Daily Times

Art serves as a vehicle for the expression of inner feelings and emotions. It is through art that man gives voice and shape to things that cannot be explained otherwise. Thus art helps man explore new aspects of life.

Although art is such an important field, we have unfortunately lost its value. It’s significance has slipped our minds, and it does not get as much attention as it deserves, for we have given up valuing and patronizing our artists— especially singers and painters.

One might be wondering as to how we have lost the value of art and might be calling for tangible proof. To those who think so, get the answer by taking a look at the video of cultural Sindhi singer Sodhal Faqeer. The video went viral and had been doing the rounds on social media platforms such as Facebook. In that video Sodhal Faqeer can be seen walking helplessly and from watching that video it clearly appears that Sodhal is living a life of poverty and is in dire need of financial assistance. The video of Sodhal Faqeer is a tale of the stories of almost all artists, barring those who belong to affluent families or have other sources of income. Like Sodhal Faqeer, there are numerous artists who are living through the same situation. They are unable to make ends meet. Thus artists– singers, painters, sculptors etc., cannot earn even their livelihood through art. Despite the fact that they have given all their time and devotion to it, they have received nothing tangible in return.

This attitude of the general public would result in serious repercussions for the art, for when the artists are living in poverty and are worried about feeding their families, how is art supposed to make progress. It will of course not make as much headway as it would if the artists are free from such concerns. In such a case the evolution of the art would stagnate. The artists would never be able to explore the new vistas of the field. Hence, there will be no innovation and the art would rotate around the same old, traditional patterns. This in turn would render art boring. It will lose its objective as a source of entertainment.

In order for the art to develop freely and make strides, the artists are expected to be free from petty issues of bringing home the bacon, for among other things the art demands full attention of the artist as well as his/her time. If any of the two elements is lacking, the quality of the work of art produced will be compromised. It will lack the level of perfection it would have achieved had both the attention and time been given in a proper way. Thus if we want a painter to produce a painting, we must allow him to have sufficient time and attention. If he or she has got these two things, only then will he/she be able to give the desired result. Otherwise it would be silly to expect anything amazing from him or her, with the two aforementioned things missing.

As for the issues facing artists, a lot can be done to liberate them from their issues. One can both individually and collectively help them. As an individual one can patronize them through social media. As social media has become a good source of income for many, it can also be the same for the artists. In this way, one can help them financially by subscribing to their respective YouTube channels and by liking their Facebook pages and then by viewing their videos. This can serve two purposes: 1) financial support of the artist and 2) entertainment for the individual who does so.
Moreover, we can collectively help artists by launching campaigns aimed at compelling the government to take steps for the betterment and financial assistance of the artists. Trends on Twitter, Facebook as well as peaceful public demonstrations can go a long way to persuade the government to take necessary measures for their welfare. We can at least do these things for the artists. After all, they make our life beautiful and colourful. They devote their lives to our entertainment. They deserve this!