Dr Kiran Seth: Save the Tiger ...and maybe also the "Rudra Veena"
Channel: Bharat Vandan
Date: 2015-02-18

Written by Dr. Kiran Seth (Founder of SPICMACAY)
When Ustad Asad Ali Khan passed away a few years ago, it suddenly struck me that future generations would not possibly hear the Rudra Veena played in the majestic ‘Khandarvani’ style, that he had mastered. A legacy passed down through many generations has only one doubtful inheritor. When the tiger was getting extinct the dwindling numbers were carefully recorded & great efforts were & are being made to make sure that our children and their progeny do not miss out on this beautifully evolved animal. However, a treasure chest of our heritage has just disappeared and very little attention is being paid to this fact. It may be argued that Darwin’s theory of evolution would necessitate the birth of new forms emerging from the old. If anything can positively affect even a very small group of people intensely in the present, it has relevance and requires support. The Rudra Veena and many other instruments, and art forms in the country like Dhrupad, Surbahar, Gottuvadyam, Kudiyattam, Biraha, Pandavani and the Patua style ofpainting are fast disappearing, and very little is being done about this fact. Our ancestors, realizing that each human being is unique, designed many roads leading to the same goal. We learn about these great discoveries from our gurus and then choose one or more to find our own way to our goal. Each of our art forms represents a philosophy of life and when one is lost, we lose one road to the top of the inner mountain.