With Oasis just around the corner, the Oasis English Press had a chat with Siddhi Modi, the Oasis Coordinator of Ragamalika, about the club’s preparations for the fest. 

This year, Ragamalika would host three events, Swaranjali, a classical music competition; Taandav, a classical dance competition; and a Prof Show, which would feature a performance from Smt. Manasvini K. R. — a renowned classical dance artist currently touring in the United States. Although no new events were added for this edition of Oasis, Siddhi said that the club made an effort to incorporate fresh ideas into their existing events. She noted that many new groups would be participating in the competition this time and hence the level of competition would be higher.

Upon being asked about how they select their visiting artists, Siddhi mentioned that the club had several criteria for the same. She highlighted that the artist had the freedom to choose the song or dance of their choice. Siddhi also added that with the magnitude of an event like Oasis, they were very careful in their choice of artist so as to meet the standards that the event had attained  over the years. 

Siddhi said that she felt privileged to be a part of Ragamalika, as it was a medium for her to try her best at promoting classical arts among the youth of today. She reveals that there were certain people who discouraged them from performing these events but the club remained steadfast on their beliefs. She added that the mess signings for the events had a better response than that of previous times. 

Siddhi remarked that the club’s audience majorly consisted of elderly professors. She attributed this to the older generations being much more passionate about classical music. She mentioned that listening to classical music was often stigmatised among the younger generation, something she felt was ‘very wrong’. She believed that the key to bridging that gap would be to encourage those who share the passion for classical arts and find ways to hone their talents. 

On her tenure as the Coordinator, Siddhi mentioned that the experience had helped her to improve her time management skills. The strict deadlines and event policies for Oasis had helped Siddhi overcome her tendencies to procrastinate, she added. Siddhi believes that they had also done their best to counter the challenges brought on by the fiasco related to the fest budget. 

She concluded by saying that while the emergence of new forms of music was very catchy, ‘we must not forget the old jewel of ours and must treasure it’. She remained hopeful that the audience would support classical art forms at this fest.