As we sat brain-storming for names for our band, the following list emerged :
1. Chaotic Order
2. Harmonic Pandemonium
3. Packname
4. Whatever
5. ..............
Finally harmonic Pandemonium was chosen
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
What ? Yenna ? Yenu ? Kaay ? Kya ?.....
Come Saarang, the whole institute is up and alive. There is a general aura of excited euphoria and anticipation. The peak of emotions are reached in the professional shows. Professional shows ranging from Tamil performers to Hindi singers.
I have found many a pass times in these moments where people are completely themselves,having shed the garb of pretension of being someone else. These shows bring out the true element in the students and for a neutral observer, there couldn't be a better experiment. And the conclusion that comes out is disturbing. Here's how :
It is a known fact that people react most positively to known or heard songs. This is true even if the new song is way better. Familiarity always takes a upper hand. People want something to sing by, something which they can predict. A known song offers all the experiences of singing and discovering a new change from the original song. And since familiarity is synonymous with language compatibility, people react differently to different languages. All is fine. Nothing is wrong in that. However the crux of the matter is how people react to songs of an unknown language. This scenario brings to the fore the attitudes, the notion that people harbor towards a language. And it is precisely this particular observation that is disturbing.
Having lived outside my native state all my life, I think I am qualified enough for an impartial take on this matter. There is nothing wrong in not enjoying a 'non-compatible-language' song. However in the Saarang pro-shows I have been witness to many a cases where people indulge in abusing and mockery of local languages. This raises the question of superiority of the national language. The question at hand is what is the need for a national language ? Is it something other than a common platform for interaction between various states ? (Some might argue that English does that job well)
Why this disdain for 'non-compatible' languages ? Why this unjustified intolerance in all walks of life ? Sometimes these circumstances force me into thinking that the multilingual culture of India is detrimental for national unity. Sometimes one truly craves for a single unified language. Sometimes I wish India had only one language.
Someday I hope that people will not squabble over petty things like languages like people from different countries. Someday....someday....
“ Let my country awake, Father....let my country awake...!”
_ R. Tagore
I have found many a pass times in these moments where people are completely themselves,having shed the garb of pretension of being someone else. These shows bring out the true element in the students and for a neutral observer, there couldn't be a better experiment. And the conclusion that comes out is disturbing. Here's how :
It is a known fact that people react most positively to known or heard songs. This is true even if the new song is way better. Familiarity always takes a upper hand. People want something to sing by, something which they can predict. A known song offers all the experiences of singing and discovering a new change from the original song. And since familiarity is synonymous with language compatibility, people react differently to different languages. All is fine. Nothing is wrong in that. However the crux of the matter is how people react to songs of an unknown language. This scenario brings to the fore the attitudes, the notion that people harbor towards a language. And it is precisely this particular observation that is disturbing.
Having lived outside my native state all my life, I think I am qualified enough for an impartial take on this matter. There is nothing wrong in not enjoying a 'non-compatible-language' song. However in the Saarang pro-shows I have been witness to many a cases where people indulge in abusing and mockery of local languages. This raises the question of superiority of the national language. The question at hand is what is the need for a national language ? Is it something other than a common platform for interaction between various states ? (Some might argue that English does that job well)
Why this disdain for 'non-compatible' languages ? Why this unjustified intolerance in all walks of life ? Sometimes these circumstances force me into thinking that the multilingual culture of India is detrimental for national unity. Sometimes one truly craves for a single unified language. Sometimes I wish India had only one language.
Someday I hope that people will not squabble over petty things like languages like people from different countries. Someday....someday....
“ Let my country awake, Father....let my country awake...!”
_ R. Tagore
Friday, January 16, 2009
Odd Beats
Odd beats in any song are simply awesome! Sounds with beats which are multiples of 3 sound too good. Of course this is not to diminish the beauty of the simple and eternal 4 - beat genre. In fact odd beats interspersed in a song with the mundane even beats raise the melody to another euphoric level. And there is a hidden philosophical meaning in the previous statement.
A sudden spurt of odd beats makes you take notice of the song, in sharp contrast to the otherwise insignificant, ordinary pandemonium of even beats. Its after all a question of dominance of odd or even. Odd dominance is odd isn't it?
A sudden spurt of odd beats makes you take notice of the song, in sharp contrast to the otherwise insignificant, ordinary pandemonium of even beats. Its after all a question of dominance of odd or even. Odd dominance is odd isn't it?
Took the plunge...
Ah..finally today went to the pool. It was unusually crowded for the start of the semester. I guess the closure of the pool for a fortnight made many people realize its existence. After many days junta were eager for the pool to open.These junta who otherwise wouldn't have cared. People waited with bated breath, the aura being like that of an unveiling of a statue. So in simple words the pool opened.
It felt nice to move your hands and legs inside the water after a long time. Strangely my body felt light even with the modicum of stamina left in me. All in all it was a good feeling after I came out of the pool.
It felt nice to move your hands and legs inside the water after a long time. Strangely my body felt light even with the modicum of stamina left in me. All in all it was a good feeling after I came out of the pool.
Monday, January 5, 2009
To Resolve Or Not to Resolve....
Warning : The following post has the word " resolutions " repeating at a mind-boggling frequency.
Ya..happy new year to one and all..and the rest of the cliches present themselves. One eternally evading question, moreso the answer is, whether there remains any sense in making new year resolutions. Of course the answer varies from mind to mind. I am sure that each one of us have succumbed to the temptations of a resolution - free life as the year drags on from January to December. Each one of us are aware of our failed attempts to live by our resolutions. Failure comes only if we remember the resolutions that we so spiritedly chart out. Most people don't remember failing with their resolutions because they don't remember what the resolution was! So the question remains , gnawing our minds : to resolve or not to resolve.
As the new year comes by we look forward to resolutions with a new zeal. This is in spite of the knowledge that we have repeatedly failed in the past years to live by them, leave living, we don't remember what they are! However this knowledge hardly does its job of reducing the zeal (however modicum of it maybe) present in the people as they enter the new year.
Finally, sometimes we have to resolve not to resolve or resolve to resolve. After all, thats a worthy resolution, what say ?
Ya..happy new year to one and all..and the rest of the cliches present themselves. One eternally evading question, moreso the answer is, whether there remains any sense in making new year resolutions. Of course the answer varies from mind to mind. I am sure that each one of us have succumbed to the temptations of a resolution - free life as the year drags on from January to December. Each one of us are aware of our failed attempts to live by our resolutions. Failure comes only if we remember the resolutions that we so spiritedly chart out. Most people don't remember failing with their resolutions because they don't remember what the resolution was! So the question remains , gnawing our minds : to resolve or not to resolve.
As the new year comes by we look forward to resolutions with a new zeal. This is in spite of the knowledge that we have repeatedly failed in the past years to live by them, leave living, we don't remember what they are! However this knowledge hardly does its job of reducing the zeal (however modicum of it maybe) present in the people as they enter the new year.
Finally, sometimes we have to resolve not to resolve or resolve to resolve. After all, thats a worthy resolution, what say ?
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