Heritage Instructions

Veda classes have been organized. One facet of this is an effort to familiarize students with the background of the themes generally utilized in Indian Classical Music, Drama and Dance, some of which are almost wholly drawn from Indian Itihasas and Puranas which form a part of our glorious heritage. The course attracts students from all walks of life aged 12 to 76 years.

Capsule Course

There are many topics in fine arts which give scope for specialized study. These topics can be presented effectively through short duration classes under learned gurus. Some of the topics so encapsulated till now are :

• Abhangs (Marathi)
• Composer Specific (Kritis)
• Pancharatna Kritis (Sanskrit)
• Bhajans (Hindustani)
• Navagraha Kritis (Sanskrit)
• Navaratri Kritis (Sanskrit)
• Panchalinga Kshetra Kritis (Sanskrit)
• The Varanams (Tamil)
• Tanjore Paintings

More topics like rare ragas, varnams, Kritis etc. are on the anvil.

Conference

Through careful planning and by dint of hard work, the Fine Arts Society has earned recognition as an apex institution for preserving and promoting the classical performing arts. So far so good: but the Society cannot rest there. The task in the coming years is daunting. Satellite transmission and opening of our doors to global television has brought international music and culture right into our homes. Our children are fast absorbing the new cultures they are exposed to day in and day out. This cannot be stopped. But what the Society can and should do is to discuss and find out how we can adapt to the new situation. Should our classical music change or modify? How can we inculcate in the younger generation a deep and abiding love for our traditional classical music? The Fine Arts Society is addressing these and related topics through Music Conferences. Eminent musicologists take part in these conferences. These are memorable events and contribute significantly to preserving our heritage of fine arts.

A special group set up for the purpose organized the first conference in 1998. The resounding success of that conference encouraged the Society to aim at widening the scope and aim for a much wider participation. So far 4 conferences have been organized:

The conferences were inaugurated and presided over by eminent personalities like Sangeeta Kalanidhi Dr. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Prof. T.N. Krishnan, Dr. N. Ramani, Dr. Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, Dr. Balamurali Krishna, Sri. T.V. Gopalakrishnan, Prof. T.R. Subramaniam, Justice Radhakrishnan, Pt. Arvind Parikh, Dr. L.M. Singhvi, and Sri. V.V. Srivatsa. The participants, specially the panelists, were all experts in their fields - both theory & performance. The proceedings of the conferences were summarized and were well received by a wide cross-section of the public.