A booster dose of culture, please?

Photo for representational purpose. Pic/ istock

Last weekend, during a round of channel-surfing, the stirring frames of a documentary made us halt and continue to stay glued till the credits rolled. A private German broadcaster was reporting live from the home of a popular Afghani musician in Kabul. A master of local musical instruments, he was recalling how he gave a memorable performance to a packed house, barely two days before the Taliban captured his city. He was teary-eyed as he recounted those moments, and how in a matter of a few days, his life had turned upside down, for the worse. "I didn't think they would return so fast," he confessed to the German correspondent. He had honed his music for 16 years, and now, his talent, reputation but most importantly, income that enabled him to look after his family, had gone kaput. The musician was forced to roast corn on Kabul's streets. Other performers like him had met with the same fate, as they wondered if the once-lively cultural arts scene would ever return.

At the other extreme end, a friend who contributes to an arts and culture newsletter with a focus on Europe informed me that in 2022, teenagers in Spain who turn 18 will be entitled to receive a culture pass worth €400. This pass will enable them to secure tickets for concerts, films, operas, and performances, buy books, and essentially have access to all kinds of cultural activities. Some digging up revealed that this initiative is part of a €200 million nationwide scheme rolled out by Spain's Culture and Sports Ministry. In fact, their Minister of Culture said that it is like an 18th birthday present, and encouraged the youth to spend it at the opera or at a classical music concert. Their prime minister was hoping that this push would be a springboard for young people to have better access to culture, and more importantly help those who suffered huge financial losses during the pandemic. While France and Italy had already introduced such schemes, Spain's initiative is a direct fallout of the pandemic. The idea, if implemented well, stands to be a win-win for both sides of the cultural spectrum.

These two developments in two different corners of the globe speak of one aspect - access to the arts. While the Spanish teen now had easier access, I wondered what the average music-loving Kabul resident would do in these times to cater to his /her music influences. That documentary also mentioned that small music sessions continue to happen albeit under fear; the windows of such spaces have to be shuttered lest they get caught. It was unimaginable to visualise this scenario.

Somewhere in the middle lies India. Cultural organisations and performers bore the brunt of the pandemic as we all know, and as it was extensively reported across media, including this newspaper. Now might be a good time to relook at our cultural policy, reinvent our approach to how we engage with our youth so they are gradually guided on the need to support the arts. This will automatically provide an impetus to the many professions within this sphere that were worst hit.

India's youth is its strength (229 million in the 15-24 years age group/ Source: censusindia.gov.in), and if we bank on this large volume by perhaps taking a leaf from Spain's book, it can help resuscitate the art community out of its dark days. The Kabul example was cited to reiterate how fortunate we are in India, with access to the arts across the board.

The small-budget theatre venue, the indie art gallery and the annual street arts festival - it is these sections in particular who were the worst hit; many would have had to dissolve, too. It is they who need our backing else we could be staring at a possible scenario where the small guy is phased out. As Albert Camus famously said, "Without culture and the relative freedom, it implies, society even when perfect, is but a jungle."

To offer an example, imagine a system backed by the state and Centre, where colleges could tie up with cultural venues, arts communities and festival organisers, so they ensure regular access by the youth to these itineraries with tickets at affordable prices or a culture pass, as in Spain's case. Now wouldn't that make for a melodious jugalbandi where everyone stands to gain?

Often, it is about directing the light in the right direction. Such moves could go a long way in not only keeping our arts communities alive and well but also sow the seeds of a culturally aware population in a world where tactile, physical interactions, and more so in the cultural sphere have assumed an altered meaning in the new normal.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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