DJs seize the stage, folk singers suffer

          Ludhiana: DJs are fast emerging as a trend in the cities of Punjab, drawing huge crowds at discotheques, clubs, hotels and private parties. Once the exclusive domain of stage singers, the DJs have now taken over with their charismatic voices and styles of entertainment. With hardly a stage, no instruments not even stage performers, it's all a one-man show, making it so much easier and simpler for the event organisers. Many young music enthusiasts in Punjab have taken up DJing as a career to make their entry to the world of entertainment, but the worst sufferers are the thousands of traditional Punjabi stage artists who have been edged out in the fast changing society. Bhanu Ahuja, a disc jockey said, "DJs have come a long way, but compared to Punjabi singers the only advantage that a DJ has is the variety of music which he can present in a variety of languages such as Hindi, English, Punjabi, Arabic and Salsa. As far as singers are concerned it is limited to just one language. People at one time used to enjoy just one kind of music. But, all that has changed now only some people prefer to listen to hardcore Punjabi singers." ParamjitPammi and Pradeep Alam, the Punjabi folk duo has been entertaining people in the rural areas for over a decade. But very soon they would be marginalised in the chaos of commercialisation. The attraction towards remixes and fast bhangra beats make them redandant with the present age audiences. The cost factor, the variety of music makes all the difference. A live stage performance by a small folk group costs some 500 US dollars, whereas a DJ at the mike and turntable does it for half the price. The growing competition among the stage artists itself makes it a big challenge. "Our work has hit badly. The business, which was on its peak some 2-3 years ago, has now been taken over by the popularity of DJs and orchestra. We are doing well in the rural areas where people love to listen to us. Sometimes the young boys in the rich families here too prefer DJs or a dance group. In any family function the children tell their parents that they want to dance on a DJ remix and not to a Punjabi folk singer. This makes it very difficult for us, said Paramjit Pammi, a punjabi singer. The charm of singing that has always been a passion with the youth of Punjab makes it one of the fastest growing music enterprises. Millions of stage artists like singers, dancers and instrumentalists are dependent on the growing market trends. The performance by this unknown folk group at one of the political rallies in the state is just an attempt to become popular and land some new assignments. The tradition of singing, which has turned into a popular profession, is going through a confusing patch. No body knows who will be the winner in this blind race.
- August 29, 2004

Badal Sircar felicitated

          Pune: The theatre legend Badal Sircar was felicitated at a two-day festival organised at the Symbiosis Vishwabhavan here. The event was organised by noted film artist Amol Palekar. Counted as one of the four playwrights along with Vijay Tendulkar, Mohan Rakesh and Girish Karnad to have moulded modern theatre, Badal Da's ability to connect to his audience was lauded. Present on the occasion were a galaxy of screen and theatre luminaries, including Vijay Tendulkar, Satyadev Dubey, Amrish puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Amol Palekar, Nana Patekar, Mahesh Elkunchwar, Ratna Pathak Shah, Niloo Phule, Rohini and Jaidev Hattangadi, Sulabha Deshpande, SN Navare and Pratibha Agarwal. Speaking on the occasion, Sircar said: "I am a simple theatre man, yet you have showered me with love. In Bengal, theatre people hate my guts, here everyone loves me." The programme on the works of Sircar saw the staging of his work Hattamalar Oparey by a Kolkata-based group called Action Players. The highlight being the fact that nine members of the cast were hearing impaired, while three were not. The artists also performed a play to near perfection. Danced to mesmerising tunes, gave excellent expression to words unspoken. And unheard, they could not even hear the thunderous applaud that accompanied the standing ovation that they got. This was perhaps the most befitting tribute to the freedom of expression that Badal Sircar embodies. Expressing his feeling for Sircar, Palekar said: "The respect and the love that we have for Badal da is what we wanted to show. Theatre wallahs past present and future, all of us have come together, to tell Badal da that through your plays, we have enjoyed your plays that have given life a different perspective and made our life resourceful. To tell him about our feelings was our duty because we feel that we need to preserve his theatre. We preserve films very easily but theatre is different thing altogether." He added that the theatre is a live art form, should be preserved to recreate the renaissance theatre. Expressing his feelings, actor Nana Patekar said: "Badal Sircar's theatre is experimental which we cannot forget. It was our need in the 70's. You have done a lot for us, and we wanted to do something in return. It was a very homely affair but Pune made it a big affair. Badal Da is the Bhismacharya of theatre and it was he who laid the path for others to follow." Bollywood's favourite villain Amrish Puri said that Badal Da's stature is like a mountain something that puts you in awe and humbles you by its sheer grandeur.
- August 24, 2004

Hungry Tide released

          Mumbai: Oxford Bookstore in association with Orient Longman yesterday hosted the launch of The Hungry Tide, a novel by Amitav Ghosh. It was released by celebrated actor and director, Rahul Bose, and Homi Bhabha, Professor of English and American literature, Harvard University, amidst a select gathering. Speaking about the event, Mr. Rajiv Chowdhury, Chief Operating Officer, e.books World Private Limited said, "We are indeed privileged to have launched his earlier two works: "The Glass Palace", "The Imam and the Indian".
- August 6, 2004

                                                                              Previous File
Current File