Restructuring carnatic music in NA

[rigveda]

I am starting a new thread since some of my postings in the previous ones were misconceived and I got some brick bats and some banquettes. I realized that we are moving away from the original mission. Let me make few things clear
(1) I am not pointing fingers at any body, especially on people I have not even met.
(2) I have my own issues, having been displaced from NJ (a major hub of South Indian activities) to a small Midwestern town where there are a handful of South Indians (read Tamils and Brahmins). We meet frequently in the house of one of the families to discuss our past.
(3) I am an old timer. I don’t consider any of the recent musicians to match the greatness of a Musri, an MDR or GNB. So I attend their concerts but only listen to what I feel are the real carnatic musicians. No body need to agree with me.
(4) Talking about Non Indians, the thing I hate is the condescending attitude on the Indians. This applies to all the fields including computer science, my field. I was pointed out an article by John Higgins. This was done by a well known musicologist from Chennai. We all have loved the music of Higgins and his passion for CM. In this article he lashes out at the CM culture in India and the servile attitude of CM musicians towards the Westerner. I am sure no musician is aware of this article and let us leave it at that.
Coming back to the topic on hand, that is promoting NA artists in general and accompanists in particular, I have no vested interest. Neither me nor any one in my family is a performing artist and my intense feeling comes from the way things are happening. So what can we do? Here are some thoughts.

(1) The major NA associations should come together and form a conglomerate. Right now they are on a one-upmanship with Cleveland trying to beat the others even if it means they are in debt. This can end. If ten organizations pool their resources, there is plenty to go around.
(2) Once they do this, they can arrange festivals and concerts over a one year period. In that let them involve 50% of the artists from India and 50% from NA. The NA artists will expect less in terms of remuneration and that will work in their favour too.
(3) Make sure the same artists are not called from India every year. Keep a rotation policy. To make up for that pay them decently.
(4) The above rule applies to NA artist too. Do not feature the same artist(as we see in Cleveland) in multiple concerts every year. Give a chance to others.
(5) Indentify artists in NA who seriously pursue music as opposed to those who use music as a vehicle to get admitted to a top college and call it a day as far as music is considered. Encourage the former so that more new generation Indian kids will think pursuing music is acceptable.
Hopefully some new endeavors will make sure that the average audience age in a CM concert is 30 years and not 60 years as is the present case.

[VK RAMAN]

Kids born and brought up in U.S with the exception of a few and the age group 30 will not even make 1% of the audience. Other ideas are worth considering.

[Enna_Solven]

rigveda, you started on a wrong note, persisted with your accusations in the second post; now you are starting a third one which is not any better:

(1) I am not pointing fingers at any body, especially on people I have not even met.

followed by later doing exactly that and more:

with Cleveland trying to beat the others even if it means they are in debt

and

as opposed to those who use music as a vehicle to get admitted to a top college and call it a day as far as music is considered.

Frankly why don't you stop this harangue? The CM world is all wrong and you are not going to straighten it out especially with your attitude to those people in USA that bring these CM concerts to our cities out of passion and nothing else. Show me a CM organizer that has got rich organizing concerts and I will show you the IRS phone number to call.

All the sabhas are listed on the web. If you are serious and not just intent on bashing up one particular organizer, write to them all and get the ball rolling.

[vasanthakokilam]

my postings in the previous ones were misconceived and I got some brick bats

I do not think you were misunderstood in that thread. You made some statements bordering on bigotry against one of your fellow members and you got called on that. In these kinds of forum debates, disagreements are common and it is not cool to express your wariness about them based on their nationality or background. And when it was pointed out to you politely in one thread, you escalate it in another unrelated thread. Had you stayed away from all that, your point of view on CM in NA would have gotten a better hearing.

[music_is_life]

Rigveda,
Since you mentioned that you are in Michigan, I am providing below the following information:
GLAC, Michigan is planning a 3-day music festival in Detroit in May and they have implemented some of the suggestions you and a few others have made. Please visit www.glacmichigan.com to know more about the organization. The final program schedule is not published yet. I know how people who have been living in places like NJ feel after moving to small towns where there are not much activities. It will be nice if you can also spread the word to your friends in other adjacent cities about this event. Any support you provide will be a small first step towards restructuring carnatic music in NA

[sureshvv]

So what can we do? Here are some thoughts.

Lots of people have lots of thoughts. Pretty useless! See what you can back up with even a little bit of action.

[ramamantra]

Hi Rigveda

From your posts, I understand that your desires of continuing the NJ kind of carnatic music life has triggered you to undertake voluntary tasks of organizing similar events. My two cents: Pl begin somewhere. For eg. Physically meet people responsible for the events or motivate existing NA families into such an environment. Posting your ideas in this forum repeatedly and attempting to clarify your intentions will take you nowhere. This is merely a discussion forum where people take turns in beating a person back and forth, however highly educated they be. So, if you are really serious, you cld start somewhere. Otherwise, you can keep stirring the murky waters of the forum.

[mri_fan]

Writing one post here will do nothing, as has been said before. Put some action behind your words and we'll listen. Otherwise, it's just words.

[rigveda]

Frankly, I did broach the idea of a "mega" organization with the committee being formed in rotation to a couple of organizations in NJ and Midwest. The response was miserable. May be because I have no musical lineage nor any musical legacy from India.May be those organizations didn't want any power sharing. The first step has to be made by a prominent organization like Cleveland I shall still try to contact the one or two websites that some one provided. If Cleveland receives more attention/cricitism it is beacuse they are the largest organization and are expected to show the way to others. Obviously Obama receives the maximum review.
For the information of the public as recently as last year, I have donated money in the form of cash in Cleveland. Yes, not a huge amount but within my means. I have donated money in NJ also.