MUSIC AS COMMUNICATION – AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

(This article written by me was published in UK based online magazine FFM.
Link to which is-http://ffmrecords.com/2017/10/04/music-communication-indian-perspective/)

Music is that medium of communication which provides a way by which people can share emotions, intentions, and meanings. Music can exert powerful physical and behavioural effects which can produce deep emotions within us. It can generate a sense of peace and happiness within a person. Music be it vocal or instrumental has a deep impact on the human body.

Playing an instrument is a way to express and communicate our thoughts and feelings. In Indian music where ragas are the whole and soul of the music, Indian musical instruments conveyed the essence of raga without the use of lyrics. The beauty of Indian music is that it is an unusual combination of technique, structure and improvisation. So, even the person playing some instrument can communicate a lot of things to the audience through its playing of a particular instrument. Every instrumentalist, specially in India has a distinct style of playing the notes.

Some instruments like sarangi and violin are considered to be the closest to the vocals of a singer. Instruments like flute and sehnnai have effectively communicated the sweetness and richness of a particular raaga or the song. If one listens to Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia or Ustaad Bismillah Khan, its sure one won’t miss the vocals. Their instruments are sufficient to take the audience into a journey of melody and peace.

 In Indian Music concerts specially in instrumental music concerts, I will regard the audience as the “consumers.” The quality of performance is dependent on the quality of the audience participation in this manner. It is definitely a two-way communication, where the performer and the audience share a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship. That is why, I regarded audience as the consumers.  The instrumentalist attracts more audience then a vocal musician because in vocal music their is a barrier of language. For example- a person who does not understand Hindi may not be interested in Indian Vocal Music but that person may be interested in instrumental music because it does not include any language.  When our Indian instrumentalists tour different countries for the concerts, its not just they go and play a particular raga but its like communicating the Indian culture through their instruments.

To conclude, instrument playing is an effective way of communicating one’s emotions and thoughts to the audience.If one listens to Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan’s Raag Malhar one could feel the pouring of rains beside him/her. Its not just the case with Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan’s sarod but if one listens to anyone of that level one can get the true feel and essence of the raga/song.

Indian Classical Music resonates in space...

Recently one of the veterans of Hindustani Classical Music had her birthday. She was a legend and people often confused her voice with that of a nightingale. I am talking about no one else but about Vidushi Kesarbai Kerkar. Most women singers of that time had a deep, resonant and strident female voice, but Kesarbai Kerkar’s voice was marked by its clarity, projection and open quality, all of which were rewards of a long learning from Alladiya Khan, the creator of Jaipur- Atrauli Gharana.

She was one such singer from Indian whose sweet and beautiful voice still resonates in space.

            NASA’s Voyager-2 mission enters its 40th year this year. The special thing about this spacecraft is that it carries different sounds and international music with it. The spacecraft which was launched on 20 August 1977. Among the international music and sounds the disc which the spacecraft carries, also carries a bandish from the Indian Classical Music.  A Hindustani classical composition called “Jaat Kahan Ho” sung by Surshri Kesarbai Kerkar, who is one of the all time great vocalist of the Hindustani Classical tradition. Kesarbai was born in 1893 in Goa and was awarded by the title of 'Surshri' in 1938 by Rabindranath Tagore on behalf of the residents of Kolkata for her sweet and mellifluous voice. Her song is played in outer space for three minutes and twenty five seconds. Being a student of Indian Classical Music I feel pride in writing that even today in space the Indian Classical Music resonates. The Voyagar-2 carries a 12-inch gold-plated copper disc which stores all the music and sound in it. Carl Sagan, was the one who chaired the NASA appointed committee which chose the Indian Classical Music in the golden disc.

    In the book "Murmurs Of Earth - The Voyager Interstellar Record", published in 1978, Ann Druyan, Sagan's wife, says that Robert Brown, the then Executive Director for the Centre For World Music had placed "Jaat Kahan Ho”, which is a composition of Indian Classical Music, at the top of his list of world music for outer space. Forty years on and 11 billion miles from earth in space there is the sound of India. And how did this happen? And this happens due the sweetness and the rich tradition of Indian Classical Music.

 So, this is all for today. We will continue talking about music in my future posts.

Annabelle Creation- Review

I have been writing about music since long, so today I decided to write a movie review. Recently I got a chance to watch this movie and here are my thoughts for the movie-   I have to start off by giving a lot of props to director David F. Sandberg. He has appeared to elevate his skills as a director in Annabelle Creation.

   One of the best aspects of the film was the use of camera work to work with the shadows in many of the scenes. Having the audience peer into the darkness and let their imagination run wild is simply a great tactic for horror films. This really became a strength of the film especially when we couldn’t

really make out what the evil spirit actually looked like.

   Coming to the characters of the movie one must say that the acting in the whole movie is top-class and the characters are really well placed as per the requirement in the movie. The movie begins with what the title suggests - the literal making of the doll. Sam Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia), a doll maker, is putting the finishing touches on the first, and probably only, doll in this particular line of work. Soon the story proceeds and he is left with a note from his daughter, Bee (Samara Lee)-the real name of Annabelle- for a hide-and-seek game.

Sandberg also used the classical skill of utilizing the sound and volume to elevate many of the scary scenes. I think it’s safe to say that he also did a really nice job of executing jump scares throughout the film. They weren’t entirely predictable and even when you knew they were coming, they still scared the hell out of you.I loved the way how the haunting of the evil spirit leaves you feeling entirely out of control. You either have to watch the scary madness happen, or turn away and cover your eyes. It also really helped that the spiritual entity mixed things up a bit. There wasn’t just a single way that it would come and attack or scare characters.This film delivers some fun easter eggs that will surely hint at past characters, or even future movies to come. More specifically, Annabelle Creation connects the story of some of the past Conjuring movies. 

Communication through music...

Today we will talk about communication through music and how communication plays an important role in our day to day life. Communication is only possible when two or more persons are there. One who speaks, if he/she is capable of making other person understand, it is said that the communication works. In music specially in vocal music, proper understanding between the artist and the listener leads the way of successful communication.  Today I will just talk about the Indian Classical Vocal.

     The great tradition of Indian Classical Music is no more hidden from the world today. We, Indians, take pride in our rich culture and tradition. There is an easy availability of Folk Music and Classical Music in India. Of course,

Folk and Classical are meant for mass and class respectively, this is why a large amount of people taste Folk and Light Music as they relate with them easily. But this does not mean that the number of listeners in Classical Music is at all less. Indian Classical Music deals with Ragas and the Raginis. ‘Raga’ is the  heart and soul of Indian music which expresses the appropriate sentiment and mood. Forms of hindustani Classical Vocal Music such as Dhrupad, Dhamar, Khayal, Tappa, Thumri etc. In these, Dhrupad, Dhamar and Khayal are such forms by which the essence or the true flavour of the raga may properly be expressed. Tappa, Thumri etc are semi-classical forms and were included into classical concerts later on. Communication in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music comprises three factors- the performer, the listener and the music. A good performer is a good communicator always. He, besides being aware of the tradition of Hindustani Classical Music, also catches up the mood of the listeners and moulds his music accordingly. The moulding of music according to the mood of listeners makes music a good way of communication between the performer and the listener. The great poet and musician Rabindranath Tagaore says- ‘Art is never an exhibition but a revelation.’ The great hindustani classical vocalist Vidushi Kishori Amonkar says-‘ Sing to express not to impress.’ The purpose of all kinds of music is to express different moods. Similarly, every branch of Hindustani Classical Vocal Music follows this condition.

    To conclude, music is one of the few ways in which people can connect with each other without language. I remember when I had went to the Sankat Mochan Music Festival in Varanasi and Pt Jasraj was singing, many people from other countries were sitting and listening to him with their eyes closed. Even me remember everything Pt Jasraj sang that day though I was just 4 year old that time. So, this shows us how powerful is the communication through music. There’s something inside humans, and other animals, that recognises and responds to sound known as music. According to me music is even more important than language in helping people from different cultures to connect and understand one another.

 So, this is all for today and we will continue talking about music in the future posts.

वाह...उस्ताद... वाह!

जिनकी तबले की धुन पर दुनिया कहती है “वाह उस्ताद”! महज 12 साल की उम्र से ही जिन्होंने संगीत की दुनिया में अपने तबले की आवाज़ को बिखेरना शुरू कर दिया था। जिन्हें तबला विरासत में मिली है। हाँ! मैं बात कर रहा हूँ “उस्ताद ज़ाकिर हूसेन” की। १९५१ में उस्ताद अल्लाह रक्खा के घर जन्मे उस्ताद ज़ाकिर हूसेन आज तबले का पर्यायवाची बन चुके हैं। उस्ताद जी भारत में तो विख्यात हैं ही साथ ही उन्होंने दुनिया के कई कोनों में भी अपने तबले की धुन से लोगों को अभिभूत किया है। उस्ताद जीं ने अपने इंटरनेशनल करियर की शुरूआत बहुत छोटी उम्र में अमरीका से की। उन्होंने वहां

कई कॉन्सर्ट किए। उन्होंने मलयालम फिल्म वनाप्रसतम में भारतीय म्यूजिक एडवाइजर के रूप में कंपोज, परफॉर्म और एक्ट किया। इस फिल्म ने 2000 इस्तानबुल इंटरनेशनल फिल्म फेस्टिवल (टर्की), 2000 मुंबई इंटरनेशनल फिल्म फेस्टिवल (इंडिया) और 2000 नेशनल फिल्म अवॉर्ड (इंडिया) जीता। इन्हें सन २००२ (2002) में भारत सरकार द्वारा कला के क्षेत्र में पद्म भूषण से भी सम्मानित किया जा चुका है। उस्ताद ज़ाकिर हूसेन ने अपनी शिक्षा सेंट ज़ेवीअर कॉलेज मुंबई से पूरी की है। बचपन में उस्ताद जी के पिताजी उन्हें पखावज की तालीम दिया करते थे। उस्ताद जी तबले के पंजाब  घराने से आते हैं। एक इंटर्व्यू में जब उस्ताद जी से पूछा गया की उन्हें तबले के अलवा और कौन से वाद्य पसंद हैं तो उन्होंने जवाब दिया कि उन्हें पीऐनो भी बहुत पसंद है। उस्ताद जी ने दुनिया भर के नाम- चीन कलाकारों के साथ यादगार प्रस्तुतियाँ दीं हैं। मुझे उस्ताद जी और पंडित जसराज की जुगलबंदी सबसे ज़्यादा पसंद है।
अगर बात करें उस्ताद जी की तबले की धुन से तो वे ट्रेन की चलने की आवाज़ से ले कर घोड़े की दौड़ने की आवाज़ तक तबले से निकाल सकते हैं। मुझे अभी तक उन्हें सामने से सुनने का सौभाग्य नहीं मिला है किंतु, मैं उनकी जितनी रिकॉर्डिंग सुनता हूँ उतना ही उन्हें सामने से सुनने की इच्छा बढ़ती जाती है।
    उस्ताद जी की उपलब्धियां एक पन्ने में समेटने लायक नहीं है इसलिय आज के लिए बस इतना ही। आगे फिर मिलेंगे और संगीत पर चर्चा जारी रखेंगे।।

Orientation at Xavier University...

The Xavier University is set in the outskirts of Bhubaneshwar. The campus of the college is enough to make a student want to be a part of this institution. Managed by the Jesuit Educational Society the university is one of the most premier institution in the country. 

    I feel myself lucky to be a student at this university. I joined the Xavier School of

Communications to fulfil my dreams of becoming a journalist and writing about the rich tradition and ethos of the indian culture. Since I have been a regular blogger for about last couple of years so I have an inclination towards becoming a print journalist. 

  Coming to the initial day of me coming to the university. It was really a well planned program for the orientation to welcome the new comers to the Xavier School of Communications. The day started with we getting roses from the senior students of this school. Later some photographs of we freshers were clicked so that it remains in our memory for whole of our life. Now we were asked to enter the class room for the start of the formal function of the orientation. A formal welcome speech for us was conveyed by the Dean and then Fr. Tony acquainted us with the goals of the University and in a very simple way he described the university’s logos and symbols. After that a small break was given to us and then there was formal lightning of the lamp by the VC of University and the special guest the MD of Orissa TV Ms Jagi Mangal Panda. Ms Panda tried explaining us about the wonderful career we could have in the field of communications and she also told us few things how one can be a successful media person. Later we interacted with the seniors of our course. And it was the time for lunch and the session ended. The second session started with the Dean explaining us the Manual Of Polices we need to follow for the whole year. Then, there was a session on future perspectives of media industry by Prof. Raj Kishore Patra. He with his stats and datas tried explaining us how the media is growing in the present years. By the time we were tired  and just wanted to return back to our hostels but then there was a session with Prof Vijay titled “Lets Play”. In this session Prof Vijay divided the whole batch into two groups and made us play few simple games. This session was really enjoyed by every individual new comer. Even the Prof. promised some gifts for the winning team. This is how the first day of our orientation ended. 

     The second day of our orientation started with we being asked to speak about ourselves in front of the camera. For me it was really tough to do since I have always been phobic to speak in front of camera that too in front of the batch mates as audiences. Some how I managed to speak and the session ended with Prof. Nadira Khatun acquainting us with how to speak out our thoughts in a creative way.After that we were taken for the tour of the rich library of the university. I really found some of the amazing books there and I am looking forward to read them during my stay at the campus. Then we were brought back to the class and it was the time for the orientation to end and Fr Lourduraj, the dean said the final words for the orientation ceremony to end. It was really great to be the part of the orientation ceremony. I look forward for my stay at the campus in the coming years.

Yoga & Music...

"Music proves that we are more than physical beings, music is evidence of our divinity." Music is considered divine in whole world be it the Indian culture or the Western Culture. Music provides human mind such peace and tranquility which nothing else can provide.
 On the other hand, Yoga a 5000 year old spiritual science is now considered one of the essential path to lead a happy and healthy life. Today is 21st of June and today we celebrate two important events-" World Music Day" and "International Yoga Day". On December 11 in 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. On the other hand the concept of a united day for musicians to mark summer solstice was first proposed by American artiste Joel Cohen back in 1976. But it was France that first incorporated World Music Day as a day of national importance, which was later adopted by many countries.
         It's proven that Yoga has physical benefits such as increased flexibility, improved cardio and circulatory health, improved respiration, among many others. Aside from physical benefits, Yoga also helps manage stress by the power of meditation and breathing.  Music is also a creative tool to improve and develop the mental and physical well being of a person. " Music is a way of expressing

our experiences. Music is a way of outward activity and inward activity”  (According to Music Therapy Association of British Columbia). Like the different aasanas in yoga have different effects on our body so in the case with the Indian music; different raagas have different effect on our body. Raaga Gurjari Todi has a capacity to cool down the liver and Raga  Gurjari Todi and Yaman has a power of sustenance. Both raagas have a power to stabilize the wandering attention  which is very important for the meditation. Raaga Abhogi helps  to  stimulate the digestion process. Raaga Bhairav and Durga have a power of divine bliss and  protection. Raaga Jaijaiwanti helps to  controls five sense organs. Raag Malhar is useful in the treatment of asthma and sunstroke.Music  can bring a person to tears. It can make a person laugh. Most definitely, it is our world’s purest universal language.
    On the other hand Yoga is a mind-body practice that combines physical poses, controlled breathing, and meditation for relaxation.Yoga may help reduce stress, lower blood pressure and lower your heart rate. Like music  yoga also has many physical benefits such as increased flexibility, improved cardio and circulatory health, improved respiration, and many others. Since time immemorial music has ran in the veins of humans. The first musical instrument was the human voice.
Now we have come to the end of the article. To conclude, in the fast moving world where stress has become a part of the lifestyle of most of the people, yoga and music can be a great instrument for eliminating stress and inducing peace in the human minds.