Innate

 Is music inherent in all beings or is it acquired over a period of time?

Well, while framing this question I got reminded of Kaviyarasar and his immortal lines (which line of his is not immortal?) – ‘Bhavam vandhdhum Ragam vandhadha/Ragam vandhadhum Bhavam vandhadha’(Did raga/melody come before expression/feelings or is it the other way around?). Isn’t this tough to answer just like the many other questions he raised in that song?

However, truth is stranger than fiction (or should I say poetry?). Recently, I read that dolphins communicate with each other by making a whistle sound. This whistle sound is unique and is not the same for all dolphins. One can even call it as a signature tune specific to each dolphin. But there is something more to this too which I am sure will startle many. Dolphins name each other with a unique tune. So, a particular dolphin say A has a signature tune as its name and other dolphins whistle that tune to address A. The same applies to B, C and so on.

But there is more in store and the one I am going to say now pertains to humans. There is a village called Kongthong in Meghalaya and here people do name their children. However, they seldom address them by their names. Instead they compose a unique tune and whistle it. It is said that a mother thinks of a tune when she is pregnant, constantly practises it and whistles it after the child is born. Since it is whistled constantly, the child recognises the tune and responds to it just like how he/she responds to the name. And yes, each tune is unique!

Does this answer the question?

I shall leave it for the time being and move on to a song which reminds me of sounds from the nature.

No, there are no bird calls or animal calls or the sound of the branches or the wind in the song. But every time I listen to this song – ‘KuLiraadunnu maanaththu’ from ‘OlangaL ‘(1982)- I feel I am in the midst of a forest, all alone with only the birds, trees, waterfalls, and occasional drizzles being my companions.

In fact I have this feeling despite the chorus voice in the beginning. At the same time, doesn’t the flute which follows remind one of the birds? Surprisingly enough, the lead guitar backed by the rhythm guitar accentuate this feeling. The reason for my surprise should be obvious to the readers. Even if it is not, I shall simply justify it by saying ‘Music is subjective’.

The flute appears along with its paraphernalia confirms my belief by sounding like birds.

The Pallavi in the voice of Yesudass is as melodious as the rustling of trees on a calm night. The bass guitar and the lead guitar (which is plucked in a distinct way) make me feel the swaying of the branches with the dark green leaves smiling like Mona Lisa.

The beginning of the first interlude is as different as my feelings. A unique sound from an unknown instrument (honestly, I do not know the name of this instrument though he has used it in many songs during the early ‘80s) is responded to by the bass guitar and the keys with a stress on the even beats(and seasoned readers of the Group know this by the name ‘usi’). This ‘off-beat’ experience revs me up and makes me explore more. As if to help me in my exploration, the flute carries me along with its melody and makes me have an aerial view with the chorus acting as birds.

A journey through the wilderness – This is how I can describe the lines in the CharaNams.

Do I see a river there meandering its way through a meadow? This is what the  Santoor along with keys and the lone female voice seem to suggest in the beginning of the second interlude. Lo and behold! Do I see the lions and the deer drinking water together when the guitar is backed by the tabla?

Unusual? Or even impossible?

Well, with music anything is possible, whether it is from the dolphins or from the tribes..

Music – Isn’t it inherent in all beings- living and non-living?