I'll admit it, I don't know the first things about when to applaud during a concert. I just wait for the cue from the artist, the crescendo and then the pause. What I do know however, is to arrive on time, turn off my cellphone and enjoy the show. These are simple rules that anyone should be able to follow. Why then can't people follow these simple rules.
I was at a Zakir Hussain concert last night (more on that some other time). The concert started 30 minutes later than the advertised time, which by Hyderabad standards is right on time. As expected, people trickled in more than an hour late. The artists made several pleas to the both the audience and the organizers that this is very disturbing, but the perpetrators continued undeterred.
The people up front, the people who paid the big bucks, were the worst offenders. Not only were they fashionably late, but it seemed just attending the concert was a mere fashion statement. They didn't seem to have any interest in the music. They were there to see and be seen. Another occasion to do the "Good to see you Mrs. Reddy" and a chance to show people they are part of the cultured and the elite. What is it about the elite of this country that gives them this sense of entitlement? Why do they feel that they can break all the rules. In fact, breaking the rules seems to be the way to show that you are important.
Before this starts sounding like elite-bashing, let me return to my main point. People arrived late irrespective of the section they were seated in. A lot of people even left in the middle of the concert while the artists were still playing. For culture that is know around the world for it's art and music, where is our appreciation for it? Why is it that we have no respect for our own music.
I have heard arguments like a lot of people have made money in India, but they are not cultured. They have never been exposed to the music and hence have no appreciation for it. The next generation, if they are exposed more to the music, will develop an appreciation for it. I don't buy the argument. It is an elitist argument that assumes that you need to have a life of privilege to appreciate the finer things in life like classical music. What is beautiful is beautiful. Your bank balance does not change it. Your education doesn't either. It doesn't matter what your background is, people always appreciate the beautiful.
I don't buy the argument for another reason. This has nothing to do with being cultured. This has to do with respect. Being late for a concert and talking on the cell phone during it has nothing to do with culture. It is disrespectful to the artists and the people around you. It is a lack of basic manners. We talk about being a respectful and god-fearing people. A people who respect elders. A courteous people who respect others. I don't see any proof of it.
We might have been a respectful people once, but somewhere in those thousands of years of this civilization, we have lost that respect. It is time we find it back. For if we don't, one day soon, we may even lose the belief that we had it once.
