But the home of Ram – Ayodhya – has already hosted the pre-season curtain-raiser! Well, Ayodhya witnessed a unique confluence of north and south Indian culture recently, as Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman joined Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to unveil the statues of three south Indian saint-musicians – Tyagaraja, Purandara Dasa and Arunachal Kavi – at the Brihaspati Kund in Tedhi Bazaar, Ayodhya. For Yogi Adityanath, Brihaspati Kund is not only a historic site but also a symbol of cultural harmony, where the devotional traditions of north and south India converge. Paying tributes to the three saint-musicians, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the three established Indian classical music and devotional traditions on the global stage. “Their poetry and compositions wove the society into the fabric of love, devotion and unity,” she said. Much before the installation of these statues – chiseled by a sculptor from Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu, the Andhra Pradesh government had long ago installed a statue of legendary carnatic musician late M S Subbulakshmi at a vantage point of the road in lower Tirupathi leading up to the Seven hills. The installation event at Ayodhya saw carnatic musicians from the south, led by senior musician Sangita Kalanidhi Neyveli Santhanagopalan perform.
In an ideal ecosystem, music and business must flow – nay flower – freely without hindrance. In fact, they play an integrator role. In a diverse country like India, their role as a binding tool is significant. Ipso facto, the onus of fostering an ecosystem that allows them to flower rests on the establishments. Letting music transcend boundaries will help to reap a host of intangible benefits. This will allow adjacent activities to co-exist, triggering a positive fall-out on the business and economic front. Beyond playing a cultural integrator, music has a huge potential to contribute to the economic and social well-being of the society. It is indeed gratifying to note that leading industrial groups in Chennai have been taking active interest in promoting music of the classical kind. Of late, non-traditional sponsors among the business world are also increasingly coming forward to support classical music. That’s indeed a refreshing feeling!