Creating learning spaces around art

Learning is a dynamic process. The teacher and student constantly exchange seats.It transforms the rasik and rasa. India is a land of oral traditions. We are a group of talkative and noisy people. Instead of adopting blindly, education boards that do not strengthen core concepts. We must strive to recreate the oral tradition in context of the technology-aided civilisation we live in. We need to move away from the violent teaching practices adopted in the name of education.

The classical tradition in India is a complex science. It is high time we work towards demystifying its complexity. On approaching a work of art the reactions most of us have range from wonder, boredom to delight. Each reaction of the audience is an important tool to understand what we can do to sustain these art forms. As a community, if we don’t attempt to ‘see’ these dying art forms in a new light we might loose sight of them forever.

The need is to find contexts for ancient wisdom. Bringing them into learning spaces where they can be questioned and analyzed before being accepted and integrated or rejected. However, the attempt must focus on the experience and creation of a memory.

India as a country has been striving to preserve its rich cultural heritage. Its commendable of the government to make efforts to reach out to artists communities and take them to village communities, however if use art forms as puppets for propaganda when needed and not give them spaces to explore their intricacies and tell their own stories. Folk art traditions which are sporadic and spontaneous have a predictable format in ‘shows’. With star artists and attractive women.

SPICMACAY as a voluntary group movement has most importantly created a rapport with artists of fame and folk traditions. The efforts are noteworthy to reach out to the large number of students across the country. However, some quarters perceive the movement as an elitist group. Classical traditions have most students turn their backs. I believe, the college level is too late to approach individuals to be sensitive to the arts while being bombarded with mass media, which numbs our senses.

Artists have always been on the periphery of society. With no place to go and a society which has a mix of people who raise them with praises during a evening but will be shocked and hurt if their own child wants to become an artist.