How to appeal to the young?

Can you hold the attention of 800 youngsters from 9 am to 4 pm for 6 consecutive days? No one gets up, or uses the cell phone in between. They do not do anything even remotely associated with today’s youth. No chewing gum, no cat call, no small talk. This is not an utopian dream, but an event that took place in Chennai from August 5, 2008 to August 10, 2008.
Svanubhava - the event was organised by Matrka (founded by Bombay Jayashri and T M Krishna) and Youth Association of Classical Musicians. The event was held for students of classical music and dance. The first two days were at the Kalakshtra with its own unique ambience. The next two days were at the Tamil Nadu Music College on the banks of the Adyar river, in an open Shamiana. The last two days were at the Music Academy auditorium.
Every day was unique. In all 85 practicing artistes had participated in the event. How did they decide about the programmes? They had spoken to the students of the three institutions to find out what they wanted. Thus they knew exactly what will gel with the students. Thus they organised a mix of concerts, lecture demonstrations, video shows, panel discussions, interviews and quizzes. This list might read like a standard list but every bit came alive because of the way it was planned.
Let me give you an example. Sivasankari, one of the most well known writers in Tamil interviewed Nithyasri, a well known singer who has made her mark in Carnatic music and film music as well. They brought the roof down because Sivasankari asked questions that were in the minds of the students. Nithyasri answered them with candour, spontaneity and quick wit. Another such session was anchored by Y G Mahendra a well known comedian in Tamil films and an accomplished tabla player himself. He interviewed leading percussionists. T N Seshagopalan, a legend gave a scintillating 2 hour concert in spite of a viral attack. He received a standing ovation. His answers to questions from the audience were empathetic, useful and even respectful. These are just glimpses of a some of the programmes.
Jayashri and Krishna remained in the background and it was the young students who were in charge running the show. On the final day Jayashri and Krishna sang together on demand from the students.
I observed the actions off the stage as much as on the stage. Every little detail seemed to matter. No glitch. No faux paux. No embarassment or red face. Just wonderful. Of course J & K were there as coaches, ever available to guide, but it was the young students who ran the show.
The event has caught the imagination of the young students as well as the senior artistes. The senior artistes were overwhelmed by the interest, the attention and the adulation. They were moved by the genuine affection they enjoyed amongst the young students. There was magic in the air.
I wondered: what made Savanubhava tick? Why was it so successful? The first thing that occurred to me was that it was not by chance that this was achieved. There was hard work and Divine Grace. (Matrka & YACM earned the Divine Grace through their hard work). Here are are few things that must have helped:
1. Co-creation: Jayashri & Krishna did not just assume what students would like. (They could well have done that because they have a good pulse of the audience). They went to the three institutions and listened to the audience. They did not stop at that but invited the students to participate in creating and managing the event, along with Matrka and YACM.
2. Ownership: The event was owned by the students of the institution where the event was hosted! That was a brilliant stroke of genius. You could see the impact of this idea.
3. Entry Free: The whole event was free for students. Including a simple lunch and two cups of tea during the day.
4. Nothing commercial about it: You did not see crass banners of various companies sponsoring every event. If there was any sponsorship it was discreet. Even the caterer who provided food free did not display his banner! That was a welcome change.
5. Simplicity, clarity, elegance, sense of humour: There were no pompous speeches about Matrka or YACM and their vision. Announcements were simple, clear to the point. A little banter that brought smiles and injected laughter, especially during the quizzes. There was elegance and ordarliness as opposed to tough discipline and rules!
6.Focus: Give the young students a good time and an opportunity to learn. There seemed to be no other agenda - hidden or otherwise!
7. Eye for detail, emphasis on quality: The quality of sound equipment was outstanding. No annoying feedback sounds in between. There were enough cord-less mikes for question answer sessions. Enough large screen TV sets placed at the right places for every body to see the event well.
Finally there was a graciousness and warmth that one could feel - something one feels in a family wedding.
Throughout all the events there was one young man running around interacting with audience, artistes, volunteers, Jayashri & Krishna. He is busy but cool and unflappable. You find out out that he is Rithvik Raja the current President of YACM. This event is a feather in the cap of Rithvik and his cohorts.
Svanubhava is an example of a potent mix. A good idea, passion, attention to detail and ambition to excel. The result is that those who attended it will talk about it for years. Those who missed it and just read about it, would not want to miss it in future. And look forward to Svanubhava 2009.
Jayashri and Krishna have demonstrated their commitment to the art once again through Svanubhava. Last year they published Voices Within - India’s first coffee table book on Carnatic Music. Then they were bold enough to experiment with a concept and launched a Voices Within Business Creativity Workshop From what I hear they have several ideas up their sleeves. I do hope that they take their ideas beyond Chennai and reach out to the world. They may not know the difference they can make.