The Inheritance of being an
outdated listener

… A faint tune was playing in the background while I was writing this piece. An elegant, eloquent instrumental, maybe from the classics of one of Bollywood’s finest era- the 80’s. While the composers marvellously strummed a popular “Oh mere sona re” on their Sarod, the bass was a soft Carnatic raga that faintly echoed its presence through a Flute. Though this “jugalbandi” of instruments could easily have been called outdated by many, the fact is that all the current pieces of music that contain “vibe” and cause a ravishing trot of outrageous hip- shaking trace their roots to these old melodious classics.
Evolution has been gradual. It has been proven, that every species grows with certain characteristics of the ancestors of that particular Genus. Man for instance is an apt way to look at this balanced equilibrium of evolution. Each one of us is born with an individual identity but deep down inside, the blood running in our veins can be traced down distant generations of our families.
Similarly, the music we listen to today has been influenced in some or the other way by the past. A Veena has now taken the form of a Guitar that plays just the same notes, in a wider range of octaves to produce luring sounds that are capable of rocking concerts! Why then doesn’t the audience get driven into frenzy when a Veena or any other instrument (that shimmers in its antiquity) has effortlessly been played in an equally difficult composition of notes???
The answer- “Such instruments are outdated!”
Well, there may be many who still support the golden prevalence of these antique instruments; I too wouldn’t shudder to say I am part of those who do, but the fact remains that majority of the audiences prefer the newer, more modern instruments for some apparent reason unknown to me (even as I am trying to make up something…)
While many may argue, it all boils down to a matter of interests, may I ask why this interest for ancient Indian pieces has diminished to such a extent that people who listen to it religiously are looked down upon or are called “outdated listeners?”
Guys, if it wasn’t for these classical compositions, how would this new generation of “Aashiq- Banaya- Aapne” or “Shakalaka- Boom- Boom” or “Jhalak dikhala- ja” have evolved for that matter. (So Mr. Himesh Reshamiya, be thankful to the ancient composers of classical music for providing you a vivid selection of tunes to test your utterly nasal tone in…!)
PS1- this article has nothing to do with the fact that I am part of a secret classical music-promoting cult (Indian music specialisation).
Nikhil Pandhi

Rap and Roll
By Shaman Marya

Most Parents in the 21st century fear their child adopting a way of life that we refer to as ‘Hip Hop’. Laced with profanities and bubbling with vulgarity is the image of a rebellious drug addict on MTV ‘spittin’ rhymes. In the late ‘80s the famous and infamous rap group Public Enemy screamed Fight the Power into their microphones awakening a generation to ‘Rhythm and Poetry’. Soon enough emerging groups adopted this way of life, khaki suits, African Power, blings and guns. The street soldiers had now taken to music, but what made them different? It was their approach; they no longer wanted to approach things in the subtle Rock and Roll way. No ‘Walls’ or ‘Doors’ shouting for peace using subtle lyrics with 15 minute guitar solo’s it was a direct in your face frustration outlet. They were different; they were perfect in their imperfection. The ‘90s brought a new breed of rap artists. NWA’s Ice Cube’s, DOC’s or Snoop D.O double G’s made street wars not about territories but about their musical careers. The wars expanded, it became East v/s West, which ended on September the 13th 1996 with a blood splattered Tupac Shakur and his faded ‘Thug Life’ tattoo, as a reminder of what he stood for.
Why is it that somewhere down the line the upcoming generation tunes into such a criticized art form? I agree Rap may not have the best use of language, but then again neither did Jim Morrison, or his infinite hippie contemporaries. What makes parents cringe when they see Marshal Mathers appear on screen? It is easy to dismiss rap as an art form of the lowly profane miser. Mine is a plea to understand the circumstances where these rebels come from. Born into public housing and raised on drugs guns and sleaze, they have an urge to scream their plight. What is sad though is that the message seems to be lost, in the words of rap artist Nas ‘Hip Hop is deceased’. Now 50 Cent and his G Unit buddies only seem to think about vulgarity, in order to sell. Rap of the late 1980’s up till the late 90’s stood for a lot. An entire social struggle had found a voice through these artists. They had their conflicts within their world, their unorganized rebellion turned into a platform to wail about their miseries. As rap slowly turns into a monster of absolute senselessness I took some time to understand its transition. I realized that it died as fast as it came, a meaningful political struggle against racism and inequality buried somewhere in time. It was a jewel of an opportunity, to give a voice to the infinite struggling African Americans but it died at the hands of monetary greed. I would like to end in the words of slain rap artist, actor, poet and novelist Tupac Shakur, the person to whom I owe my respect for rap music. It is an excerpt from a song called Don’t Stop, written in response to the late African American politician C. Dolores Tucker, who made an attempt to ban rap music.
“If I wasn’t spittin, it would be prison or death
This rap game all we got left
So try to comprehend where we coming from
We’re trying to unify, brothers on the rise
And we can’t stop” EDITORIAL BOARD
Ayesha Malik, Devika Agrawal, Nikhil Pandhi, Sanjana Malhotra, Arushi Kumar, Meghna Mann,
Sara Chatterjee, Rhea Sadh, Bhavik Singh, Kunal Datta, Vanshika Wadhwa, Akbar Iqbal,
Avanti Gupta, Soumya Dasgupta, Jahan Adil Nargolwala, Diva Gujral, Tarunima Prabhakar, Mahi Titus, Amba Kak, Arjun Bajaj, Dhritiman Murti, Praavita Kashyap, Ujwalla Bhandari, Shaman Marya, Ria Sen

Editorial Board:

Ayesha Malik, Devika Agrawal, Nikhil Pandhi, Sanjana Malhotra, Sara Chatterjee, Rhea Sadh, Kunal Datta , Vanshika Wadhwa, Bhavik Singh, Jahan Nargolwala, Soumya Dasgupta, Diva Gujral, Tarunima Prabhakar, Avanti Gupta, Amba Kak, Arjun Bajaj, Dhritiman Murti, Praavita Kashyap, Ujwalla Bhandari, Shaman Marya, Ria Sen
Editor: Akanksha Chawla