Demand for performing artistes on a rise

The Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University (BVDU) has decided to introduce a masters degree course in performing arts with the motive of creating good artistes in the field of performing arts. The course will start from this academic year.

Director of the BVDU School of Performing Arts, Sharangdhar Sathe spoke with Ashish Jadhav about the course, which will help students gain knowledge in music and dance through the ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’.

A gifted musician, Sathe is a senior disciple of Pandit Manohar Chimote. He started learning music at the age of eight and for almost seven years focused on learning vocals and tabla.

Later, he switched to samvadini, an instrument that changed his basic orientation, and mastered the instrument with rigorous practice of 30 years. Sathe is also the director of cultural activities of Bharati Vidyapeeth and BVDU.

Excerpts from the interview:

What inspired you to introduce a masters degree in performing arts?
India has a great cultural heritage. We have thousands of years of history behind development of different art forms, and performing arts is one of the most popular branches of various art forms.

India, especially Maharashtra, has been blessed with a rich tradition of performing arts.

Today, there are thousands of youngsters who would like to learn these different art forms. Moreover, there is a lot of scope for these students in films, theatre and television, besides live concerts and performances.

We have planned this course to cater to the demand for performing artistes.

What is the nature of the course? Will it follow classroom teaching or the gurukul tradition?
The students will be trained through classroom teaching as well as through the Guru-Shishya Parampara, as they will have to go to the residences of our faculty members, who have already carved a niche for themselves in their respective fields.

The faculties are Vikas Kashalkar, Pandit Arvindkumar Azad, Sucheta Chapekar, Manisha Sathe, Swati Daithankar, Shama Bhate, Padma Talwakar, Pandit Ajay Pohankar and Ramdas Palsule.

What are the eligibility criteria for the course and what will be the student intake and fees structure like?
To apply for postgraduate (PG) courses in music or dance, an applicant should be a graduate from any stream and should have advanced knowledge of the area in which he / she wants to specialise. At present, we have around 80 students in undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and the fee for postgraduate course is Rs15,000 per year.

How will the course offer exposure to the students in presenting their talent on stage?
The students from the BVDU School of Performing Arts will participate in various state-level, zonal as well as national-level competitions.

A few of the students will also get a chance to participate in cultural symposiums at national and international levels. Besides, we will organise workshops, talks, lectures and demonstrations by various performing artistes, at the college.