Two artists to perform in the Capital every month

Taking forward their aim of providing a platform for promising young Indian artists, the Raza foundation's Aarambh series has now entered into their second month.

"Aarambh" will invite two artists from different genres from various parts of India every month to perform before audiences in the capital. A total of 25 artists will perform under the series in the next one year. The idea behind this series is to bring performers of music and dance who have not been seen or presented in Delhi.

In the second month, Hindustani Classical Vocalist Meenal Natu and Kathak Dancer Vishavdeep will perform for 45 minutes each at Civil Services Officers' Institute on October 23 and Triveni Kala Sangam the following day.

On the question of how important it is to promote classical art forms among young artists, Ashok Vajpeyi, Managing Trustee of the Raza Foundation said, "When it comes to classical arts, the younger generation needs support because these arts are not very popular and they require very hard, long training. If young artists don't get opportunities for showcasing their skills then it could create a problem. Such a platform can add to their confidence or skill."

In contrasting views, Vishavdeep, a scholarship holder of Ministry of Culture in kathak dance and a math graduate says, "I am also from the current generation and I don't believe that people's interests in Indian classical art forms are diminishing. I see more and more of parents enrolling their children into learning an art form. I have seen them consider classical art as a serious career prospective." A senior disciple of Guru Narain Prasad, Nandini Singh and Prerana Shrimali will start off with Shiv Vandana and then he will get into the technicalities of Kathak or 'shudh nritya'.

A disciple of Dr Usha Parkhi and a well-known exponent of Jaipuri-Atrauli Gharana, Meenal Natu is elated to perform at such a huge platform and feels that every genre of music is equally important and interesting.

The Raza Foundation provides support and platforms for various arts, and fellowships, especially aimed at young talent.