Youth's lack of interest in classical music diminishing its popularity: Chhannulal Mishra

Ask Pandit Chhannulal Mishra about the future of Indian classical music, and the disappointment in his voice is indication enough that it isn't very bright.

Visibly not very optimistic, the Padma Vibhushan awardee blames the youth's lack of interest in pursuing the classical arts for the diminishing popularity of the musical tradition that has been representative of India's rich heritage for centuries.

"The new generation doesn't want to learn. They learn for a while but not till the very end, and start considering themselves to be the masters. 'Sirf taan (the singing pf melody rapidly) maar lena hi sangeet nahi hai' (to be only able to sing a 'taan' is not music)," Mishra told PTI in an interview.

With an illustrious career spanning over six decades, the vocalist's advice to aspiring classical musicians is to first be thorough with the theory of the art form, before taking the stage.

For him, being fluent in Sanskrit and having complete knowledge of the "shastras" (ancient ...