Thamil Isai Kalaamanram
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Thamil Isai Kalaamanram (TIKM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting classical Carnatic music and Bharathanatyam dance in Ontario, Canada, headquartered in Toronto. Founded in 1992, this Toronto-based organization has grown to become the widely-accepted conservatory of South Indian music and dance, servicing over 160 teachers in Canada.
The 3 main goals of TIKM are: (1) to provide opportunities for young singers, musicians, and dancers to stage their performances; (2) to provide opportunities for Canadians to listen to professional artists from India and Thamil Eelam; and (3) to conduct standardized Carnatic music and Bharathanatyam dance examinations for students from grades one to seven.
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[edit] Organization
Since its conception, TIKM has been a volunteer-run organization. Its current administrative organization consists of 4 levels: members, assistant directors, executive directors, and advisory directors. Membership is open to all, and official members can present new motions and make suggestions at the Annual General Meeting held in January. During this meeting, open elections are held in order to choose nominated members for positions in either the Executive Committee (executive director) or in the Subcommittee (assistant director). Within the Executive Committee, several management positions are also chosen, including the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Vice-Secretary, and Treasurer. As of 2004, these annual elections were decided to be held once every three years, in order to facilitate the completion of larger projects.
Besides organizing all events and exams, the Executive Committee is responsible for making any fundamental changes to the constitution. If necessary, Subcommittee members are called upon to aid in event organization and execution. In 2005, the Executive Committee passed a motion allowing for the creation of an Advisory Committee consisting of five internally-chosen Carnatic professionals. This committee is called upon whenever changes to the music syllabus or other pertinent issues are proposed. Suggestions made by the Advisory Committee require official approval from the Executive Committee before being introduced to the organization. The current administrative cycle ends in December 2006, and elections will be held in January 2007.
[edit] Musical Examinations
Since 1992, the principal activity of TIKM is to organize standardized Carnatic music and Bharathanatyam dance examinations for Canadian students. These annual exams are held in Toronto during the autumn months. The last examination cycle in 2005 contained over 2000 applicants from 100+ teachers. Originally, the tests were administered in the following subjects: vocal, violin, veena, flute, and mrudangam. In 2002, Bharathanatyam dance was also introduced. These exams consist of seven grades, and have been modelled after similar testing centres in South India and Sri Lanka. Other than the introductory Grade 1, which contains only of a practical component, all subsequent grades require successful completion of both the practical and the theoretical elements. From Grade 4 onwards, an oral component is also introduced, and this level represents the informal watershed between junior and senior students. The final Grade 7 exams have a significant teaching component in order to prepare graduates for music education.
In these tests, successful students are graded by a panel of impartial judges into 4 categories: distinction (75-100%), first division (65-74%), second division (55-64%), and ordinary pass (45-54%). These candidates are given their certificates and plaques (for distinction and first division students) during the Isai Vizha celebrations held during the late winter months. Besides these 4 categories, two other divisions are used for unsuccessful candidates: “referred” (for a pass in the practical, but a failure in the theory), and “unsuccessful” (for failure in both practical and theory components). These candidates must rewrite their tests in the next examination cycle in order to apply for any subsequent grades. As of 2005, only 4 students have graduated from the Grade 7 exams held by TIKM. These are:
Abhiramy Vivekananthan (Violin, 2001)
Jamuna Jeyanthy Lankeswaran (Violin, 2003)
Surenthar Tharmalingam (Violin, 2003 and Vocal, 2003)
Sujeenthar Tharmalingam (Mrudangam, 2004)
[edit] Future Directions
In the last 13 years, TIKM has witnessed rapid growth, and is currently a well-recognized organization in the South Indian community of Ontario. However, awareness of TIKM and even Carnatic music in general has been lacking in the broader community. One of the main mandates of TIKM is to increase awareness of Carnatic music in Canada.
