I am a vocalist. I learned and performed Classical music at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, one of the most eminent institutions for music and dance in India. Initially, I was not very keen on learning music. ‘Culture is peripheral and subsidiary to economics’, ‘With hungry stomach, you cannot perform’, ‘History is written by warriors and politicians and not by artists’ — were the general impressions of culture that I had. And this was visible in my attitude towards culture — that of disdain and contempt.
I would have continued in my ‘cuckoo land’ till I was myself involved in it. Twenty of us were finally selected, following a rigorous audition at different stages, for the class of Classical Indian Music. It was a wide range of heterogeneity in family and economic background, social classes, and linguistic, caste, and religious makeup. This hiatus was perceptible in our class. A major communication barrier was there, leading to pride and self-obsession. It is a strange fact of human psychology that if you do not communicate, you tend to form opinions and impressions leading to biases, hatred, and discrimination. Peace and harmony become a casualty. This holds true for any scale of the human group — a small music class of girls to the ocean of humanity. The teacher was smart. She kept on changing groups and seating arrangements. We started to know each other better. One of the girls had a shattered family — divorced parents and a stepmother. Another was a school dropout forced by her abject poverty. She could successfully notch a fee waiver by the strength of her melodious voice. The third one came in a chauffeur-driven car. The only common trait was a passion for music. As time rolled by, the class was transformed into a perfectly united group, a cohesive and vibrant unit. It was based on compassion, friendship, trust, and harmony and above all, an understanding that God was not unwise in making all five fingers of different lengths. That could have been the only possible combination to make a tight fist and a strong grip.
Now I will amplify and zoom my thoughts gained from my own personal experience to the global plane. Albert Camus, the renowned French philosopher, rightly put it that ‘without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle’. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future.’ It is the same friendship that we developed in our class that is being talked about at the global level. To achieve world peace the eminent universal institutions and peace foundations have now shifted to cultural activities to address this issue.
‘Aman Ki Asha’ [Hope for Peace] is one of the peace initiatives to foster friendship among the two nations- India and Pakistan, that have grown on a tradition of hatred and hostility. It has a success story through cultural activities-music festivals, art exhibitions, literary exchanges, etc. On the Indo-Pak border, at Wagah, historical festivals using light and sound features were shown and all these have melted the hostilities and there is a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect for each other.
Culture is the most powerful medium of communication. It leaves behind an indelible impact that is much more effectual than the political dialogues and diplomatic conferences. Culture inculcates the accommodation of divergent views and toleration. What is the best performance in my perception, may not be the same for an audience. I ought to look from another side if I want to improve.
Culture is immune to greed. There is no individual ownership. There is no ‘my culture’ and ‘your culture’. It is always ‘our culture’ — a world culture. It is the guiding force for peace, harmony, and brotherhood. The delicate footwork of Kathak dance and Bach’s compositions are not antonyms to each other. The Gandharva Mahavidyalaya and New York philharmonic orchestra can co-exist in perfect harmony.
Culture transcends boundaries- both natural and man-made. My performance moves the hearts of the audience regardless of their caste, color, and religion. It is that future we yearn for. Culture has an inherent strength to create a better future where there are no walls but only bridges. This is my experiment that will definitely hold true at the world level. It is straight from my heart and hearts do not tell a lie.
