We have come a long way as a nation. Cultural invasion is not a new phenomenon for this land. Despite the heavy onslaughts from various directions, the peoples of this subcontinent hung on to and wrapped themselves up in the warmth of their ancient cultural cloak. Many remnants of our age-old traditions still form an important part of our social fabric. Some are good, some we can definitely live without but they all form a significant part of our culture; born and bred here on this land. Moreover, we Indians, as a species have a peculiar knack to take anything, be it technology, or a new culture and make it our own, reverse engineer and re-synthesize it to suit us.

The most recent invasion that is shaping every part of the world is a rather silent and far more powerful one than any that the world has ever experienced. Unlike the previous invasions, this one spreads ever so insidiously, akin to carbon monoxide poisoning, leaving in its wake an enormous cultural destruction. The only language that it speaks is commercial and the only value it boasts is monetary and it turns everything in life into a commodity. This invasion is Globalization and it puts every culture into hideous strait jackets with no room for evolution. 

As a result of this, we, as a nation, seem to have slipped into an apathetic state of stupor and insensitivity. Rat race from kindergarten to corporate level, cheap tastes conceived and propagated by the media, in particular visual media, which cater to and arouse the most basic animal instincts, form an essential core of the culture that we experience around us today. Art and even the God Almighty have become commodities in this culture. The effect of a regular diet of these visuals on the kids and adolescents is enormous. The input of trash is resulting in the form of violent output. As a society, we are hyperventilating about the causes for degeneration of values and trying to point fingers at various things. A more practical and sensible way forward would be to focus on what can be done in parallel to counter the situation. Art appears to be the only way in which this can be accomplished. Art elevates, heals and brings back the lost balance. This conviction and a tad of audacity to face the problem head-on are the factors that brought in the genesis of the organization -Art Can Happen Anywhere (ACHA). We are convinced that the one precious tradition that is silently being lost in this chaos is that of story-telling. India has a long tradition of being a store house for stories. Whether it is the disciplining of ignorant princes in Panchathanthra Tales or the discourse of Krishna to Arjuna about the philosophy of life in Mahabharatha, story was used by Indians to pull the right string and to tweak and prune the human psyche to achieve social good. Stories connect the previous generation to the next, inculcate values, build character and teach discretion. Every art form uses stories and tells stories. Power of a good story is something that we can all dip into and use in a non-preachy way to communicate to the next generation. This was accomplished successfully by grandparents and other elders in the family in the past.The patterns that these stories weave in human brains can really go a long way in shaping lives. The change in the family structure and the change in the priorities leave us with notime for any of that now. But if we can revive this aspect somehow at home, in schools and colleges, it can bring about positive changes.

Music tells stories. So, we chose to inaugurate our organization with a carnatic music performance by Mrs. N.C.Rajya Laxmi on February 17th, 2013. The venue was the decorated terrace of one of the founders of ACHA. Mrs. Rajya Laxmi has been performing regularly on All India Radio as a graded artist for the past five decades. Armed with dual master's degrees in Telugu literature and Carnatic Music, she is an expert in Manodharma as well as the emotional aspect of the music. Her deep involvement with the swara and bhava is evident in her concert. She chose to take time to explain the story behind every krithi which the audience appreciated very much. The introductory piece 'Maha Ganapathim', a Dikshithar krithi in raga Nata was rendered in a melodious voice and with utmost devotion. This served as a wonderful preview of the musical feast to follow. She then went on to describe the playful Krishna leela in 'Swagatham Krishna' in raga Mohana, followed by the praise of the mother goddess in 'Anandamritakarshini' in raga Amritavarshini. The scholarly rendition in raga Thodi of the Tyagaraja krithi 'Raju vedale choothamu rare' described the Kanchi Varadaraja swamy's chariot festival. The swarakalpana in the form of vedic chant was very pleasing and the audience could visualize the Lord on the chariot. 'Nagumomu' in raga Abheri and a rare Tillana in Valaji were presented with the right balance of emotional propriety and the knowledge of swaras. The highlights of the performance were the Kshetrayya padams 'Maguva tana kelika mandiramunaku vedalen' and 'Ela valachithinamma' in raga Mohana and Kalyani respectively. These were rendered with total involvement and bhava and she passed on the vibration to the audience who thoroughly enjoyed the musical treat. Mrs.Rukmini Srinivasan provided a pleasing accompaniment on violin. Dr. Ravindra Tejaswi on mridangam was outstanding and provided a refreshing taniavartanam. The audience who were mesmerized by the music, the ambience and the stories, lingered around discussing the details of the concert.

Shortly, ACHA wishes to bring forward a blog with audio recordings of the interviews of people from various walks of life- writers, teachers, directors, musicians and dancers. We believe that the life stories of these people, who have contributed significantly and sensitively to their field, would serve as great inspiration for us as well as our next generations.