CHENNAI: Life on earth dons the newly tailored suit of complexity. The simple gowns and trousers of yore have bid adieu. A look at all the career choices raining down on 12th graders ready to embark on their journey, is proof enough of how complicated life has become in this 21st century. Back in the plain days, there were doctors, engineers, teachers and the occasional lawyer.
An ache meant a visit to the general physician. It isn’t so easy now. One first needs to identify the part that causes pain. All those who failed their childhood biology classes are in deep trouble as identification of the ache is key to finding the designated specialist. If the hurt is in one’s thoughts, there are experts to handle that too. And thus, the heavyweight jobs have all multiplied in multitudes. New occupations are born every day. A plethora of options render decision-making an arduous, confusing process for the student, much like when the waiter hands you a 100-page menu!
In this evolution of occupations, what has become of the once noble sphere of art? Sadly, it stands almost in solitude as one of the most misunderstood lines of work. History tells us of a time when every monarch desired a portrait and artists and sculptors were the pride of kingdoms.
That was when the Michelangelos and the Leonardo da Vincis were household names. In the centuries that followed, art was still a sought-after employment that called for extraordinary skills and the power of imagination. Somewhere along the way, these uncomplicated career paths were transformed into race tracks with the lure of steady jobs with fat incomes goading one to run faster while art, with its no-fancy-promises policy, faded in a shroud of vagueness. Art, you see, is difficult to quantify and thus, finds itself ineligible to compete on that race track.
Consider this scene which is a part and parcel of an artist’s encounters with society in current times. A group of varied professionals meet at a social gathering and as is the norm, introduce themselves to each other. An introduction does not merely involve an exchange of names but also requires one to spell out one’s chosen life path. Perhaps it helps the other to better understand one’s worth. When it is the artist’s turn and pronouncements are made, a puzzled expression almost certainly contorts the facial expressions of most present. On some occasions, a singular question if one runs an art school is asked.
A response in the negative surely warrants a dismissal of the artist’s significance in the larger scheme of things. From that point on, while enquiries are made about everyone’s work life details, the artist is largely made a listener and deemed absolutely useless in terms of the contributions to the functioning of the universe.
As humanity progresses, it is important to hold hands with art and culture and advance together. We must start at the beginning, in our school education, to create awareness and restore the glory of art as a career. Let us place art back on its pedestal with all the other co-participants of the marathon!