Mutilating Music

The two-days college festival has raised the noise pollution in the vicinity to manifold, and the heap of dust which generally gathers on the furniture had doubled, due to the over-enthusiastic students, who were on the ad hoc noise competition, though no prize was given for this item. As one nears the college, it was obvious that one can listen to the numbers without getting close to the stage; one can easily make out the singer and the song from about 300 meters. But about 2000 odd students who had gathered at the grounds did not bother about the noise; they could still speak to their boy/girl friends over the mobile phones!

Who bothers about the noise and pollution? We all delight in making promises, declarations about how we would save the planet, but when it comes to annual functions, we let the students have what they want. I wish the college administration had the courage to tell the students that there is a decorum that needs to be observed in organizing college annual festivals. Western bands are the craze in all city colleges, though not too many of the students are used to listening English numbers, and there would be just about one third of the students who might enjoy such crazy-sounding, out-of-pitch, high sounding numbers.

In communication theories, noise is defined as unwanted, unpleasant sound, and that is what most of the modern singing turn out to be. It is the death of music in the name of voice modulation. Any abnormal and unusual noise is branded as creative expression, and higher the decibel of the noise created, the better it is esteemed. Maybe the so-called fusion artistes of the western tradition may have to listen for a second time some of the Indian classical music pieces, where one will observe that higher the pitch, the softer is the tonal quality, and even at the peak of one’s voice, the artiste would blend his voice with the instrument in such a way that there is perfect unison. That is the music which can reach directly into our hearts and arouse manifold feelings.

Kolkata has seen an alarming mushrooming of ‘bands’, Chandra Bindu, Lokhichara, Dheu, and the faster they appear, the quicker they disappear. Some of them survive because of one or two popular albums, and they imagine they have the artistic licence to do whatever they way, just because people had paid a price to purchase their albums, and they had done fairly well in the competitive market. But time will tell us that the people who know how to distinguish genuine soul-renting music from cheap, popular music, will one day throw these bands into oblivion, and bring back the traditional music forms. Then we shall hear again Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Atul Prasad, Ram Prasad, and we shall be elated to an altogether different realm.

Any attempt to bring dishonor to music is a dangerous attempt; the very people who may jump to the tune of some uncanny creative artist, may condemn the same music as noise. Human creativity can find different expressions to delve deep into the heart of all reality, and music can provide one familiar medium. If common people are deprived of this privilege to enter into another plane of reality through music, then music itself may transform its mode and reach the very people it is created for. Music can never be murdered, nor can it be mutilated. For no one can deny the music of one’s heart beat, one’s breathing, one’s flash of eyelids; for there is music in every being, both animate and inanimate, and those who can hear this music are truly heavenly beings!

Cashing on Celebrations

When a friend of mine, who happens to be part of the administration of a prestigeous city college, which celebrates 150th year of its foundation, said that it costs them rupees twenty five lakhs, to setup a stage for the five day concluding celebrations of the jubilee, which would be attended by both the Prime Minister and Home Minister of the country. It is a matter of great pride for the college administration, and more so for the past students! I was just trying to imagine what twenty five lakhs rupees would amount to, and I can hardly imagine so much of money could be spent for a passing phenomenon as jubilee celebrations.

I had read a few days ago in a newspaper that the past students of the school and college had decided to raise about ten crore rupees (one billion rupees), to meet the expenses of the concluding celebrations of the jubilee. I dare not raise the issue if all these expenses are really required to celebrate the jubilee, and would it not be more proper to undertake a social or cultural project to commemorate the occasion! It is true the college and school administration are not going to spend so much money, but the past students are there to do their part to collect the money!

I wonder if we should blindly go in to spend money so lavishly, just because we are not going to spend from our pockets, and others are there to sponsor the expenses. I was told that one of the leading dailies and publishing house has undertaken the expenses of the stage (twenty five lakhs rupees), and the sponsor would have the honor to present mementoes to the Prime Minister, and the chief minister and other dignitories during the function. I find it hard to believe, leave alone accept this kind of planning and execution!

I am surely not against any meaningful celebration of the 150 years of commitment to value education to the nation; it is indeed time to reminsce and be grateful to God and nation for the glorious moments that have rolled by. In the light of the 250 odd families who have lost all their possessions at the Basanti Colony at Ultadanga Road railway station, I was thinking the twenty five lakhs rupees could have given them enough to restart their lives with dignity and honor; each of the families could have availed ten thousand rupees, which would have been enough for them to have a plastic or tin sheet over their heads and around them. The people would have been ever grateful to anyone who would reach out to them in such dire need!

It is true I am thinking out of the hat, and who would have thought that such a mishap would take place when no one ever expected; and when things have been already arranged, is it possible to cancel the celebrations, especially of the visit of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, and hand over the money to the people in need? I would have been happy if the institution had at least kept aside a portion of the money they were to spend on the celebrations for a specific developmental work, that would benefit the less fortunate ones. This was an occasion for the college and school administration to be different from the rest, and show the world how celebrations could be made more meaningful by sharing the joy with others, especially those would find it hard to smile!