Music Is Life

What would your life be like without music?

Dance and music are intrinsically woven into Indian culture. Ceremonies are incomplete without song and dance. Every occasion has typical music associated with it.

During Durga Puja, which is going to be held in October this year, the sound of Dhaak beats announces the arrival of the deity. When she is worshipped the beat is different. When she is offered Bhog or Prashad the beat is different. When it’s Aarati again the beat is different. When the last day of immersion arrives and all the married ladies bid her goodbye with Sindoor Khela the beat is different.

In certain homes, Durga Puja is held for generations. The idol is sculpted and decorated in the courtyard of the house itself. When the time comes to draw her big, beautiful eyes the ritual is known as Chakshu Daan. As the sculptor’s brush draws the eyes the beats of the Dhaak inaugurate the auspicious moment. It’s a gooseflesh inducing experience.

You can hear the Dhaak beats in this You Tube video. Dhaak is a percussion instrument which is only played during Durga Puja.

During the evenings ladies and gentlemen perform the Dhunuchi dance to please the deity. It’s a dance of devotion, surrender and ethereal joy. Again the beats of the Dhaak are an inherent part of it.

Everybody has heard about the big fat Indian wedding. The various ceremonies start days before the actual wedding. The Sangeet ceremony is one such ocassion wherein the bride’s friends, cousins and relatives sing songs and dance to tease the bride.

In Bengali weddings the plaintive tunes of a Shahnai evoke bittersweet memories and sadness of parting of the bride from the family.

During Holi, the Festival of Colours or the Spring Festival, music is a must. Folk songs along with the beats of a Dholak heighten the Bohemian spirit of the Festival.

Earlier when a son was born to a family the Dholki or the Dholak player was called to play the drum to announce the good news to the neighborhood.

On days of patriotic fervour like the Independence Day on and the Republic Day the marching bands of the Army, Navy and Airforce make us proud.

I am a Bengali. Learning music and being acquainted with Tagore songs, dance and dramas are a part of our upbringing. On Rabindranath Tagore’s Birthday, it was customary in our family to build a makeshift stage and enact the dance dramas and sing songs written and composed by the poet.

Similarly, it’s most enjoyable to watch the Bhangra and Gidda during beginning of the new harvests. Dandiya during Navaratras. Beehu during the spring season. Every part of India has specific dance and music forms which are a pleasure to watch and listen to. Our culture is so rich and full of variant flavours!

So music is inseparably interwoven in our day to day lives too. Above all the Bollywood film songs are meant for all occasions.

Our mornings begin with devotional songs, chants or Bhajans. In the mid mornings, while working I would hear mother humming or songs playing on the radio. In the evenings, during prayer times, mother used to lit the earthenware with fragrant powders and fibers and sing prayer songs doing Aarti. We would join in.

When I was learning classical music early dawn and dusk would be riyaaz time. Sometimes we would have music sittings at home. My mother would play the harmonium and we would all sing songs before the music loving guests.

I still try to carry on the legacy. When we old friends gather we sing in chorus our favourite songs. Nowadays I listen to music more than sing. A house filled with melodious notes is warm, welcoming, aesthetic and filled with positivity. Mellifluous notes uplift the spirit, keep us in touch with our heritage and power of creativity. A homestead without music is lifeless.

However, there is a difference between loud noise played on stereos in the cars or parties. Music should be soothing, calming and relaxing. It is said that a household which nurtures the spirit of various art forms is the abode Maa Saraswati, the Goddess of highest form of knowledge or Vidya, Music, Dance and all Arts.