सुर निरागस हो (Sur Niragas Ho)
The above phrase is from a Marathi play “Katyar Kaljaat Ghusali” (translation: The Dagger pierced the Heart) . Its means that “Let the musical note be innocent/pure”. It is an interesting story revolving around 2 court musicians who compete against each other and how the innocence of one musician transforms the other.
Music has been a part of our culture throughout history. Kings of old would have talented musicians in their courts who would perform on special occasions and on festivals. Raja Tansen and Amir Khusrau are some of the famous names among them. At the same time, the common folk shared a more spiritual connection with music. In the state of Maharashtra, there have been many saints who have written Abhangs. These are devotional songs to Shri Vitthal (a form of Shri Vishnu) in Marathi language. These saints used to go around singing these Abhangs while they travelled from village to village. Similarly in North India we have Kabir ke Dohe and the bhajans of Saint Mirabai which are still taught to school children today.
Depiction of one’s geography or rituals also found its expression in Music, which later on culminated to Folk songs. Good examples of them would be a Marathi song “Vallav Re Nakhwa” which showcases the day to day life of a fisherman.
As times progressed, Music started crossing boundaries of geography with the help of Gramophones and Vinyl Records. Then came along Radio, Television, Tape Recorder and the iconic Walkman. Walkman was in my opinion the most revolutionary of all inventions. For the first time, you could carry your music with you. A very good example of this could be the song “Suniyo re” from movie Saathiya where the protagonist is joyfully riding the Motor bike while listening to music. This Walkman was digitized by Apple through iPods and finally today we have Smartphones having apps like Spotify, Gaana or Saavn where we could stream music anywhere and anytime given an internet connection.
Different music affects us differently. Classical music aids in relaxing the mind and helps one to get into a meditative mood. Then there are melodies which are evergreen like those sung by legendary singers like Kishore Kumar and Mohd Rafi sahab. These songs are termed as “evergreen” and rightfully so , as even today music concerts are incomplete without their songs .Another category is that of party songs , which stimulate adrenaline in everyone to dance their heart out . Be it discotheques or public roads such songs can make you dance no matter where you are. I have known people who would forget the world around them when a dhol (a type of Indian drum) is played. I personally have seen it in various wedding processions, at the annual Ganesh festival procession or during Garba dances in Navratri.
Human beings have a very natural connection with music. From coordinated dance moves of a trained dancer to a 2-year toddler just swinging around randomly everyone connects to music differently. For me it is a great way to recreate and relax or also make me feel motivated at times. Do tell about your experiences with music and what genre you are into. See you until the next one.