Selling 'Season December'
December has come. As the clouds dart all around the sky, plenty of thoughts cross the mind of a music lover. Will I make it to the venue in time. Or, will the rains cut short my evening plan? A sense of anxiety and a feeling of excitement are palpable all around the city of Chennai, as it gets set for a scintilating show of music to bring the curtain down on the first decade of this century.December is very special for the people of Chennai, in general, and music lovers, in particular. After all, December brings everybody - from starters to stars - into the Mecca of Carnatic music. They all make a beeline for Chennai to showcase their hard-learnt talent to a very discerning audience. December is also a season for all music lovers to converge towards Chennai to listen to the their favourite musicians and also to hear some of the best of music. For many a musician and rasika, December is the place to be nowhere but in Chennai. The December attraction towards Chennai makes one to sit up and ponder genuinely. Why can't `Season December' be packaged and marketed as `Destination Chennai' project.According to a rough estimate, over 1,000 concerts are held during the season - which comprises the whole of December and a small portion of January (considered the month of Marghazi, according to the Tamil calander). The city has close to two- dozen established sabhas (organisations which run music concerts), any number of `neighbourhood sabhas' (specific to locations) and concert-running trusts (mostly to sustain the memory of musicians of yester-year). A good performance during December season in Chennai is considered a necessary `passport' for many to get an overseas inviation to go global and earn better. Not surprisingly, artistes of all hues jostle for a slot during the December season in Chennai. With the mushrooming sabhas, getting a stage has become less difficult these days for any artiste. Getting the right time slot, however, is indeed a tough proposition. The sabhas, too, face a tough task in alloting prime time slots to artistes. The prime slot concerts in major sabhas are usually ticketed. Many top artistes invariably run full houses in select prestigious sabhas. To use a management metaphor, even the audience has started showing brand preference. Not surprisingly, artistes such as T.M. Krishna, Sanjay, Bombay Jayashri, Sudha Ragunathan, Nityashree, Aruna Sairam, K.J. Yesudas and the like draw huge crowd. So much so, we see people even pay to watch their concerts in LCD TVs (installed outside the auditorium)! This is a very new trend in December season. The `prime-time' concerts usually cross-subsidise the morning and afternoon concerts. Of late, corporates, too, come in to sponsor the season's concerts. Many well known local outfits such as Sundaram Finance, Shriram Group, Nallis, RmKv and the like are regular patrons of the Marghazi concerts. Local head-quartered banks such as Indian Bank and IOB have also been supporting the cause of December music for long. Of late, we are seeing more corporates from across the country and even newer entities beginning to sponsor the December concerts. No doubt, they may be getting into Carnatic music sponsorship as a part of their corporate social responsibility activity. Yet, they may also be trying to garner the `mind share' of music lovers by doing so. The fact of the matter, however, is that Corporate India has begun to take a keen interest in Carnatic music, in general, and December season, in particular. The city of Chennai has also been witness, during the past few years, to pre-December season concerts. Many media houses have now become sponsors of music events. Led by The Hindu, media outfits such as Times of India, Jaya TV and Raj TV have all become big sponsors of music. It is time the Government of Tamil Nadu, too, woke up and see the December music season as a way to showcase to the world at large the city's cultural heritage. It is time December Season is converted into a `Destination Chennai in December' project.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Speaking the Mind
Speaking the mind, the Amjad Ali Khan way
The lead story of The Economic Times dated March 21, 2010 was titled `Jugalbandi'. It was written by Amjad Ali Khan, the Sarod maestro. It was a wonderful piece. It was impressive for the way he spoke his mind. The words were expressive and the message was forthright. Shri Khan was indeed right when he said corporates were doing a great disservice to music and musicians in the guise of promoting the art.
He writes thus: ``I play around the world, but India, and especially Delhi, is perhaps the only place where there is no concept of ticketed shows. Here, sponsors claim they are helping you, but they would instead make money and score lots of brownie points by giving away free passes. When something is free, there is no value to it. I have performed at shows and seen people coming there to just be part of an eclectic crowd. They don’t love music. They just don’t want to miss an important occasion to be noticed. It is a great disservice to music and musicians. I hope corporate houses and sponsors will start promoting ticketed shows around the country. Nothing’s more satisfying to an artist than to know that his show is a sell-out.''
The maestro expressed his anguish over ``cultural destruction'' and ``uncultured aggression''. He could not have said these at a more appropriate time. Coming from an artiste of his stature, one need to sit up and take a serious note of these observations. Not stopping with these, one must also embark on course correction.
Reflecting on the current state of affairs, he writes thus: ``In recent times, our country has been obsessed with Bollywood music and dances. The western world always had Hollywood but fortunately it could balance the value of all art forms beautifully. So much so that the Western Classical music industry has grown to a multi-billion dollar industry, with artists of the calibre of Isaac Pearlman, Anne Sophie Mutter and Yo Yo Ma being the greatest examples. They still hold their traditional opera and symphony of legends like Bach, Beethoven and Wagner in the most spectacular presentations even while Beyonce and Michael Jackson grew up the popularity charts! In India, I am worried about a cultural destruction and an uncultured aggression.''
Even as he rues the `unhealthy happenings', he comes out with a solution. Says he: ``There may be a way out if some of our corporates and young leaders can come forward and promote the artists and their art. Today the whole world is interested in sports, mainly because there is an element of winning and losing in every game. Fortunately, in classical music, there is no such competition where one has to lose or win. It is only a long journey in search of excellence and perfection just like sports. Even here, you are as good as your last game. In this case, your last concert and there are no retakes! I hope that we have a counter part of IPL for the music industry soon.''
Nevertheless, he is convinced that ``corporate and political patronage is a must to promote music anywhere in the world''. ``Somewhere, I feel, we have slipped. And traditional musicians aren’t being given their due credit. Once the mindset changes, music will be a bigger industry,'' he, however, regrets.
The lead story of The Economic Times dated March 21, 2010 was titled `Jugalbandi'. It was written by Amjad Ali Khan, the Sarod maestro. It was a wonderful piece. It was impressive for the way he spoke his mind. The words were expressive and the message was forthright. Shri Khan was indeed right when he said corporates were doing a great disservice to music and musicians in the guise of promoting the art.
He writes thus: ``I play around the world, but India, and especially Delhi, is perhaps the only place where there is no concept of ticketed shows. Here, sponsors claim they are helping you, but they would instead make money and score lots of brownie points by giving away free passes. When something is free, there is no value to it. I have performed at shows and seen people coming there to just be part of an eclectic crowd. They don’t love music. They just don’t want to miss an important occasion to be noticed. It is a great disservice to music and musicians. I hope corporate houses and sponsors will start promoting ticketed shows around the country. Nothing’s more satisfying to an artist than to know that his show is a sell-out.''
The maestro expressed his anguish over ``cultural destruction'' and ``uncultured aggression''. He could not have said these at a more appropriate time. Coming from an artiste of his stature, one need to sit up and take a serious note of these observations. Not stopping with these, one must also embark on course correction.
Reflecting on the current state of affairs, he writes thus: ``In recent times, our country has been obsessed with Bollywood music and dances. The western world always had Hollywood but fortunately it could balance the value of all art forms beautifully. So much so that the Western Classical music industry has grown to a multi-billion dollar industry, with artists of the calibre of Isaac Pearlman, Anne Sophie Mutter and Yo Yo Ma being the greatest examples. They still hold their traditional opera and symphony of legends like Bach, Beethoven and Wagner in the most spectacular presentations even while Beyonce and Michael Jackson grew up the popularity charts! In India, I am worried about a cultural destruction and an uncultured aggression.''
Even as he rues the `unhealthy happenings', he comes out with a solution. Says he: ``There may be a way out if some of our corporates and young leaders can come forward and promote the artists and their art. Today the whole world is interested in sports, mainly because there is an element of winning and losing in every game. Fortunately, in classical music, there is no such competition where one has to lose or win. It is only a long journey in search of excellence and perfection just like sports. Even here, you are as good as your last game. In this case, your last concert and there are no retakes! I hope that we have a counter part of IPL for the music industry soon.''
Nevertheless, he is convinced that ``corporate and political patronage is a must to promote music anywhere in the world''. ``Somewhere, I feel, we have slipped. And traditional musicians aren’t being given their due credit. Once the mindset changes, music will be a bigger industry,'' he, however, regrets.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Financial Journalist
Rediscovering Relevance
The picture was very clear up until 1990. Things have dramatically changed since then. Thanks to Narashimha Rao's bold liberalisation initiatives, the Indian economic landscape has undersgone a significant change. The Internet revolution that followed in the first decade of the 21st century has tremendously altered the way we communicate. By the click of a mouse, you have access to huge information. So much so, we are now struggling to sift through the pile for the right info. The post-liberalisaton and the subsequent Net revolution have also coincided with the growth of the PR agencies. The Net result is that we have come a long way since the days when information was hard to come by to a situation now where one is flooded with so much info. This has put the financial journalists especially in a huge predicament. What is the role of a business journalist now? Time was when his/her role was to disseminate info. When information was proving difficult to get, he/she was looked upon by all and sundry in the industry, trade and the like for credible information to guide them. Today, there is no shortage of information. Everything is available on the Net. And, information sources have also multiplied. There is nothing like an exclusive source for a business journalist. As opposed to one-on-one exclusives, we now find one-by-one exclusives! A business journalist is flooded with releases from all sorts of PR (public relation) outfits. And, the same release is distributed across geographical locations. A business journalist is now going through an identity crisis. With intense competition among themselves, nobody is willing to miss any release! This question is nagging me for a long time now. How could a financial journalist stay relevant in this changed atmosphere? What should he/she do? Should one just write a no-frill report? Or, should one add some spice in his/her story? What do the industry, trade and commerce look for in a business journalist? Do they expect a financial journalist to be their mouth-piece? Do they want a business journalist to report only what they want? With journalism itself becoming some what of a commerce, one is not quite sure of the role of a financial reporter. May be a business journalist needs to rediscover his/her role in the fast-changing environment. Any suggestion?
The picture was very clear up until 1990. Things have dramatically changed since then. Thanks to Narashimha Rao's bold liberalisation initiatives, the Indian economic landscape has undersgone a significant change. The Internet revolution that followed in the first decade of the 21st century has tremendously altered the way we communicate. By the click of a mouse, you have access to huge information. So much so, we are now struggling to sift through the pile for the right info. The post-liberalisaton and the subsequent Net revolution have also coincided with the growth of the PR agencies. The Net result is that we have come a long way since the days when information was hard to come by to a situation now where one is flooded with so much info. This has put the financial journalists especially in a huge predicament. What is the role of a business journalist now? Time was when his/her role was to disseminate info. When information was proving difficult to get, he/she was looked upon by all and sundry in the industry, trade and the like for credible information to guide them. Today, there is no shortage of information. Everything is available on the Net. And, information sources have also multiplied. There is nothing like an exclusive source for a business journalist. As opposed to one-on-one exclusives, we now find one-by-one exclusives! A business journalist is flooded with releases from all sorts of PR (public relation) outfits. And, the same release is distributed across geographical locations. A business journalist is now going through an identity crisis. With intense competition among themselves, nobody is willing to miss any release! This question is nagging me for a long time now. How could a financial journalist stay relevant in this changed atmosphere? What should he/she do? Should one just write a no-frill report? Or, should one add some spice in his/her story? What do the industry, trade and commerce look for in a business journalist? Do they expect a financial journalist to be their mouth-piece? Do they want a business journalist to report only what they want? With journalism itself becoming some what of a commerce, one is not quite sure of the role of a financial reporter. May be a business journalist needs to rediscover his/her role in the fast-changing environment. Any suggestion?
Friday, March 05, 2010
A Quitter
Quit to win
A quitter never wins, said cricketer Sunil Gavaskar several seasons ago. The question, however, is: When to quit? For me, you quit when two things happen. You quit when you stop learning by extending your stay in any organisation. You also quit when the organisation feels that you have outlived your existence. Whichever happens first, you better pack up and walk off. The moment you overstay, you lose the work pleasure. You set off displeasure all around if you extend your stay in any place the moment the message is clear that you aren't wanted any longer. Often times, we aren't able to judge the right time to make our exit. We need to understand that our relationships are contextual. Once the context ceases, you move on. Often times, we are driven to quitting. This is because we unwittingly tie ourselves to an individual or the other. I think one as to look at the larger picture and not concerned about the micro issues. Essentially your `quit decision' has to be only yours and not forced on to you by others.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
A Leader Story
A Leader Story
You may be a brilliant individual performer. But you may turn out to be a big flop as a leader. Instances are so many in our life. Who is a good leader? Well, a good leader is one who creates the right ambience for his team members to co-exist, perform and improve individually and collectively. More often than not, we find the so-called team leaders take on autocractic route to rule supreme. Often times, they are surrounded by `yes men/women'. And, they relish all the attention showered on them. Even as these leaders dip deep into a make-believe mutual admiration world comprising people who are in deep love with their own faces and voices, they unconsciously move farther away from the world of reality. They live in a disconnected world. Disconnected yes indeed are they from facts, figures and the real world at large. Guided by an assumed sense of self-importance, these leaders walk the deceptive route. Often times, they convince themselves that others exist only because of their kindness and genorisity. Ipso facto, they expect eveybody to follow their dictates unquestioningly. Rarely they hear the voice of dissent. If at all there is any dissent, it is quiety pushed to oblivion thanks to `yes men' down the line.
Being an hardcore newsman, this question crosses my mind very often these days? Is there a freedom of speech in the Fourth Estate? After very many summers into this profession, I can confidently assure you that there is nothing like a freedom of speech in this world of Fourth Estate. It exists only on paper. The expression `freedom of the press' is used differently by different people across the industry. The fact of the matter is that each interest group in the layer is out to protect its back and keep the interests of the others subsevient to its own. With the result, you see `suppression' at all levels across the entire canvass. That is why we see the preachings and practices don't converge often. Several years ago as I was leaving a job in Bangalore, a collegue of mine told me not to get attached to people and places. I knew not why he had said this to me then. Looking back, I am convinced that he was indeed right. This advice has sort of helped me to focus only on the job I do. It has also helped me to approach work in a dispassionate way. Well, the moral of the story is clear: Keep doing. Keeping moving. And, the goalpost will approach you fast.
You may be a brilliant individual performer. But you may turn out to be a big flop as a leader. Instances are so many in our life. Who is a good leader? Well, a good leader is one who creates the right ambience for his team members to co-exist, perform and improve individually and collectively. More often than not, we find the so-called team leaders take on autocractic route to rule supreme. Often times, they are surrounded by `yes men/women'. And, they relish all the attention showered on them. Even as these leaders dip deep into a make-believe mutual admiration world comprising people who are in deep love with their own faces and voices, they unconsciously move farther away from the world of reality. They live in a disconnected world. Disconnected yes indeed are they from facts, figures and the real world at large. Guided by an assumed sense of self-importance, these leaders walk the deceptive route. Often times, they convince themselves that others exist only because of their kindness and genorisity. Ipso facto, they expect eveybody to follow their dictates unquestioningly. Rarely they hear the voice of dissent. If at all there is any dissent, it is quiety pushed to oblivion thanks to `yes men' down the line.
Being an hardcore newsman, this question crosses my mind very often these days? Is there a freedom of speech in the Fourth Estate? After very many summers into this profession, I can confidently assure you that there is nothing like a freedom of speech in this world of Fourth Estate. It exists only on paper. The expression `freedom of the press' is used differently by different people across the industry. The fact of the matter is that each interest group in the layer is out to protect its back and keep the interests of the others subsevient to its own. With the result, you see `suppression' at all levels across the entire canvass. That is why we see the preachings and practices don't converge often. Several years ago as I was leaving a job in Bangalore, a collegue of mine told me not to get attached to people and places. I knew not why he had said this to me then. Looking back, I am convinced that he was indeed right. This advice has sort of helped me to focus only on the job I do. It has also helped me to approach work in a dispassionate way. Well, the moral of the story is clear: Keep doing. Keeping moving. And, the goalpost will approach you fast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)