love Silence Silent Shadows
Where Silence Speaks in Style
Amid the chaos, silence speaks the loudest.
The time between March and April in India, is the time of mixed emotions- joys and sorrows, excitements and anxieties, sureties and ambiguities and choices. ‘Choices’ during this time of the year in India takes a different form; it’s no more welcoming, it’s apprehending. As the grades and results take precedence, the chaos and confusion raise the heads. For some, it’s time to choose the streams that would pave path for their futures- futures that are unseen, and unpredictable. And yet, through ‘choices’, there are attempts made to ‘tame’ the future, and the incomprehensibility of it.
There is another thing that is typical in India during this time of the year. It is the choice made among 3 top career streams, based on which the Grade XII students would have their testimony written in Gold. These 3 top streams, wrongly termed so, when ‘popular’ is compelled to become the synonym for ‘top’, are Engineering, Medical and Commerce. All three hold their forte strong, piling up on the pre-built confusion that appears to madden the XII graders and their parents. Engineering boasts an ‘assured’ career pathway, relying on the inflow of jobs created by the IT industry; parents choose to ignore that this industry swallows the gradates from any engineering stream, mechanical, chemical or paint. Medical is reliant on the ‘honour’ of the role, and the honour is perceived so high that despite the high percentage of reserved seats and ongoing debates about unfair assessments, this stream continues to be among the top. Commerce acclaims mixed perceptions. There are two schools of thought linked with opting Commerce for under graduation, both linked by parents of the students, not students. The first school considers the stream as the backbone of Applied Mathematics, that has realistic solutions to practical problems, solved by CAs and CSs of Indian peninsula. The second school considers Commerce because their wards do not fit in the prior two streams, either on account of marks or of interest.
In short, the 3 career streams dominate in attracting admissions during March and April every year, and the preparation of this dates farther back by 1 or 2 years, in the form of commercial coaching. There is no surprise that the number of coaching centres in India today exceed the number of schools, and the fees charged by these centres in the name of IIT/ JEE and NEET preparation usually amounts to the fortune that an ordinary middle-class family saves for their daughter’s marriage. And yet, there is chaos, in deciding the right stream, choosing the right centre and getting the right college. Amid these decisions that are associated with Science backed academia, there is an Arts Institute silently and quietly thriving, since past 90 years. It is Kalakshetra Foundation, the haven of artistic excellence, well known to the artists around the world, but scarcely to the natives of its own Homeland. It is also known as “temple of Arts” by the artistic pioneers.
In 1936, when Rukmini Devi incepted her dream of cultivating Fine Arts in India, because her artistic expression could not find a way out, she called the best students known to her in the field of dance and music. She chose Chennai, earlier named ‘Madras’ for realizing this dream with the help of handful of students. All these students, the acclaimed artists in their respective fields, offered all they had, in making the Institute achieve its rightful glory. Within 8 years of operation, the Institute expanded its wings to include painting and crafts under its umbrella, and secured affiliation from University of Madras in 1944 to offer Diploma courses in 4 fields- Dance, Music, Painting and Crafts.
Ironically, the recognition of Arts in India lags terribly as the parents as decision makers prefer Science driven careers for their children. Unlike the Western world, where Arts is considered the essence of life, elevated by the Renaissance Period in Europe in 16th century to reach the level that Science cannot imagine to touch and can just complement, Arts in India is a forlorn aspect. Kalakshetra knew the challenge well and embraced it gracefully, ‘grace’ being an integral part of any form of Art, until the talent in its own silent way deafened the whole of the world. In 1963, Rabindranath Tagore donated a part of his Nobel Prize money to Kalakshetra, for unhindered and unhampered impart of education in Fine Arts. It acted as the trigger to bring the Institute to national and international spotlight. And after that there was no looking back. In 1993, the Government of India passed an Act that recognized Kalakshetra as the ‘Institute of National Importance’.
The quality of education that the Institute offers in varied spheres of Arts is never compromised. In fact, Kalakshetra is renowned to preserve the similar style of dance and music that once existed when Rukmini Devi founded it. This legacy is passed on to the succeeding batches, who learn to sync themselves with the preceding generation of artists. The bond between the Institute and its former students grows strong by the day, as the students establish their individual reputation as acclaimed artists, and yet stay connected with Kalakshetra to empower the spirit of Arts. It is akin to the branches of a tree expanding in all directions, and yet staying connected with the tree that is rooted strong and deep.
For the world that values testimony, Kalakshetra has plenty to show in the form of notable alumni, usually on tour across the world for their performances. Leela Samson, one of the former directors of Kalakshetra, has been the teacher of Priyanka Vadra during 1980s, the then grand-daughter of Indian PM Indira Gandhi. Amala Akkineni, the beautiful and talented film actress who won the Filmfare Awards twice during her acting career, owes her success to Bharatnatyam learning from Kalakshetra. These examples are not included to popularize the Institute since Kalakshetra has never advocated popularity; but they speak volumes about the level at which the courses are offered here.
And after the course? The artists, evolved through the right kind of education that nurtures the artistic aspect in humans, move on to become entrepreneurs. They do not seek jobs, they create jobs. Alongside opportunities and newer avenues for learning. They take the talents beyond geographical boundaries, leaving figments of the quality that is behind their success.
And that is how many success stories are written at Kalakshetra, in silence, away from chaos.
By: Deepti Bhatia
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