Ah Vikram, you have distilled the matter down to just a few sentences.Unfortunately in India, traditional classical art forms were a prerogative of the ruling classes and the rich to a large extent.They were largely limited to temples or royal courts. Ordinary people were more exposed to folk arts. Though things changed a great deal post Independence, the cinema and the TV later took over than these traditional art forms. Hence they remained a very cultivated/acquired taste.They have never been popular among large segments of population. Attempts were/have been made to make them popular but the results have been not very optimistic. JMHO. I myself have little patience for traditional classical dance forms and music. My sister was a trained Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancer(She was very good)) in her earlier years and learnt veena too. She moved away from them for various reasons.Having said that, I do not think that these dance/art forms are endangered as they are determinedly taken up, practised and propagated by a sizeable number of people.They just may not become really mainstream.That does not diminish their value are richness.
You were able to express to Tim exactly what I was trying to say.
See Tim, when he says "I myself have little patience for traditional classical dance forms and music" that's exactly how I feel.
Actually, I was exposed to some of this. When growing up, only the big cities had TV, each town had one station. So in Bombay, you got to watch what the Government run station aired (in Marathi, Hindi and English, depending on the program). In Calcutta, you got to watch what the Calcutta station put on (in Bengali, Hindi and English). They would try and give you healthy doses of culture. Bharatnatyam performances were definitely considered culture. All the kids would groan when they came on. An aunt of mine also took Bharatnatyam lessons and we would go to the performances.
My mother was a huge fan of Hollywood musicals. In fact music played constantly in our house. That is probably where my distaste for musicals (in any language) started.
I think you're correct, Moin, it's time to lighten up. I actually had a very good, if not excellent, childhood in India.Lolllzz XL, you are being too Cynical.
I had traveled the length and breadth of the country by the time I was 19, some of it alone. There wasn't a single time when I was travelling that I felt scared or threatened.
We had friends and relatives in almost every major city and bunking at someone's house for a couple of days while passing through was what you did. In fact they would have been upset if you tried to skip out on their hospitality. We looked at the future with very rose colored glasses and a lot of the time the optimistic view was justified. I was pretty young when we celebrated 25 years of Independence but I remember the feeling of Euphoria. Many felt that there wasn't anything we couldn't accomplish as a country.
When I go to see a movie, whether it is Hollywood or Bollywood, I want to be entertained. Make me laugh, involve me in the story and wow me with your cinematic genius but just don't bore me. Remember Star Wars? When it was first released, it was a revelation. Going back and watching it today, it seems so ordinary but when it came out it was something else. The story, the effects, the newness of the 70mm format's large screen and the overwhelming sound system in stereo! There were movies like the Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, Saturday Nigh Fever (ya, I know... but it was a big hit in the day), Rocky, Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns, etc. . There was nothing even remotely close coming out of Bollywood at the time. This in part has probably colored my perception of Bollywood. Take a look at some of the movies released by Hollywood in the late seventies and you'll see my point.
) I had no clue to what wa going on the stage.I guess you need to have some understanding to appreciate Classical Arts, like you said the luxury for a priviliged few. Rest have to run around helter skelter worrying about their daily bread.