Pandemonia at The Most Reputed Music Conference of Kolkata

Anyone can sing, yes, in last few months of this pandemic, it has been kind of established that anyone can sing. Social media is still free, editing apps are very user friendly and most of it’s features like extreme echo, auto tuning and all are easily available to present your song decently. You just need to have guts, and that’s all.

Everybody sings nowadays and I see no harm in that. But now this incident took place on 13the February,2021, at Kolkata, is alarming. An esteem organisation, which has been organizing the most iconic “Classical Music Conference” for almost last seventy years, cannot afford this foul up.

I oppose trolling absolutely. For last few hours social media has been flooded with memes and disagreeable comments. That is unacceptable. On the other side that we know that he is a great novelist and academician. However that was certainly not the required criteria for a gala performance.

Corruption, lobby, quota,nepotism – these words should be irrelevant, banned, and forbidden from such platforms. As I have said I don’t blame the performer. Performer of any stage wish to perform there one day, across the country, but it is the sheer responsibility of the organisers to bring the best in the country to that platform. For decades we have experienced legendary performances by numerous. angelic maestros.

There are several anecdotes that prove the passion of Kolkata listeners for classical music. In early days people even used to sit on the pavements around the auditorium to listen to maestros like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Many times they had to come home by foot after the concerts as there was no commute in the midnight or at the dawn. As students we used to sneak peek to many auditoriums to get a chance to listen to Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty’s Gunkeli or Pt Ulhas Kashalkar’s Gaud Malhar with a resold ticket. I am sure you have your story too. This is how the heart of kolkata beats with classical music.

We not only pay a huge amount to get those precious passes, we also wait for months eagerly to get a chance to cherish those moments of listening to the maestros live in those whole night classical conferences, and this is what we experience!

Well, this is not the first experience of disappointment for the listeners there. This has been happening there for last few years actually, but this one was probably the last nail on the coffin. It’s high time for the most reputed brand, in this field to realise their mistake. It’s high time that they bring back their legacy.

There are many more classical conferences taking place in our city of joy. Some with lesser known brand name or no brand name at all. Music happens there. In our country and even in our city there are thousands of artists who mesmerizes the audience with their heart to heart performances. They do deserve a better platform like this. Because listeners of Kolkata still cheers for true musicians. That is why artists through out India seek a chance to perform in this city still now. The organisers of this very conference must remember that many people still do not consider their participation in those conferences as their status symbol, it’s not only about taking selfie in front of that banner, for some it’s still not only an exhibition of niche jewelries, or kurtas or pure silk. They must remember that still there are people, who goes to such conferences not to consume fish kabiraji or mutton biriyani like midnight of Durgapuja, but to seek peace of mind in soul wrenching music devine. May the music prevail.

P.C: Google