Can all art be the spirit of a civilization?

 Comment on mint Lounge article: Art is the soul and spirit of a civilization

What China has achieved is at a cost, of culture, of ancient traditions, of songs and dance which has no immediate GDP worth. Without any comparison to China which definitely can’t be a standard of growth with respect for such arts, have we really taken care of these No-GDP-Worth issues? When we go for generalizations as another columnist in today's mint Chandrahas Choudhary has written, we tend to generalize things the way we see. What happens in Bangalore doesn't happen in Delhi or Patna or Mumbai. Having said that, it's true that Indians on an average have successfully adapted their culture, tradition, music and lifestyle to suit the fast life of modern world. But we too have shed a fair share of traditionalism. We too have resorted to majoritarianism in culture. We too have been unfair to the culture of those who have failed to be the part of the elite that dominates our polity, of those who have remained socially and economically backward. Agreed we can't compare poverty alleviation with Mayan temples, but the soul of a civilization lies in the spirit behind the art. And how can we forget the commercialization of art in recent years? True, commercialization comes with its own incentives and art can’t survive without commercialization. But there is a sort of uniformity in the background of the person who form the backbone of this commercialization and that is where the real art’s spirit appears to have become a captive. While having art in whatever form only enriches, art is not what is exclusive.
The day our democracy will be able to ensure that not only the art, culture and music elitists like us give credence to but also those of the illiterate and the backward stand on same platform, art will form the real soul of the civilization.