My First Word

Hi. Two decades and my first hi. And I suppose “Why so late?” isn't the question. There’s so much to procrastinate. The right thing to ask would be “If nothing got you slamming keys in the past twenty years, what is it finally?” That. Right.

Rewind a few days. Say hello to continuous internal assessment exam and people trying really hard to get me serious. No sir, I am not someone with an academic history worth showing off. And I am putting less effort into changing that than I am at trying to think of a witty end to this sentence. So coming back to where we were, the devil was already working overtime in his workshop when there was the mini “Aha!” moment and I recollected one of my friends telling me about a blog he wrote. A tap, tap here and a click, click there and voila! There it is. “Nociception”, says the title. Nothing but pure, undiluted Hindustani music. So undiluted that I didn't understand more than half of its content. But I thoroughly appreciated what I did understand. And irrespective of my knowledge of the topic (which is next to whatever is next to nothing) I liked it. No kidding.

Time for scene change. Le me walking around the hostel thinking about my insignificance as an individual in the larger scheme of things. (OK now I AM kidding, but whatever. Just imagine me loafing around.) In some room of some floor someone playing some song on his laptop. I don’t care who he is, only what is it that’s playing. As I get close this is what I hear. “…but music is reflection of self, we just explain it. And then…” Interesting (rubs palms together).

Modern day middle-of-nowhere. WhatsApp conversation. “Do you know what a genre is?” “Particular type of sorts, right? Like pop or punk, like that, right?”

So all this got me flexing my fingers a little and reflecting upon everything I listen and connect to musically. For those who need an introduction, I consider myself, pretentiously or otherwise, someone who can critically appreciate any form of music the way an enthusiast of that genre would, though that doesn't mean I’m not genre specific.

Time to answer my own question. What do you think is a genre? “A style or category of art, music, or literature.” – Oxford Dictionary. I choose to disagree. I’ll put it simply. I think each genre is nothing but a lifestyle. Think about it. If local movie music is what makes up your entire playlist, then I suppose that’s who you are. Someone who is happy being, no offense, the frog of the well. But that’s just me and I could be wrong.

But my definition is consistent with what I've seen thus far. Party machines, or at least the ones I know, flood their auditory systems with dance, electronica, dubstep, house, punk and the sorts. Being the lazy-ass lord of lethargy that I am, I suppose Britpop topping my playlist is justified. And blues. Yes, blues. If I had to sit down and talk about blues, I guess I’d go on so long that when I finish and get up to leave, I’ll trip on my own beard and fall. And that doesn't really happen frequently. What does happen frequently is me talking TO blues. All kinds – British, American, everything. Two genres I dive into and paddle away from everything else. That apart there is always the good old rock. Energy, the way I see it. A rush of blood to the head that blocks all your senses but that of hearing.

So basically I see myself as nothing but someone who likes doing nothing but sit down and think about stuff, loaf around telling people to appreciate the little things in life and teach them how to forget how to give a damn. That’s how I see myself in the mirror that reflects my image based on what I listen to. And yet for someone who judges himself so quickly based on his own tastes and interests, I seldom jump to conclusions based on the tastes of others.

Coming back to where it all started, I've known people listening to everything and nothing at the same time. Just like I was once upon a time. And yet they connect to nothing. That disturbs me to a large extent. How can one possibly go about meaninglessly listening to stuff they find amusing, entertaining, fun and/or anything but associable? Isn't that the whole point? Isn't music fundamentally meant to be a relief structure that helps you unwind?

What’s my point? Sound trippers, carry on. You are meant to be that way. The “What’s-the-point-of-it-all” guys, if you didn't stop reading this after the first three sentences, then you’re not doing a good job. The minority that has accidentally or progressively found what they can lose themselves in, *claps*. The large, large majority that hasn't had the blissful opportunity of letting the music (And I mean THE music, as in the one they would lose themselves into) drip down their auditory canal or worse, hasn't realized it yet, this one’s for you. Do whatever you’re doing. Plug and play everything you've been already playing. But ponder over that one universal truth. Does that combination of notes at that particular tempo define you? Does the “A style or category of art blah blah” definition coincide with the “style of living” definition? Seek it out and you’ll know that ethereal, aural orgasm that is worth experiencing over and over again.

So what are you listening to right now?