BySukant Deepak

June 3, 2020 (IANSlife) Stressing that in trying times, music has always symbolised the collective strength of the people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that when the world is fighting an invisible enemy like the Corona-19 pandemic , writers, singers and musicians are playing their part to infuse confidence among people. “History and age-old tales are a witness to the fact that during wars, poets and writers would write literature that boosted the morale of the general population,” he said.

Speaking via video-conference during the inaugural keynote message of SPIC MACAY’s week-long special series ‘Anubhav’ that started on June 1, he added that just like music, which required a synchronization of discipline and harmony, the same was needed for the fight against the pandemic.

“Every Indian is doing his bit in times of this crisis, and so are the artistes. We are witnessing classical artists adopting newer technologies to reach the people, which is the need of the hour. With this, all barriers of region and language are being crossed, something which is empowering the idea of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.”

The Prime Minister also said that in the Indian civilisation, music has always gone beyond personal happiness and has been a means of serving others. “We have witnessed some major musicians who have devoted their entire lives to serve humanity,” he said.  

Lauding SPIC MACAY for adding elements like literature, holistic food, nature walk and Naad Yoga in its programming in the ‘Anubhav’ series, the PM said that both Yoga and music boast of a power of motivation.

Recalling how during the initial days of the lockdown, the population came together to clap to motivate the country as one unit against the pandemic, the PM added, “As the population came together with similar emotions, what emerged was also music.”

During the week-long series, the participants, while sitting at home will experience performances and workshops through virtual online platform by leading exponents of Indian classical music - Carnatic & Hindustani, classical dance performances, folk performances by prominent artists, theatre performances, lectures, and interactions, a cinema screening with a discussion, a virtual heritage walk, virtual workshops in classical music, dance, crafts, and online yoga sessions. On the concluding day, a classical overnight concert beginning at 8:00 pm (IST) and ending at 6:00 am (IST) will be organised.

Some major artistes who will be part of the series include Dr. Karan Singh, Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Vidwan Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman and Vidushi Teejan Bai, Pandit Rajan and Pandit Sajan Mishra, Shyam Benegal, Shri Ghulam Md. Sheikh, Prof. T. N. Krishnan, Dr. Prabha Atre, Dr. N. Rajam, L. Subramanium, Vid. Uma Sharma, Vid. Saroja Vaidyanathan, Vid. Padma Subramanyam, Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi.

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Sukant Deepak can be contacted at sukant.d@ians.in