Modern influence and Commercialization
in Sacred Music
The commercialization of Indian
music began in the last seven decades after establishing Independence in 1947 A.D.
The caste system was finally declared as a punishable crime if discriminated by any
caste or race in law passed in 1955 A.D and renamed in 1976 A.D as the law of Civil rights
which meaning of untouchable means punishable by Law. The traditional musician from
several castes then started forming bands and musical groups instead of a traditional way of performance.
The socially depressed group Dalits and other several caste musicians always struggle from hand to mouth. The traditional way of patronage is not sufficient anymore to survive in society having a family and children. To come out from poverty and show their talent by means of selling the craftsmanship of music-making, the Dalits forms musical groups and start working as a professional music band rather than the homely patronage system. The commercial trade of talent on any occasion in cash makes their life easier. The musical essentiality among the Brahmans and other higher communities cannot be minimized so they are offered for religious and ritual practices. The increasing media, modernity, urbanization, and globalization in music expand their profession to elaborate to large extent and spread the craftsmanship of traditional music-making for sustainable development of their earning beyond the circumstances of the traditional patronage system.
Modern musical influence is often a
reflection of recorded and tempered music. This may be from the cinema, Jazz,
Blues, and pop music. Today, modern music continues to reflect perceptions of
the ills that permeate society and the injustices that the sector of the population
view as an endemic part of the nation.
Of
the various genres of modern music that one part that can most closely be associated
with segments of the Dalits population is film music, which often emphasizes romance and indecency. The traditional and folk musicians adopt film
music as well as popular music instead of folk music to survive in urban life.
The rural musicians are also somehow less affected by modernity but the
urban life is confined only to the modern musical genre, mostly dependent to film music. The local clients or the patrons for whom they play auspicious
music frequently asked for Bollywood music instead of traditional repertoire, even
in Shehnai, Sarangi, and other folk instruments.
The audio CD, VCD, DVD,
radio and television, Mass Media, Social media, and growing popularity of YouTube
also blur the raw musical tradition of Dalits. They are losing the patrons
because there are numerous options to entertain rather than the social
conjunction through music. Because of modernity Folk Artists completely lost
their patrons, Tradition musicians are depending on westerners losing supremacy
playing Shehnai and Dholak, and Nagara in any rituals activities.
India has a huge Cultural variety with lots
of traditional and folk culture from various people from various states so a
new genre of music was introduced to the people that fused Indian folk songs and
folk tunes with other musical genres of west and Indian film music. During that
phase, the traditional caste musicians accepts and adopted light music
sufficiently distinctive to the society. Hindi films songs and other ensembles
affect the folk tradition after the media like Radio, FM, and T.V. rooted in
common society during the 40s -50s and 60s of 20th century.
At
present, the Typical Instruments, Shehnai, Dhol, Nagara, and Sarangi and the traditional
musicians are highly familiar with world music. They appreciated and blended
the imported music in traditional instruments to sustain their life with the
help of music. It is Sad to say that people are less concerned about traditional
music in comparison to the popular music genre. The Caste Musician in Varanasi and Allahabad can
be seen singing western songs in Sarangi, a substitute than Kajari or Chaiti. Dhol-
Nagara has almost vanished in cosmopolitan life if heard also then, the songs
from Hindi films, Bhojpuri Film Music, Punjabi Popular music and other popular
music are played during the rituals rather than the traditional auspicious
music. The people are also least aware of the tradition and culture that we
belong to. The process of changing in the folk genre may be the cause of the vanishing
of the identity of common people with the folk music repertoire and also the survival
of caste musicians who are best known for the auspicious music maker in Indian
Society.
Written By
Kumar
Sargam
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