Traditional art moving away from mainstream: Ranjeet Chauhan

By Sukant Deepak

New Delhi, Feb 15 (SocialNews.XYZ) The setting cannot be better. A beautiful old haveli in Old Delhi playing host to a poetry evening organised on the 153rd anniversary of one of the Urdu language's greatest poets Mirza Ghalib on February 15.

But for the organisers -- the Jashn-e-Adab Foundation, it is also about reaffirming that art has a much bigger role to play than just 'distract'. It is also about an ode to Hindustani.

Boasting of attendance by some major Urdu poets including Prof. Ashok Chakradhar, Farhat Ehsas, Madan Mohan Mishra Danish, Shariq Kaifi, Javed Mushiri, Azm Shakiri and Anas Faizi besides a Ghazal performance by singer Shakeel Ahmad, the foundation, which has been organising multiple cultural events for more than a decade aims to bring audiences closer to Urdu and Hindi poetry, classical music, Indian dance, qawwali and ghazal.

"Sadly, traditional art is moving further away from the mainstream, creating a huge gap between the art and the audience. There is a lack of promotion of these arts and very few platforms encourage audiences to connect with Indian art forms," Ranjeet Chauhan, poet and founder of Jashn-e-Adab Foundation tells IANS.

Stressing that there is a need to have more such festivals as they are critical in keeping the conversation around art forms alive, Chauhan says, "They are an effective way of promoting and conserving our cultural heritage. In fact, social media has been a great tool in reaching out to a wide audience and staying connected with enthusiasts. Awareness and education about great poets and artists not only inspire new artists but also motivate established artists," he says.

Unlike many major art foundations that have restricted their presence to metropolitan cities, Jashn-e-Adab has also organised festivals in places like Raebareli, Roorkee and Bhopal. "Every city in India has a sizeable population of poetry and art enthusiasts, and they deserve to get a chance to experience such festivals. In smaller cities people wait eagerly for such festivals to happen and the experience is heartwarming," says the founder.

Agreeing that even now when the Pandemic is not at its peak, artists are still struggling, Chauhan says that musicians, poets, theatre persons and writers are in desperate need of help.

"Sadly, their troubles have not got the required attention. It is important that the public and private sectors come together to curate events where these talents can get to work. Investing marketing resources towards such avenues would not only aid the artist community but also benefit the organisations in establishing themselves as responsible corporate citizens," he adds.

Talk to him about what steps can be taken for the promotion of the Urdu language in the country and he asserts that even Hindustani has lost its sheen over time.

"It is ironic since Hindi and Urdu have a wider audience in the country. Language is not just about the words it needs to be experienced. Language survives not only through formal teaching, but an immersive experience."

He adds that in order to stay connected with a language, one needs to be exposed to its authenticity in various formats, especially art. "Poetry is an excellent example, it leaves a lasting impression, keeps one interested and continuous exposure would improve adoption and command of language."

Believing that Hindustani and traditional performing art has been overshadowed by commercial forms of entertainment, Chauhan says the reason major reason behind it is the absence of good quality platforms both physical and on digital mediums.

"For the promotion of Urdu and Hindi language, more effort and resources need to be invested in building such platforms and nurturing them," he concludes.

Source: IANS