Interpreter of Maladies
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Music and meHow many of us remember what is a Kajri, Chaiti, Dadara, Thumri, Dhrupad or Khayal. Our closest relation to classical music is-its tough to thing-nothing. Two days of sheer heaven was what I discovered this week. In a special Spic Macay program, I heard two of India's greatest vocalists-Rajan and Sajan Mishra and Girija Devi. I have heard Girija Devi before, when I was 18, unable to decipher or even feel the peace that music embodies. After all these years, music takes on a new meaning when I hear it. I can close my eyes and feel my ears getting filled with honey. And, the feeling is precious. While Rajan and Sajan Mishra sang in a rotund hall I sat mesmerized. Sure, we have cassettes, CDs to reproduce the music but to hear the purest chords of music in that beautiful setting..ah only if words could describe it. And what happens when you feel that the hall is less than 1/4th full. And then, in the middle of the melody people get up and walk out. I can realize the pain, the artist feels when his art is made to feel diminutive, ancient, dying. And, I am absolutely stunned. I don't blame the hall for being less than half full but if people do not appreciate music, they should have not been here at the first place. There is a thing called respect for the arts, I am assuming it does not exist now.
In Girija Devi's recital the pain was even more heartfelt. Seeing her, 78 years of age, barely crawling to the stage to sing for us-poor morons like us-who dont know what is it that we are losing-the only thing we can call our own-our heritage. I fear that our race would also end up being like the Americans who do not know of a culture-do not know of a history except politics. I fear, we will, slowly but embarassingly, lose all that we have and replace it with something totally mediocre-having turned into a wealthy nation but a mediocre society and futures of a cultureless society is very bleak. I was ashamed when Girija Devi said, "There are not many people in this hall and I do not mind that because having few but intent listeners is better than having many disintersted ones". And then, people walked out in between the concert. I wanted to scream, to stop them, but who am I. I cannot change a generation, institute a change, move mountains, turn history around. I am merely someone who is stuck between the new and old and really wanting not to make a choice.
