The following is based on the above news report in The Hindu. Kindly click on the above link to read the report.
Should Ms.Hemlata Prabhu’s contributions be honoured in the light of Ms.Sarabhai’s speech !?
We are forced to agree with Danseuse Mallika Sarabhai when she states that art which had long been an organic medium of expression, is now reduced to the status of mere ‘entertainment’. One experiences this statement , while watching the ‘reality’ and other ‘shows’ on scores of TV channels.
This statement concerning ‘art’ she had made during the lecture on ‘Art, Education and Citizenship’ in memory of Hemlata Prabhu at Jawahar Kala Kendra , Jaipur. Now what were the ‘contributions’ of the late Ms.Prabhu. (1) She dedicated her life to women’s education , had taught ENGLISH at Jaipur’s Maharani College for 20 years , and went on to establish the Kanodia College in 1966. (All these activities in tune with the system of education introduced in this country by Macaulay.) (2) Ms. Parbhu was a pioneer of the women’s movement in Jaipur and led the anti-Sati movement there. – In Indian History, Rani Padmini’s act of sati, is valorized. This fact raises the question whether sati, an extreme act of renunciation ,if done voluntarily must be sweepingly condemned !!! (3) Ms. Prabu was co-founder of the Rajasthan chapter of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties.
Ms Sarabhai, laments the fall of ‘art’ from its high pedestal - to its present status as ‘mere’ entertainment. She reminds us that Art, like Dance and other media of artistic expression had served as a vehicle for transmission of culture and storytelling. It also aided people to internalize the beneficial values.
Now how had this calamity befallen our arts ? What are the reasons or main reason for the same.? Ms Sarabhai is very specific about this one.!! She states that our exalted art forms became vulnerable and debased after we embraced the “Macaulay Model of Education”. Continuous exposure to this system of education has its intended effects ; those who have been exposed to it have evolved into glorified clerks, fit to serve only the British Empire. (Except a few !!) Considering the subject of her lecture she had driven home the point the inverse relationship between Art and ‘our’ modern form of education. The irony is that this lecture was organized in honour of a woman who had perpetuated and contributed to this system of education. This serves as an example, - how our contemporary society is caught in ‘rudder-less discourses’.
How ‘citizenship’ is connected to art and education, (which is the subject of the lecture) was addressed by Ms Sarabhai, through her criticisms on Modi. The media (along with some political parties in Kerala) are obsessed with Modi, and being hungry for Modi-related news, had captioned the news report “Modi adept at marketing himself, says Mallika Sarabhai”. This caption in no way reflects the main event and the lecture, which are actually the subject of this news item. This further demonstrates how news-reporting could be manipulated to suit current tastes and sentiments, without any real concern for the subject- here our original art forms and its beneficial effects on society!!! The report must have provided more details about the core contents of the lecture, rather than its political aspects.
Media reporting can selectively inject ‘ideas’ into our consciousness, and unless we are constantly alert, we could be mislead. Since it affects our opinions, preferences and decisions, media reporting can be likened to a mines-field through which we have to cautiously and consciously negotiate our path. (Development (vikasnam) is the same everywhere, whether in Gujarat or elsewhere. Ultimately it back-fires.)
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