Spotlight
Tradition, classicism and innovation

An oft repeated
assertion in music circles is that ‘Tradition should never be violated’.
Another says, ‘We purists cannot accept these experiments. The purity of Carnatic
music should never be compromised’.
These quips and more lead us to some
fundamental questions. What is tradition in Carnatic music? Or for that matter,
what is Carnatic music and what is tradition? What constitutes purity?