- Ahmedabad witnesses one of the first musical initiatives to attract the school students towards Indian Heritage Music
- There is a heap of incontestable research showing that an education rich in music improves students’ cognitive function and academic performance
- Language skills such as verbal memory, literacy and verbal intelligence have been shown to strongly benefit from musical training
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, FEB 13
With the twin objectives of attracting young students towards Indian heritage music which boosts the brain to excel in education and put an end to gadgets spoiling their health, Benu Heritage is organizing musical events for students of all age groups in Ahmedabad, the organizers said on Monday.
According o researchers, the value of incorporating music into a child’s education cannot be understated. There is a heap of incontestable research showing that an education rich in music improves students’ cognitive function and academic performance. Simply put, children learn better when music is part of their school curriculum.
Musical training has shown to lead to improvements in a wide variety of different skills, including memory and spatial learning for example. In addition, language skills such as verbal memory, literacy and verbal intelligence have been shown to strongly benefit from musical training.
About 400 school students from different schools of Ahmedabad immersed into melodious tunes of Satvik Veena by the Tantri Samrat Pandit Salil Bhatt and to the renditions of the legendary Vocalist Vidushi Meeta Pandit and also took the pledge to preserve and take forward the heritage of music at ‘Benu Heritage’, India’s biggest and first – ever initiative of orienting school and college students to the rich tradition of Indian Heritage Music, organised in Ahmedabad at Thakorbhai Desai Hall.
Talking about the initiative, Vidushi Padmaja Chakraborty, President of Benu said, “Inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to preserve and give impetus to our cultural heritage, we intend to re-define the course and promote Indian Heritage music. Now on, BENU will work with an ‘Institutional Approach’ and reach out to the youths in schools and colleges whereby we act as their partner and expose them to good quality Indian Heritage Music. Till now, there was no opportunity for the young minds for such an experience. We want the young generation to take up the mantel of preserving our rich traditional heritage, so that they will be able to preserve our rich heritage only when they get to know the right value. Though a small step, this effort will be a vital step to strengthen our cultural heritage.”
‘Benu Heritage’ was organised by BENU, a non-profit organisation promoting Indian Culture and Heritage in the field of Heritage Music, Dance, and Art along with Matrix Freight Systems Private Limited, India’s fast growing freight management Company.
The Concert was inaugurated by the School Teachers present on the occasion along with an eminent vocalist Vidushi Padmaja Chakraborty, President of Benu, Jayanta Rey, Managing Director of Matrix Freight Systems Private Limited.
Benu has created a musical platform of Benu Heritage with an objective to take Indian Heritage Music to the school and college level students by enlightening them about the rich tradition and quality of music. It intends to give the future generation a plethora of artists through this initiative.
As a part of the initiative, BENU will associate with participating schools to impart Heritage Music training to the students at least once in a month.
Commenting on this, Chakraborty said, “Indian Classical Music is not taught at a school level largely and Benu intends to contribute here. With a large number of latent talents, we are sure that our efforts will develop likings among a large number of youths and students. This would help to generate cultural shift towards Indian Heritage Music over the next few years. We shall organise Heritage Music programme in educational institutions, provide training and guidance and other necessary aspects related to music.”
Talking about the need to bolster the culture of Indian Heritage Music and support such an initiative, Sudhir Dey, Director of Matrix Freight Systems Private Limited said, “In India, cultural nationalism is proud of its linguistic heritage, culture and the diversity. But, at the same time, there is a need to protect, preserve and nurture our rich cultural Heritage Music. Unless we logistically channelise our roots to the Heritage Music and our heritage, it will be very difficult for us to stand apart and position our identity in days to come.”
