Tradition is the individual talent

 Have you read T S.Eliot's seminal essay? The title of our blog today is a take-off on its famous title. Tradition is indeed the individual element in each unique talent, says the Eliot essay. Let me give you an example. A danseuse-activist such as Mallika Sarabhai, for instance, could experiment as a dancer because she was deeply rooted in Bharat Natyam and Kuchipudi.

India has a great tradition artistically as well as philosophically. Indian aesthetics dates to Rishi Bharata whose "Natya Shastra", so to say, created the plinth for our dramaturgy, dance forms and music. Our great tradition, hence, of classical dance forms, of music, both Hindustani and South Indian and both oral and instrumental, are deeply steeped in the tradition which every individual artist interpretes uniquely.

So is our tradition of philosophy. The Vedas are not mere religious literature. In a way, they are the very source of how we think. As we have such a hoary tration, we can genuinely create new networks, new pathways to explore the eternal truths in every field, philosophy, wys of living, science to plastic arts, performing arts, aesthetics, architecture to sculpture, and so on.

Tradition need not be only for the classes. It is very much for the masses. The folk tradition has contributed hugely to our understanding of reality. In fact, it is argued that the seven notes of the classical music are rooted in the folk response to nature in all its manifestations. 

Sure every country, each civilisation would have its own holy tradition, and we can imbibe interesting aspects thereof into our arts, our world view. Tradition thus calibrates and celebrates the individual performance by relating it to a vaster canvas to which it can respond radically, nay negatively as well.

Let me give you an example from literature to prove my point. T. S. Eliot was not merely a critic; he was a great poet as well. He introduced 'free verse' which revolutionised poetry the world over. Yet Eliot maintained that the most unusual free verse is nothing but a distant ghost of the traditional verse forms!

In other words, tradition is the individual talent, and the vice versa, however confusing it may appear as a self-contradictory statement!

Pratima@ Why all this discussion? Well, currently is being celebrated the Heritage Week, and I was indeed lucky to have listened to great artists perform unique experiments rooted in tradition.