The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has led to new norms of social distancing and wearing masks, accompanied by the economic crisis, people are choosing to spend less and go out even lesser than usual, despite lockdown 4.0 coming to an end. All industries have taken a hit; especially the creatives, like independent artistes. With grounds, auditoriums, malls, and other performance avenues still shuttered, artists situated in Delhi, which is known to support and provide a platform for independent artists, are facing hardships.
“As an independent artist, it is already difficult to survive and achieve success in such a large industry, with big competitions, but this pandemic has affected the workflow which I had planned for the whole year,” says Rahul Dayal, 24, a musician from Mayur Vihar, whose tale of woe rings true for many in his fraternity.
Just before the lockdown, Dayal made some studio setups at home to record music without any hurdles, but in vain. He can only record a few of the songs as cover or studio versions, as he can’t do outdoor shooting for the others. Dayal also mixes music for clients, but given the pandemic, he is losing clients. “Being an independent artist gives you the strength to not depend on anyone. That is why, I won’t say my work has totally stopped, but I realise I have lost the whole year in my journey of making a career in the music industry. I would do a lot of shows in cafes, bars, and other public places, but I can’t even go for shows now. I just do some live music sessions on my Instagram page and make covers shooting with my phone at home,” adds Dayal.
Meanwhile, Sumit Pratihast, lead vocalist of Desi Roots, is dedicating this time to songwriting. “I can’t wait to get together with my fellow musicians to record these songs. I have been uploading a few videos on my social media pages to keep my friends and audiences entertained and uplifted in such tasking times,” Pratihast says. As a freelance artist, the idea of staying at home didn’t feel unnatural, even though many of his plans have been postponed by months. “I feel it’s worse for people who can’t do without going to work every week. Work, for us musicians has come to a temporary standstill. However, I did a few online gigs during the lockdown. This compels me to reinvent myself and practice harder,” he says.
Kathak dancer Rekha Mehra says, for artists most of their daily expenses and immediate income depend upon the programmes and events where they perform. “Delhi is one of the places where large scale cultural events were organised and all the artists use to come forward to promote India’s art and culture through these shows. In the wake of COVID-19, all the events have been cancelled. Our Indian heritage events, which were the most sought-after programmes just a few months back, are now the hardest hit industry due to the cultural shutdown and is facing financial hardship,” says Mehra.
Resonating similar sentiments, Kathak Guru Rani Khanam says, the uncertainty brought about by COVID-19 has profoundly affected the arts and culture sector. “By mid-March 2020, most cultural activities like events, exhibitions, performances were either postponed or cancelled and many cultural institutions and training schools run by individual artist were closed. COVID-19 has ruined the livelihoods of many artists and I appeal to the government for financial help, especially, for those who are poor and are in financial crisis.”
Ritika Chandra, Artistic Director and Founder of Elan Ballet, has witnessed many dancers lose their jobs and their source of income in this pandemic. “Artists, in general, normally don’t have a regular income and rely upon on contract-based projects, be it for teaching workshops or professional performances. The current crisis has brought the entertainment industry to a complete standstill influencing a prominent change in the dance community. Today, most schools and mentors have chosen to teach on online platforms in an attempt to keep the art alive. We, at Elan Ballet, are reaching out to dancers at home to help support their training, and even offering some of them full scholarships,” says Chandra.
Despite the health scare, and the live performance market slowly disappearing, many artists are accepting the challenges as they come, and focusing on writing new music, teaching and creating subscriber-based revenue generation.
In a nutshell
Not only the workflow is low, the artists have started to lose their clients. While the artists have been coping up with the situation by doing digital gigs, schools and mentors have resorted to teaching online in an attempt to keep the art alive.