#MeToo movement which exposed predators among several renowned musicians and teachers makes this Margazhi safer.
Representative image
Chennai:
The Margazhi music season is under way in Chennai, but for the first time, this year the festival has an underlying sense of uneasiness in the wake of the #MeToo movement that outed predators among several renowned musicians and teachers.
But that seems to be a good thing as this scribe recently found that young performers (especially NRI teens and youngsters who mostly travel alone to Chennai during this period, with their families overseas) feel safer approaching teachers and sabhas by themselves, confident they won’t be taken advantage of.
In fact, a few inform this reporter that over the last few months, a slew of WhatsApp groups have sprouted dedicated to the safety of these performers with others who reside in Chennai taking it upon themselves to assure safe residence as well as them guide them accordingly on who to approach and right networks to choose.
The main motive seems to be everyone working towards restoring the pristine image of the Carnatic community that has been scarred by the allegations — a step in the right direction.
—Gautam Sunder, Chennai