SimblyDimply questions the presence of Abhangs in carnatic music

Why does a Carnatic concert need to include Abhangs? Agreed, the exotic factor sells. Who cares about the Marati intonations coming from chaste Tamil mouths. Chastity is not everything, says the defense. Yeah right, for an art form obsessed with the sacred and chastity, the Marati abhang falls in line, and totally. Why? Isn’t the Carnatic plethora blessed with semi-classical forms that can do what an Abhang can? For that matter, how many musicians know what the purpose and meaning of the word “Abhang”is? Do they even know the place of Abhang in Marati devotional philosophies? What is a compositional type that denounces religious praise and highlights spirituality doing in a musical system thought to have great religious affinity? Why aren’t the traditonalists hurt? Because it is a ‘cool’ move. Singing Abhangs seems to be a ‘progressive’ move. At a level, it is. Getting the average Tamil musician to sing anything non-Tamil, is a huge victory in itself. But is it really any progress?