Secure and dignified life in Arts
Living In Arts Foundation (LiAF)
Living in Arts Foundation is formed as a unit of AIMA‘s social awareness campaign for music and musicians. The Living in Art Foundation offers veteran musicians, a stable and dignified life, providing them a basic security in the form of health insurance in their vulnerable years. It also aims to identify, train and mentor under-privileged talents through its various programs. AIMA gives training, food, lodging and placement for these artistes till they can make a sustainable livelihood.
LiAF is a concerted effort to ensure the survival of great music and musicians.
Our Future
Making sure we develop potential artists regardless of their economic means.
Our Heritage
Working with senior musicians, to offer them a stable and dignified life in their autumn years.
WHY LiAF IS IMPORTANT?
Music has always flowed as an inherent and indispensable part of the Indian culture and society. The innumerable saint singers /composers across the centuries, have occupied much adored positions amidst the populace and the rulers of pre-independent India. Musicians have always held an exalted spot in the society where their only true calling was to lose themselves in their music and share the ecstasy that they experienced with listeners.
But in present times, both our society, and the way we view music and musicians, has completely changed. Like everything else in the 21st century, music and musicians are being packaged, branded, marketed and sold.
Nowadays, music has transformed from one of the purest art forms, to pure industry. But there still exists a part of the society who live with that almost unshakable calling to music and want for nothing else. However, with the monetary and societal barriers of today, experiencing something, even as universal as music, has become a divisive and a restrictive process.
The Living in Art Foundation (LiAF) aims to offer these passionate individuals a chance to explore their options and experience the joy of music.
Note from the Founder-Chairman
Sangeet Laya Samrat Dr T V Gopalakrishnan
The Thought Behind LiAF
Living in Art Foundation is formed as a unit of AIMA‘s social awareness campaign for music and musicians. In the days of Raj (lastly the British) “Indian culture and heritage" had a great marketability globally. But pathetically it was all about gems, jewellery, sculptures, bronzes and of course the palm-leaf manuscripts and paintings. In the last days of the monarchy and after the dawn of independence, Indian performing arts suffered a great deal. The artists all of whom identified with the freedom movement including myself in my adolescence were given the short shift – in the larger canvas of a place in the society. My Guru the great doyen of Carnatic Music - Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar succinctly summed it up when the then President of India Dr. Radhakrishnan - while he was adorning him with the President's National award proudly asked him as to the great service that the popular government is towards fine arts. He replied to Dr S Radhakrishnan that - "In the pre-independence days there were over 600 Kings and thousands of Lords and Zamins and Zamindars all over the country hosting, honoring and even pampering those great achievers in Fine Arts - music, dance theatre and folk arts. They were taken care of at all stages of their lives especially when they were super talented – by giving them houses and retainers to live comfortably in the autumn of their lives. But the new government did away with all the monarchy and perpetuated the great patronage by giving one award each. For every identified discipline note- that all were not considered. All those thousands who could not catch the eyes of the Cultural Ministry, Ministry of Home Affairs and others who matter."
FOCUS OF lIAF ACTIVITIES
LIVE ON
Another facet of the “industrialization” of music in India is the sad plight of indigenous, veteran musicians and allied artists. Once revered as pinnacles of art and spiritual progress, these men and women who have truly and wholly dedicated their entire lives and beings to music, stand even without the chance of a dignified livelihood today. Though a select few who have enjoyed untold fame and fortune due to music still exist, a majority of indigenous artists are today, found to be on the very brink of poverty. They are seen pulling through life with no one for support and lack even basics such as jobs or health insurance to aid them in their autumn years. The Living in Art Foundation hopes to offer these truly distinguished individuals, a stable and dignified life, providing them a basic security in the form of a health insurance in their vulnerable years. We shall endeavour to provide these veteran musicians with part time employment as music teachers, so they can sustain a living whilst passing their hard-earned knowledge to the next generation. We must come together to restore a modicum of peace and dignity to these yesteryear artists. It is said that a person who has lost his purpose is merely a shell of a man, only a shadow of what he truly is. These artists are people who have truly given their body, mind and soul to music, serving of humanity. Yet in our current social model, they have been denied the one thing that they were born to do: live the art. After dedicating their lives to spread the joy of music far and wide, from your favourite song, to the song you played in the car today, their own lives have become void of life's natural harmony.
ACHAARYA NIPUNA
Many passionate artists hail from the lowest economic and social strata of the society, lacking any such opportunities, and driven only by their passion for music. The intent of the Achaarya Nipuna program is to work with sensitivity towards these groups, whose cultural aspirations and contributions remain unrecognized and under-represented.
The trust aims to bring together people of all communities and create fresh cultural collaborations that transcend the barriers of language, race, religion and diverse cultural traditions.
The funds received for this project will be channelized towards these young men and women, who, despite great hardships and family commitments, have chosen to make a career in music and related arts.
Join our Living in Arts Foundationand make a change that counts.
Let's reintroduce the joy of music to the lives of these remarkable human beings, giving back some of the happiness they have given us. Any contributions we can get will be highly valued and carefully distributed. And of course, you will have the opportunity to see the progress of the individual artists you have sponsored, bringing you a true sense of satisfaction.
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