“Music gives
soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination.” Plato
Love
has no boundary so does music. Wherever people are there, there is music. With
some poetic licence, one can sing, in the North-eastern Region wherever there
is music, people come together. This is uniqueness of the Region of India,
where music is the air they breathe. A sense of music is in the blood of this
people. It is the culture of the Region.
There is something about music that can heal you,
shape you, change the way you are feeling, can bind you and can even divide us.
Music has some unique forces. It can unite all types of individuals across all
borders. It both shapes and reflects society. It can promote ideals
- like peace and solidarity - but it can also prepare armies for battle.
It is part of almost every important personal and collective moment.
It can open and close a door of us. It has such powerfully
magnetic forces.
There
are different types of music yet they all basically share an expression of
unity. Dancers follow its beat; protesters use it to find
their voice. Music can be used positively or
negatively. Why did human start making music? What is the purpose of making
music? Why do we sing National Anthem? The
answer is very obvious yet for better affirmation- a research on ‘why humans make music’ led by Dr Thomas
Currie from the University of Exeter explains, “The results show that the most
common features seen in music around the world relate to things that allow
people to coordinate their actions, and suggest that the main function of music
is to bring people together and bond social groups – it can be a kind of social
glue.” This is truer to the people of Northeast, who are born and brought up
with music. Our traditional music basically aims at uniting and bringing
harmony to the communities. We have forgotten basic purpose of music.
Music is really one thing that the whole world has in
common, yet comparing with other regions or people, the north easterners
are much more attune with music than others. Music is in their blood. Delving
more into the nature of the people, their edifying ethos and philosophy of life,
music is a way of life. Every person is attuned with some sense of music.
Reflecting more into the nature and the purpose of music, one can also easily
notice that all the folk or traditional songs tend to be more of social
phenomena than being about individual expressing themselves or displaying their
talents. They were developed as a way to bring communities together. They are
used as form of social bonding.
Lori Hunzeker
says, “Music has the power to bring people together: people from different
geographic and cultural backgrounds and even people with different physical and
mental abilities.” One can travel everywhere in the world and still be able to
appreciate the music being performed. This is seen clearly in Burma. People are
brought together, mobilised and shaped through music concerts. One can
understand the emotion expressed through music which one cannot be expressed
verbally. It can also express beliefs and strong convictions so effectively
that people can be influenced by it leading them to come together. It can link
us the past with the present. It also links us from differences. Such is the
means and power of music.
Lynn Hunter in her essay on ‘Music Burns U’ writes,
‘Our lives are lived with others. Our lives are filled with music. Each age
fashions a melodic square. Measure upon measure creates a beauteous patchwork
of quilt of sound.’ Her thought says a lot about the people of Northeast. Music
has ability to unite people under a singular experience, which, in turn, can
change the way people think and behave. For example when we sing or hear the National
Anthem, a patriotic feeling, a feeling of belongings, etc. arouse in us with a
positive energy. It provides a source of inspiration for all.
The lead author of the study, Pat Savage, explains the
covert schematics behind music, “we’ve shown that despite its great
surface diversity, most of the music throughout the world is actually
constructed from very similar basic building blocks and performs very similar
functions, which mainly revolve around bringing people together.” The
north easterners, being blooming lovers of music, music can transcend beyond
the barriers of language, cultures, religions, denominations, tribals, races,
state, etc., to bind them together under a single umbrella. He further says,
“Music lets us connect without language.”
It is the serving forces and legacy of our predecessors. Our folk songs
are the foundation to build upon this harmony and unity. Understanding the old
music may provide insight to examine our present way of life.
Music
is a way of life for us. It is our spirituality. It is our ethos. It is a sort
of mating call. It attracts people. It
reassures, it motivates, it soothes and it educates. It
has not creed, no colours, no tribes, no languages, etc. It prepares a
foundation of fellowship. It has innate ability to bind us together as one. Through uniting individuals that are passionate about
music and passionate about creating change in the world, we religious are the
instrument to provide this opportunity to the youngsters of this region. A new
door of harmony is opened before us. Let us enter through this door of music
and make haste in bringing harmony to this region of ours.
“Music does bring people
together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are
the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what colour we
are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and faith, music
proves: We are the same.” John Denver.
