Hard to survive!

Kerala is famous for its interest towards art, culture, music etc. there was a lot of importance was given to art in the olden days. It is clearly evident from the palaces and the artifacts that can be found in the museums. The people of earlier generation enjoyed art, whether it be painting, music, or dance. Most importantly they encouraged art. People with talents were given opportunities to develop their talents. Talented people were given respect and honour. There was a place for them in the society. The results of these are quite evident. There were many talented people who devoted their life for their talent. In the ancient work of arts the devotion is quite evident like the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, whose paintings are so life-like and difficult to replicate. Or even the  wood work on the temples, churches, palaces and houses - they were done with so much of precision that it is impossible to replicate them even with the help of machineries. Each work is so minute and time consuming, and a lot of science was also involved in most of the works. People where able to do all these ,due to the fact that they were encouraged and their efforts recognized.

Today artist means loafers, people who are least recognized in the society, except for the very few who have succeeded in movies, paintings or writing. Under these prevailing conditions, the quality of the work has come down drastically. There are only handful who appreciate true art. Young artists whether a writer, poet or a painter find it extremely difficult to find recognition, in fact they find it hard to meet their ends. The people on the top offer no support for the fear of losing their stand. For a writer in Kerala it is very difficult because there is a scarcity of good Malayalam readers, and publishing companies and distributing companies who support new comers are hard to find. Similar conditions prevail for poets. As for the painters, they have to be satisfied with the portraits and banners for which they get paid for. No body inspires the creativity in the upcoming artist. No parent would encourage their children to take arts as a career option, no matter how good he is, mainly due to the present scenario. There are hundreds of aspiring singers and actors out of which few make it to the top. There are people who pass out from college of music, Fine Arts College, but no one reaches any where.
 

The younger generation of today has many other ways to spent their time easily. Movies, internet, etc have taken up their spare time and no one has time to do anything except their studies. Most of them consider such arts for geeks and do not even pop in to see what art is all about. With so few people to appreciate them, the very few who aspire fail. With such an absence of encouragement, the younger generation has actually lost interest in art.

 

Abraham Chandy