The first song I heard at CARTS
was ‘Dil Khush Hai Aaj Unse-Ghazal’ and it has left an ever lasting imprint on
my life. CARTS was beauty all over. It was by far, the only course where I
attended 21 sessions out of a requisite 20 (one session attended with the other
batch!). I blended with the music, art, drama, literature discussed in class
and almost mouthed what the Professor was going to say, 2 seconds before he
did!
There was a great connect
established between the Master and each Pupil! We were led on a purposeful
exploration of the creative balance that existed in nature. That which never
disturbed but only accentuated happiness. We were urged to identify the simple
yet profound aspects of the same. Be it the musical brilliance created by stalwarts
such as SD Burman, RD Burman, the richness of instruments from peppy pipe to
violin shadows, the enchanting voices of Lata, Asha, Kishore Kumar, etc, the
confounding charms of Maurice Escher, the feathered horrors of Hitchcocks’s
‘The Birds’, the helplessness in Satyajit Ray’s ‘Sadgati’, the sand art, the
yodelling, the comic fantasies and so on, CARTS called out the most basic of
beauty and I was completely enamoured.
How powerful can silence be, how
fearful can darkness get, how lonely can a shadow be, how haunting can an echo
get? CARTS helps you realise all these and much more. It is a compelling
subject, a culmination of deep study, one that triggers an intense thought
process, but allows you to spot the answer only if you’re relaxed, calm and
patient.
Personally, CARTS was a timely
baton that helped me transition from the humdrum of first year to a much
sweeter, lively and memorable second year. It added a spring in my step and
outlook. Never did I think I would be sitting in such a unique course that too
in MBA curriculum but it was worth every moment.
About the Professor, here was an
accomplished Mathematician teaching Creativity. He would put all his energy
into endless research and has hence mastered the art of identifying a
masterpiece. He took us back in time when life was much simpler and left us
there. A person who has taken time off to appreciate the finer aspects of life,
I’m glad he did and much more glad that I did too!
Aarthi Priyadharshini
T
PGP 2010-12, IIMB
I do not want to let go the opportunity to tell
you that CARTS (in term IV) was one of the best courses I have done at IIMB.
Few inventions of mankind match up to the pleasure (and learning) provided by
books, music and motion pictures. And this course has honestly made all these
media much more enjoyable for me.
Deepak Maloo
PGP 2010 - 12, IIMB
My main motivation in joining this course was your
teaching methodology itself. Sir, you had mentioned that you would be using
songs both audio/video and paintings as a medium to discuss various aspects of
creativity. I thoroughly enjoyed them because, it rekindled the liking towards
old melodies. There were other aspects such as reflection and voids in music,
which I knew existed, before this course, but I could never appreciate the
significance of it. The class was always glued to your teaching because there
was something new that would come up in a song that was being played. For me it
was one of the best courses that I had in IIM Bangalore.
Subin Balasubramaniam K
PGP 2010 - 12, IIMB
A course
that is interesting and more importantly ,refreshing.
In this
course, I learnt to appreciating finer aspects of everyday visual and aural
phenomena. While many
art enthusiasts have taken this course, this actually caters to a wider target
segment. For anyone
who has not been gifted with the ability to enjoy art from childhood (Yes, one
needs ability not just to create art but even to enjoy art), this is like a
crash course from a layman’s perspective. Above all,
this is one class where one can truly have fun instead of using management
jargon and cooking up meaningless 4x4 diagrams!
R. Shankar
PGP 2010-12, IIMB
I found the CARTS course refreshingly different from the regular MBA courses that I have undergone during the PGSEM program. The course is focused on the creativity part in music, movies, literature and even some of the elegant mathematical proofs! I used to look forward to attending the CARTS classes, since they used to show some of the poignant scenes from some of the best classical movies of the world, or play some of the best music the world has produced. The analysis that CARTS Professor did in the class also opened up for me a new way of looking at and appreciating films, music, literature, humor, etc - something I sorely lacked being trained and worked in Engineering and IT and always looking at things from an analytical and quantitative angle rather than the creative way. I think this course had a beneficial impact in opening up my mind on areas which I used to view as nebulous and lacking structure - which I now understand that there indeed is an underlying structure to creativity in music, arts & literature.
Each CARTS class was well-conducted with lot of thought going into conducting them. The high degree of preparation by the Professor clearly showed, and the time was well managed. The Professor was also open to feedback from the students, without losing control of the discussion in the class. I thank the Professor for this course and help broadening my mind.
Ritabrata Bhaumik,
PGSEM - 2012, IIMB
Creativity in Arts and Science is one of those few courses that I strongly recommended to my friends. CARTS is such a unique course the sorts of which I had never seen before or after. I never had the heart to miss a single lecture and I knew that all my friends shared the same feeling towards this course. If you are looking for a course which does not rely on literature that already exits, and rather deals with more of observation and learning this one is for you. There will be a lot of moments in future after this course when you will recollect some concepts and cherish !
There is a lot of fun in this learning process as you get an exposure to some of the World's best compositions in all forms of art. Even taking up exams was more fun than you can possible imagine. This course will bring to light the amount of creativity and thinking that goes into constructing a single piece of art be it music, painting, a piece of prose or even a video. This journey in art will be a totally different approach altogether from your other usual management courses and will certainly improve your observations and creativity that you will need in everyday life.
Priyadharsini. B
PGP 2009 - 11, IIMB
By far, this has been one of the best courses offered to us. I learnt quite a bit and I thoroughly enjoyed doing so. You gave us an opportunity to experience some of most brilliant creative pieces to have ever been created. But for you, I would have never gotten to know about many of these classics. I can say with confidence that it has left a deep impact on many of us. It is not uncommon to hear “La Noyee” or Hum Dono songs playing in many of our hostel blocks even today.
Be it RD’s musical masterpieces, Hitchcock’s brilliant movies or Tolstoy’s literary works, every one of the creative works presented in class coupled with your insights and asides made every class a truly enriching and enjoyable experience. Personally I have experienced many “Aha” moments when you explained the rich creative elements present in many of the pieces. This has been a truly wonderful journey!
Aishwarya A
PGP 2010 - 12, IIMB
Creativity in Arts and Sciences is a unique course in IIMB. The only prerequisite for this course is an open mind and in return the students are rewarded with a wealth of rich experiences. There is exposure to arguably the best music chosen diligently from Hindi and Tamil movies and western classical music as well. Interesting topics such as geometry and literature are also covered. This course provides a glimpse into the work of maestros like Escher, S.D. Burman, Euclid, Alfred Hitchcock, Victor Hugo and stress is laid on the various creative elements used by them. Concepts such as contrast, symmetry and reflection are covered in great detail and attention is drawn towards their effective usage in different domains of art. All in all this course is a melting pot of all good things.
Shruti Johari
PGP 2009 - 11, IIMB
CARTS – A Note from the Heart
“Creativity in Arts and Science? You must be kidding me! I belong to the crème de la crème in the country, a bona fide student of Management, pursuing a degree from an institute whose repute makes people turn green with envy. I don’t need a course in the Arts”.
You could be forgiven for reacting thus at the very mention of such a course. Prima Facie, this course might indeed seem out of place in an institute like ours, but is not necessarily out of scope. If there’s one thing Management gurus the world over agree upon, it’s got to be the importance of innovation in an organization. And innovation is but an expression of creativity. In order to be able to innovate consistently, it is essential to learn how to appreciate creativity; which is what this course is all about. That should put to rest any qualms about, “what is my take-away from this course?” or rather, “is there any take-away at all?” This course might not be many things, but it certainly is a welcome change from the spate of projects and assignments, not to talk of typical B-school classroom sessions – hegemonies of 2X2 matrices and entry and exit strategies, which we are only too used to.
The course starts off with a peek into the world of music composers of yore, a generation that had to live in a world devoid of software; a time when real instruments had to be used to compose music. As the course wound its way down labyrinths of shadows and reflections, of whose existence I was oblivious to till then, it slowly dawned on me why composers like SD Burman or singers like Kishore Kumar deserve their places in the pantheon of all time great musical maestros. They had pioneered musical traditions, set new standards, and in all, had left a legacy behind, which their successors had built on. Just when you begin to think it can’t get any better, enter movies – a culmination of creativity on probably every front known to man. I’ve forever been unable to explain why I love certain movie sequences, while I don’t think much of certain others. I’d dismissed this to be just a bias owing to my particular tastes and opinions; but this still doesn’t explain why some movies are loved by all and a precious few are even accorded global recognition. We get to know why. The professor sheds light on the copious amount of work that goes behind perfecting every frame, the importance of timing, how seamless transitions need to be, how even a seemingly harmless shadow across a person’s face can be a subliminal message and the traits of a movie worth repeat viewings – or to put it succinctly, the makings of a classic.
Loyalists of Keats’ School of Art, who advocate that “heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter still”, might not favour the idea of breaking art down to this extent and even argue that subtleties are better appreciated if left alone and not analysed critically thus. And as further propounded by Vairamuthu, “Kavidhai variyin suvai... artham puriyum varai...”*, a critical, analytical and scientific view of art might not be everyone’s supper; but this glorious revelation of creativity and its sublime beauty set in the context of our PGP course, if anything, will only serve to manifold the respect and appreciation scientific morons like we, have towards the arts. And hence, the course is justified. The best part is that we begin to see even our favourite movies, the ones we’ve watched over and over again, in a whole new light.
And the professor has accorded art, science and literature their fair share of time too, for good measure. It would surprise us to know that even Mathematics, conceived to be the purest of all sciences, would be bereft of the meteoric growth it had witnessed over the ages, had art not played its part. People like Maurice Escher, who would’ve been complete strangers to many prior to the course, would be revered by the time the course is over and done with. My biggest regret is that dance, the only art form which exists in both time and space, has been left, out in the cold. This angst of mine is further fuelled by the fact that I’ve been in love with Dance since as far back as I can remember and that I believe I can be counted amongst its scores of proud, passionate exponents.
If art is at the heart of the course, then at its soul is Professor Shekar, whose genial and inimitable style makes it so hard not to enjoy the course. His enthusiasm and ebullience are truly infectious and verily, I’ll be grateful if I am half as energetic as the man is when I’m his age – superior stuff.
A note of caution: do not expect the course to hit the ground running. Because, the course bears an uncanny resemblance to our Indian Cricket Team, which, in any series, similarly, first strolls, then jogs and canters before it cruises.
If you happen to be a connoisseur of books, movies and music, then you’ll lap this course up the way I did. If you’re not, then this is your chance to become one. As they say, there’s always a first time.
Balasubramanian A
PGP 2009-11, IIMB
* From the song “Netru Illadha Matram”; movie: “Pudhiya Mugam”
