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Sponsor a
musician scheme
A
new initiative is being launched by Sadarang Archives aimed at safeguarding
musical traditions in danger of falling into oblivion. The basis of the scheme
involves sponsoring a number of classical musicians over a period of twelve
months.
The
primary reason for starting the scheme is to ensure that an essential part of
our cultural heritage does not fall victim to historical neglect. Classical
music has been on the demise in Pakistan for over fifty years and urgent steps
are require to halt the stagnation. It
is hoped that this initiative will highlight the importance of our musical
heritage and form an important step in the propagation of classical music.
Aims
and Objectives
The
major aim of this initiative is to ensure certain classical music traditions
are propagated to the next generation. The scheme hopes to achieve the
following objectives:
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Provide financial assistance to a number of senior exponents in
order to transfer their knowledge to the next generation of
musicians.
-
Create awareness amongst classical music enthusiasts of talented
musicians benefiting from sponsorship and promotion.
-
Encourage other art-promoting organisations to start similar schemes
in order to halt the demise of classical music.
-
Highlight the progression of each sponsored musician through the
medium of this website.
-
Facilitate
a congenial environment for the growth and promotion of classical
music in Pakistan.
Focus
of the Scheme
The
scheme will primarily focus on promoting the sarangi due to the
fact that there are only a handful of exponents left in Pakistan today.
Widely considered as one of the most difficult instruments to play, the sarangi
is a bowed stringed instrument of the Indian sub-continent. The
instrument is mainly used in accompaniment with classical and
semi-classical forms of vocal music due to its ability to replicate the
subtleties and nuances of the human voice. With the passing away of many
senior practitioners, youngsters are not being groomed to replenish the
void. Musicians have often lamented that they cannot teach students or
family members due to financial constraints. This scheme aims to
alleviate their financial burden and create an encouraging environment
to impart musical knowledge.
The
scheme will also promote the pakhawaj, another instrument in
danger of disappearing from the concert platform. With only a single
performing pakhawaj player in Pakistan today, immediate attention
is needed to safeguard the tradition of this austere instrument. Other
talented musicians featured in the scheme include a bansuri player
and vocalist.
How
the scheme will be initiated and monitored
The
first phase of the scheme is to generate funds to finance the project
and we urgently require the assistance of our readers, multinational
companies and philanthropists to make this venture successful. A PayPal
account has been set up to facilitate donations and amounts are also
being accepted via money order and personal cheque.
Once
we know how much funds have been raised, focus can be placed on the
number of musicians to support. Each musician will be paid on a monthly
basis. As a compliance check, the names of all donors will be included
on our website with the amount they are donating towards the cause.
A
board to manage the scheme has been set up comprising of individuals
from the music and business sectors. Eminent ghazal and thumri
vocalist Salamat Ali is the Artistic Consultant who has been given the
task of monitoring the progress of the scheme.
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