CHENNAI: Marriages come in all shapes and forms. There are those for convenience and those for the sole purpose of announcing blockbuster business collaborations. There are then, those for newfound love and those to forget the pain of an abandoned romance that still aches when touched. That isn’t all. There are marriages between institutions, ideologies and the political parties that profess them, as well as religions that on those rare occasions, seek to co-exist. We live in a day and age where weddings are slowly being looked upon as old-world anachronisms. And yet, there are those that can create a new tomorrow. The union of political organisations and art establishments is indeed a marriage that can bring about a much-needed change in our troubled times.
“Art and culture are the backbone of any society. It is only when nations and the states within, recognise and acknowledge this fact, can the human race evolve. When governments support art and sets aside budgets for this cause, new ways of thinking come about. And without cultivating a society that values its art, there can never be a well-balanced world where humanitarian values thrive,” says Murali Cheeroth, the chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, speaking from his experience of this powerful amalgamation of government bodies and the world of art and culture.
While we often lament about our ugly streets, the lack of an aesthetic sense in the life around and how quickly we have taken the blind path of a consumeristic world that seeks to pursue materialistic ambitions at the cost of destroying the planet, yet what do we ever do to remedy this? Government allocations for promoting art are minuscule and mostly directed towards traditional forms of art practices. Any contemporary artist has to set out on his/her chosen path clutching fiercely onto hope and dreams to help with survival until good fortunes decide to come by. At times, the wait for due recognition and a livelihood to live by, never sees the light of day. Often, a visit to a gambling house can be more fruitful too.
It is saddening to see wars being proclaimed every day for reasons that most of us can never comprehend as we go about our daily existence. The abnormal amount of money nations spend on defence can make any jaw drop. Perhaps it is vital to protect our boundaries and territories.
But what if nations invested in preserving and advancing cultural developments? Maybe it would transform thoughts and lead to actions that are not aggressive. Maybe we could live among our fellow humans, not just embracing our differences but celebrating them. It’s time to silence the guns and breathe in tranquillity. Let there be alliances that truly complement each other and bring forth the offspring of new possibilities for a better world.