One can argue that drawing and painting were forms of communication. Maybe the cave paintings were meant for warning the young ones about the friendly and not so friendly animals , which would have been critical for their survival in a savage world. But I cant even begin to comprehend music. The most extreme case of our creative imagination and expression. Music which is intricately abstract and yet so close to our soul. Really how did music evolve ? It certainly cannot be essential for our existence (although many would argue otherwise) and yet it engulfs our existences. The origins of music are even more ancient than the cave paintings. The first flute uncovered in a Neanderthal* excavation site dates back to 43,000 BC . Amazingly the holes in this neanderthal flute, made with a bear bones, are perfectly aligned to make diatonic sounds http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/specials/washington_2000/649296.stm (or check this for a more recent flute http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/dec/17/highereducation.arts). Were are ancestors just mimicking natures sounds or was music some form of war cry or means to attract prey. Darwin "The God" (of my religion) had suggested that origin of music was largely an outcome of courtship displays (http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/miller/miller_p4.html ). I cant fully agree with him on this one (Even I am shocked I made this statement, but I know "The God" will not send me to hell for this digression). Its hard for me to believe that the sole purpose of music was to attract a mate and if it was, how could it have evolved into Britney Spears singing Oops I did it again, Oops wrong example, I actually meant Symphony No. 40 by Mozart. Maybe music is a our attempt to tune into the primal sound of creation. Sage Vishvamitra from Hindu mythology is thought to have heard this vibration during one of his trance, which he tried to capture in the vowel Om (Om is thought to be the root of Amen, Ameen and Shalom http://www.healingsounds.com/articles/planetaryHS.asp ) . But I find it hard to believe that the driver of rickshaw humming the tune of his favorite bollywood song as he listens to it on his radio, is thinking of the ultimate resonance of this universe. The reason why music is so close to our heart is because it mingles with our emotions. Joy, sorrow, jealousy, bereavement, love, lust, pain, pleasure and attraction are like the octaves of our music, which when played together, form the very fabric of our life. We connect our music with our emotions. We let music carry us back in time to the "good old days". We use music to soothe us, almost like a companion, when our mind is filled with sorrow. We use music to create an ambiance, a mood, a state of mind. As the story goes, when Tansen sang raga megha malahar it would rain in Akbars court. And as Darwin suggested we use music for courtship, as we play our favorite love duet, affectionately, for that special someone.
But, its not just our music or our art, but everything we do has a touch of our individuality and expression. The colors we choose for our house, the car we drive, the ringer on our cell phone and the clothes we wear (and sometimes chose not to wear), shout and announce our presence to the word. Just like foot prints in sand, wherever we go whatever we do, we leave our imprints behind us. Like soap bubbles floating in air, our emotions transcend space and sometimes time, as they are expressed as music, poetry, dance, a smile, a tear or a blog. Being a social creature we make a conscious effort to "fit in" with our group, our community, our religion or our country. We let our actions express our allegiance to the world around us. We worship and imprison our god in the faith of religion around us. We sing our national anthem in chorus, at our school assembly, as we claim ownership to the land that our ancestors fought for. We cheer as bunch of men chase a football on a cold Sunday afternoon just because the rest of the world is also watching. We hang lanterns and decorate our homes for Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah or Eid, so that our house does not stick out as a sore eye. We express our allegiance to the culture around us and want the world to know it. When the leaders, the rulers express their power, they want the world to know it. Taj Mahal the epitome of love, Pyramids the reflection of immortality and the Eiffel tower the essence of architecture all demand our attention, our awe, adulation and our submission to their supremacy. Most times we express ourself to seek attention and admiration, we want the world to notice us to know that we belong here. So many times when we express ourself we seek an audience an applause or an acknowledgment. Yet there are times when we shed tears to wash out our sorrow in solitude. Or laugh out alone when no one is listening. I certainly don't want an audience when I am ripping my rendition of fields of gold in shower. Subconsciously we are programmed to express our emotions even when no one in watching.
Is this desire to express our selfrooted in our need to leave a mark on this planet that we visit only fleetingly? Are we subconsciously trying to prolong our battle against time leaving behind our creations lingering, as time wipes out every evidence of our existence? More question than answers, but what about this blog. Does it matter if anyone reads it? To answer that question let me first share a habit with you. Every morning I walk into a Starbucks coffee shop as if, to express my allegiance to the metro-sexual culture around me. I look down upon Dunkin doughnuts and Tullys because they are just posers or because their coffee sucks or because they don't donate 2 % of their profits to poor kids in Sudan. Yet my drink, a tall sugar free hazelnut cappuccino extra dry that I have been drinking for the last 8 years is distinctly my own. The baristas at Starbucks know me not by my name but as a guy who drinks a "tall sugar free hazelnut cappuccino extra dry". That cup of cappuccino has a flavor of my choice my trade mark, my expression. Sometimes when I go to Starbucks with my friends, I order my cappuccino for them, many times they add their own touch by asking for fat free milk or a wetter cappuccino, and its okay because they are taking my choice and making it their own. None the less in that one cup they are able to experience a taste that is a part of my daily existence. This blog is like that cup of coffee, by writing it I am climbing onto the blogging bandwagon and yet this blog represents my thoughts, a space in my mind that I explored briefly and then expressed it in words. So even as I am tempted to say that it doesn't matter if anyone reads this blog and that this is just an outlet for me to organize my random thoughts. I will say that, I always meant for someone to read this. And if you have reached so far, I at least have have one audience. Thank you for visiting a small piece of my mind, I hope you found it just like yours.
Himanshu
* Neanderthal was our enigmatic alter ego, a Homosapien that some believe we modern humans (cromagnum) drove to extinction. Others believe that the neanderthals melted into the modern humans through cross breeding. I have always preferred love over war so I lean more towards the second hypothesis (I do flinch however, when I look at whats happening around us today)
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