Why Do We Practise — For the Concert or for the Art? Vid Manamohan on Sadhana Stories with Sharath

Why do we practice music? Is practice something we do because we have an examination, a concert, or an upcoming performance? Or can practice itself become an expression of our love for the art? In this special segment of Sādhana Stories with Sharath, Sharath questions the way practice is often approached today. He examines whether musicians practice because they are drawn to the art—or simply because there is something they are expected to perform. The conversation then moves into a deeper question: what should an artist use as a benchmark? Is it winning, perfection, precision and technical excellence? Is it the artists we admire and choose as our role models? Or should the benchmark extend beyond musical ability—to consistency, commitment, the way an artist treats the stage and audience, and ultimately the relationship between the artist and the art? Sharath and Vid. G.K. Manamohan explore these questions through a conversation about opportunity, practice, role models, artistic standards and what it really means to grow as a musician. If there is no concert tomorrow, would we still sit down and practice today? That final question is essentially the philosophical heart of the segment.