Music – a background score to academic focus

Foreword

We accept without conjecturing a tad that belting out songs in the shower makes us feel good. Strumming out a few chords, humming a lively song or even karaoke night does give man a certain kick out of life be it to de-stress, feel good or just celebrate a good occasion. Insentience, we have already adapted to music in different surroundings like gyms, spas (I wouldn’t be surprised if music will keep us company in elevators too in little time), public events, poojas and even in our own homes.
Egging on music at all epochs, in all chairs, we still fall short in giving it an academic credit. The music festivals and concerts are fortuitous reminders that music continues to be a way of life, a main stream for a section of people as against the customary consideration of music being a past time, part time or just a background score.

We brag of having an affluent musical ethnicity. We allege that in India, Music as a concept is long recognized and patronized. It’s high time we wake up to realize that while winning a couple of Oscars is a hail mark, the need of the hour is to herald a steadfast model of Music education and evolve a milieu to facilitate music academics and degrees in India (than letting students fly to the far States for a music degree and research - though this fraction is so meager to deserve a mention).

What is holding us back?

The problem is solely one of logistics, priorities, economic necessity, attitude and support. What we emphasize on our broods is a comprehension of a few bar-tested subjects, test-taking skills and a meritorious certificate to place them in a celebrated communal firm. Chase the trend - “the no. of Google hits”. Hearting on our state’s statistics, the number of music colleges in Karnataka in 2009 will print us a figure less than 10(I am austerely referring to the ones that offer a valid degree in music).On the flipside, the state embraces 141 engineering colleges and 33 medical colleges. 20,000 Engineering students per year mark off from Bangalore alone contributing a huge might to the 3-4 lakhs assortment in India. Not a surprise, we have a fine cut of people unwaged consequential to the H1 Visas. One can be “yet another” graduate Engineer running from pillar to post in this spell of recession, but shouldn’t be a Music graduate. Fighting against the odds, wading against the whims of others who try to hold him back and finally making it into a music college would brand him an average kid!

Have an untailored natter with a person working in R&D; he would convince you that he is all set to devise technology. Why Technology? To seek solutions to deal with problems caused by the rapid pace and to cater to a more comfortable living .Call on a student of medicine, he would aspect his medical research to people’s comfort and to keep the populace away from diseases and mental worries. Why is an exception to music? Why can’t music be seen as a quarter of medicine (we are not ignorant of its therapeutic side), as a technology-skill placating people; as something more than just a backdrop score, medium of leisure, a material of fame/name/money. Given an academic status to music, we can possibly anticipate more schools and colleges in this roadway. More parents would be convinced to prop up their wards to take music as main stream .It is our biased mind that accepts only a certain academic tributaries as scholastic and ignores the rest. As a support to our prejudiced minds, no enough schools to nourish the uncared talents, no adequate encouragement from family/society and finally the little lot who choose the path less traveled are branded dull heads.

Our world offers a plentiful and rich reward for traders of Engineering and medicine; there is an equally rich attempt to distinguish other professions from their counterparts. The takings that a Doctor, an Engineer, a Government employee is grossed when offered to a Musician, it would tweet a revolution. Music is a passion for many .But what drives people? More importantly, why? Money and confidence to earn a living. Money bestows buoyancy; self-assurance leads to identity. It’s about making a difference, self-discovery till we breathe last. When music is given a stature of a dependable career, more people will dare a bold step; drive music from passion to profession; make it a way of life; esteem it more than a vocation and venture further into its research.

Way forward

We should begin by vetting it like a standard entrepreneurial undertaking. "Music is not different from any other business” (The knack is to be with the operative world while maintaining the passion). We should first resolve a souk for it, and then we will see the profit from it. From passion to profession, from a hobby to business, from entertainment to research; from a background score to therapy and from mundane possessions to bliss – Music needs to trek this long journey.

To wrap up, I admit a bias in my approach. I have a clear preference for music over other arts; Part of my preference is personal than evaluation. This appeal however stands spot on with all art forms left unattended and not given a deserving status that they naturally demand.

Revathi Sridharan

Taking life as it comes

This post is a sequel enduring with my present state of mind. The topic of ‘how people take/accept life’ has always left me bamboozled. A close relative dropped in this evening and his approach to life puzzled me beyond question .He was sharing that he deals with life as it comes within the framework of his knowledge, capabilities and spirit. While on one end, I was surprised by his practical, rational, self-accepting spirit towards life, my mind started wandering around the other kind of people, the most “frequent” kind; People who are never pleased with anything good that life brings and always look ahead for more and more. Soon we are born, we start dreaming, our people start dreaming for us. Its a struggle where everyday we manage to live to tell the tale to others. And the next day, we would but be a step closer towards our grave. There is an element of competition; of aspiration inherent in every venture we undertake whether it is music, education, profession, business, marriage. We always seek to outsmart the people around us. We envision life to be of certain “brand” and when we fall short of our expectations and the expectations that people situate for us , a stance of negativism begins to creep in and life becomes painful and difficult to deal with.

Not to discourage the readers who have high levels of sanguinity and expectations from life. Dealing with life the way it comes doesn’t depict a life without goals. It just means that we remain more practical and less cutthroat when it comes to comparison with a peer. There should remain a spirit of competition, an element of struggle, but the yardstick being our own capabilities a day prior and the struggle to outdo our yesterday’s abilities and be a better “we” tomorrow. If I can code an assembly which is atleast 5% more optimized than my yesterday’s work, I am a better “me” today. If I can riaz for fifteen mins more than yest, I can consider myself a better singer than what I was yesterday. Easily said than done! Once we start accepting life without staying in a stuck state of mind and not judging everything that comes in way, we would be stepping in the right and easy trail. Everything needn’t be judged or interfered.The earlier we comprehend that life is a package of surprises both positives and negatives, we would know that it does not matter how well we plan or live our life, we will find our-self learning thru it everyday.

The game of fame

Is this the price we pay for having born as humans? Even a crow sighs “How I wish I was a cuckoo and people sing my praises” – narrates the legend. When animals with limited senses can chase desire, how can humans be spared of hounding behind wants? The echoing retort of anybody today would be to become famous. The TV shows, Big Brother, Rakhi’s Swayamwar all orbit around fame, celebrity. Do we need to be famous to be ourselves? Do we need to glimpse through others’ eyes to see what we are and keep ours half-shut? Do we have to discover ourselves from what is being written in black and white on newspapers? Should we fancy our persona from our pictures on the cover pages of top magazines? Should we value our worth with the number of hits on Google? In today’s life, monetary dreams have become far bleaker compared to a future envisioned with fame. Should we realize our capacity through mere publicity?

Knowledge is to be shared. Talent is to be shown. A musician’s music is to reach a greater audience; an artist’s work is to be displayed in a crowd; a philosopher’s words are to be captured in pages; But, but all these with an intent of educating, benefiting, enlightening more people than be satisfied with the self. With this superior intent comes the flattering offer “fame”. It isn’t easy to turn it away. Fame is good; it paves way to connect to more people; network with a BIGGER group, share and exchange ideas; helps break boundaries. Here ends its kindness. Fame concretes a wall around us, limits our dealings to a class of people-a class that our mind recognizes and fancies. Gives glamour and takes away health; Makes us contemplate additional on it(fame) than the trait-flair that showered us the fame. More hype and less hope; Makes us speculate more on stranger’s comments and heed less our well-wisher’s expressions; Our senses are drilled by the critic’s opinions. We are gifted a life- a life that we accept and embrace – a life that appears ornate, vivid on reviews, TV – but what really goes behind the smiling, “happy” faces ? A complete, agreeable, contented life? Not quite true!

As everything does, fame too is entitled with these two evenly arresting faces of the coin.
The good and “not so good” .While the former gives the artist an arena to strap up his talent, the latter conceals him in a shell of gluttony. In actuality, the worthy and genuine talents would know what to cuddle to.
A life furnished with all that is needed for fulfillment of a day buys more happiness than desperately clinging onto fame.
It does so much good to live distinctive than leading a life of fame.