The next stage in performance is not the stage. It is YouTube.
India’s young musicians, filmmakers and dancers are increasingly using the portal, described as one of the best innovations of this decade, to put the video of their performances online and get a global audience.
A digicam and a broadband connection is all it needs.
“I am a professional but corporate sponsorships are hard to come by until one is famous. But how can you be famous if people do not get to see you perform?” Indrayudh Bose (32), a Kolkata-based violin player, told Hindustan Times.
Atanu Ghosh, a 36-year-old filmmaker who directs Bengali telefilms, has uploaded his work for audiences abroad. “At the
Banga Sammelan 2006 (an annual cultural programme of US-based Bengalis), many showed interest in my films. They had no clue about the quality of current Bengali short films. Little did they realise that young directors were doing a good work,” he said.
For Mumbai-based rock singer and guitarist Sumit Bhattacharya, who has a band called Summit Attempt, it is effectiveness and convenience. “Everyone asks for a sample of work and this is the easiest way to show them, forwarding the links. Even while talking to organisers, it is very effective.”
New Delhi-based guitar artiste Kamala Shankar said but for YouTube, few would know about the Hindustani classical orchestra that she, along with her husband and few other musicians, started. “Now, we get mails from across the globe,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}New Delhi-based guitar artiste Kamala Shankar said but for YouTube, few would know about the Hindustani classical orchestra that she, along with her husband and few other musicians, started. “Now, we get mails from across the globe,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}All are equal in this global ‘technology’ village. Shambhavi Shukla, a kathak dancer from the small town of Sagar, MP, said: “Finally internet is providing a level playing field where only the quality of performance matters, which is evident from the number of hits and the kind of comments. It is a great help in the struggle that every artiste endures.”