About Isaiyarangam - 1 2 3 4 5

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Classical fine arts require maturity for understanding and appreciation. Just as one cannot just dive into Shakespeare and love it, one cannot delve into Carnatic music and love it. Its beauties must be taught first and slowly. The listener is taken to the river of Carnatic music through a thick, discouraging forest. In Hindustani music this path is clear, through the well-worn path created by Gazhal. This light, airy music that still includes the virtues of the classical, helps to draw masses into the arts. This simpler version, serves to get people accustomed to the form, and develop a taste for such music and to hunger for more. Its verse is of life and love. Its sweet sounds soothes the soul, intoxicates and makes you yearn for a bit more intricacy, and a bit more, till you reach the level of enjoying classical Hindustani music. This is how one is weaned into a devoted Hindustani classical listener.

We have to create a similar form of music as a gateway to Carnatic music. Today in Toronto, there are more than 1000 students learning Carnatic music.  However, the parents who encourage  them to learn rarely ever attend concerts that their children are not a part of. Can the reason be the lack of mass appeal of Carnatic music? Can the average person ever learn to love Carnatic music? Is there a bridge between light and classical music? Is it possible to find answers to these nagging questions? The desperate need to bring Carnatic music to all Tamils especially in Toronto gave rise to the creation of Isaiyarangam, specifically established to explore and find practical means to achieve our goal.

Vision:

Propagating a musical structure that is unique to Eelam Tamils.

Mission:

Easing the transition of appreciation of light music to classical South Asian music by exposing listeners to key elements of fine art.

Objectives:

To foster and preserve our traditional music by:

• Giving listeners who have been over-exposed to harsh Western music a soothing touch of Eastern music;

• Combine the artistic vision of poets and musicians to compose unique masterpieces which can be appreciated by the mass public;

• Propagate this musical format to places where ever Tamils reside;

• Facilitate and encourage the performance of this art for any artist who shows interest;

• As music has no boundaries, we must make room for all formats of music and make it available to everyone.