Music and Freedom

Music and freedom have always gone hand in hand. Freedom from persecution, freedom from annihilation, freedom from segregation all have had music as one of their ancillary weapons. Music has a unique quality of stirring the very basic and essential of human needs – Freedom. Most of the songs of the bygone era were more about freedom from oppression, a kind of a rebellious ode to the society that enslaved its citizens. Only recently, music has progressed to the mind’s trapping of the freedom. In this author’s humble opinion, the hippie era was instrumental in liberating the slavery of the mind by its conscious mind and enabling it to be free. Free as the mind can be.  Hippies lived music and in some places sought it as a replacement for drugs / alcohol.

An inspired quote says Mind can be free only as far as it can fly. This suggests that the mind is capable of flying and testing new boundaries to itself. Music is one of the wings on which it can undertake this journey. Some people undertake this journey farther than others. The only reward of going far is the reward for oneself. The mind rises up and there is an inherent self-satisfaction which is felt by the mind.

Most people ‘listen’ to music, but very recently do they FEEL it. This feel of music comes very rarely, and may I add, is slightly less rare when the recipient is under the influence of alcohol or other euphoria inducing substances.  But these substances are not a pre-requisite for feeling music. In fact, we routinely see women getting all psychotic and becoming ‘spirit’ driven souls when engrossed in a religion discourse which involves music. Case in point being the various musical discourses / festivals throughout India. You must have seen the various swaying women (and men) in their religious fervor and gaiety.

This relationship between music and the liberation of mind is a very poorly understood one. One can ask any number of respondents for the answer and scarcely he / she shall receive the same reply.  It is a good thing that its not understood, otherwise it would have been documented and processed. Then, the whole power of music would have been lost.

‘It has to set you free’ – Jim Morrison in the song ‘The End’. Thanks to all the musicians who have enabled the lesser souls to undertake the journey towards liberation.  Maybe that’s the theme to the song by Ac/ Dc – ‘For those about to rock, we salute you’

Freedom - 1

The call which came to me one fine evening, when I was in one of my customary euphoric sessions,

The caller - ‘Are you free?’ – Is any one free? Anytime? Bulla ki jaana main kaun.’

The euphoria is a lingering feeling though it may be short lived. The external cacophony of sounds seem like a far off sound, the kind of hallucinations which come to the thirst wanderer in a lost desert. The euphoria is a mixed feeling of being in control but also being free. Paradoxically you are forced to still comply with the social norms. This is the very essence of being in euphoria. Self servitude is the highest form of deity.

How to forgo this societal binding? How do we encounter the truth? It’s an acerbic feeling to know, realise and understand the lack of truth in our life. Truth is omnipotent. The truth is evident, but cloaked. Cloaked under multitudes of rituals, false impressions, and a general idea of ‘How to live life’?

To truly discover your potential and raw power, then shed off these masks and disobey the existing norms. Be free from any binds. That is when A man is totally free!

Who is the aam aadmi?

After seeing the drama unfolding around the rail budget, the query that is coming to my mind is the identity of the 'aam aadmi'? Who is this aam aadmi? How do we define him? Which section of the social strata does he belong to? Or is the aam aadmi a he or a she? How does he travel? What does he treat? (Aam aadmi = common man)

Is an aam aadmi in Kolkatta equal to the aam aadmi in Mumbai? Is an aam aadmi in a small town in Bihar the same as an aam aadmi in Manipur?

Is there aam aadmi in the naxal hit territories? Do they exist there?

The answer is - There is no aam aadmi in India, but we ourselves. Paradox? Let me explain. We see ourselves as the aam aadmi. Everyone you meet will pretend to be concerned about the aam aadmi, however deep down we feel we 'ARE' the aam aadmi.

You go to the vegetable market to buy vegetables, you see the prices have gone up. You say "How will the aam aadmi survive?" You go to shoppers stop and see a way too expensive watch, then you dont say the same thing. Therein lies the difference. We are all aam aadmi when it comes to necessities, not when it comes to luxuries.

There is no stereotypical aam aadmi. This concept of the common man has been fed to us by economists, political activists and administration. This concept leads to bracketing of the population, which essentially controls the popular mood by directing the ire from their decisions or opinions to the aam aadmi.

Sample, -'Oh you are not ok with the road block, but the considering the aam aadmi's interests we have dug up the road.".

'The rail way hike is rolled back due to the aam aadmi's interests'.

Crap, total crap I say. We should reject this notion of the aam aadmi and say that classify us according to the social / economic / political strata.

Ps - The only common man / aam aadmi I know is the central figure in the cartoon by RK Laxman.