‘meek’ in their studies however, now no profession is looked
down upon – there is a definite change in the perspective of the parents and
society at large, and students have themselves been the driving force of this
change.
As Confucius says – “Choose a job
you love and you will never have to work a day in your life “
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