Stodgy sponsors, true saviours

Artists looking for corporate sponsorship often run into an invisible caste system of the arts. An insidious theme of the day is suggested, and hints dropped for a trimming of performances. Brand-speak, target audiences and reach are the new mantras dictated by the sharp new business models that today's artists must contend with. A number of Indian companies dominated mainly by multinational banks and large swish conglomerates are celebrating Gen Next, and believe that this inevitably entails a trimming of any pure art form to a palatable size. Says Neel Chatterjee, Regional Head Corporate Affairs, South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank, "Nobody has an appetite for listening to pure classical music —certainly not for more than two hours. In Mumbai, on a Saturday night, please remember you have to squeeze in dinner too."

 

The bank, which had supported classical music concerts till 2001, switched tracks after its retail banking section boomed and the credit card holders' profile (35-45 years) came into play. The audience, it is assumed, is full of very restless people with relatively short attention spans, declining interest in the classical art forms and a 'what me worry?' attitude to all non-English fare, except Hindi feature films.

The accent is definitely on fusion and new age, and the bank has in recent times supported Jethro Tull and Hariprasad Chaurasia concerts in Mumbai, an Usha Uthup concert and supper theatre where, as Chatterjee points out, "a merry time was had by all."

 

Besides, the classical music concert circuit in the metros is notoriously dominated by a few big names “who are very good and have understood changing times and the needs of the audience,” according to event manager Shashi Vyas of Pancham Nishad. Pandit Ram Narayan, a sarangi maestro, found this out the hard way. Last year, along with his son, sarod musician Brij Narayan, he organised a two-day concert at Nehru Centre to raise funds in a bid to underwrite scholarships he had been actually paying his students for the last seven years. They got no sponsors.

 

Theatre in any language other than English finds it tough to find corporate support as well.  Nadira Babbar, who has five to six shows each month in Mumbai with her Hindi theatre group Ekjute, says she was plain lucky when  two years ago, her new play Jasma Odhan, with its folk art theme and style, caught the eye of Preeti Hiranandani, owner of the 8000-square feet store Cultureshop in Powai. "I try to revive folk arts and crafts at my store and it felt like a good match to sponsor the play," says Hiranandani. 

 

Ramu Ramanathan, playwright and director, who has been contending with the corporate world, finds that it is often the stodgy older banks and financial institutions in the city who are more supportive. For instance, a couple of years ago, the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and LIC HF (housing finance) offered sustained and unconditional support to develop and promote an alternative theatre space at the YMCA Andheri.

 

Luckily, a few business houses like the Tata Group show that it is possible to merge the brand-led approach with a broader empathy for art and culture. Romit Chaterji, VP Corporate Affairs, Tata Services, says the Kauns Rang music festival promoted by Tata Sons for young and unknown classical artists was a meaningful experience.  "We found it to be a good connect with youngsters and it was very well attended," he says. Tata Sons is now sponsoring a truly massive effort by supporting 100 SPIC-MACAY concerts all over the country next year.

 

Interestingly, 30 of these concerts are by artists who are practitioners of an art form that is dying out.

 

Moin Qazi, AGM (Public Relations) at SBI's community services, says he found too many funds for pop shows, so they concentrate on classical and folk arts.

 

"Business angles are not always uppermost. One can always earn goodwill by doing something for the community as well." The bank organizes 15-20 big public concerts in the city each year. For artists of the classical and indigenous traditions, it seems, nothing like the old faithfuls.

 

 

Two to tango

 

Kauns Rang, music festival of new talents in Hindustani classical music, organised by Pancham Nishad, presented by Tata Sons

 

Roohaniyat, a festival of Sufi and mystic music featuring 200 performers, organised by Banyan Tree, supported by Tata Consultancy Services and State Bank of India

 

Mummenschanz, a mime group from Switzerland,  sponsored by Tata Sons

Karnataka folk art and music including kamsale (cymbals) and dollukunthe (drums), supported by Central Bank of India, Dena Bank, Ceat Tyres and Union Bank of India

 

Devina Dutt is Associate Editor of The Little Magazine