Old gets new hue
If you thought youngsters were just crazy about learning contemporary musical instruments and western dances, you are definitely wrong. Many are now picking up classical artforms like the sitar or learning kathak, and some are not only pursuing it as a hobby, but also planning to take it up as a career later on in life.
With Anoushka Shankar as her idol, for 10-year-old Katyayani Singh, sitar has now become her passion, which she has been learning for the past one year. “After taking basic lessons in school, I gradually developed a liking for the instrument. Learning and playing the sitar needs a lot of discipline and practice and I try to give it all the time and dedication it deserves. With time I’ve realised that the sitar has really honed my listening skills, concentration and has also improved my pronunciation.”
Another music lover, Kabir Gupta, 10, loves to play the harmonium and tabla. “My father is a music teacher and I loved the way he played the harmonium. Although I can play most music instruments, I’ve always been more inclined towards the tabla and harmonium, which has also made learning the casio and congo easier,” he adds.
Kids are also keen on learning the “not so popular” classical instruments like flute, dholak and dhol. Anuj Kumar, a 11-year-old from MP, who is pursuing a six-month course in learning the dholak from M. Kumar Music Institute, Delhi, says, “I was mesmerised by the sound of the dholak being played in temples and during Hindu ritual and also in family functions, so I decided to learn it.”
Even the ones without a musical background, are vouching for classical forms of art. After learning it for three years, 11-year-old, Nandini Pruthi has enrolled herself into a full-fledged six-year course in Bharatnatyam and wants to make it a career. She says, “I have always been inclined towards learning Bharatnatyam. Though I must admit that it was only the last year that my guru Sunita Menon’s rigorous training in the basics of Bharatnatyam have moulded me well.”
Renowned Bharatnatyam dancer Geeta Chandran, who agrees that classical artform are attracting many new-age kids, adds, “I feel classical dance forms are the base for any contemporary dance, and this is something that will stay with kids all their life. Parents should not pressurise kids to learn a particular dance form, rather they should let them decide, what they want.”
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