music with a nationality? sick!
its quite ironic that just a day after I put up my last blog post, I got a message from a musician which goes as below:
DEAR ALL
PLEASE STOP BUYING CD’S MUSIC OF PAKI SINGERS AND ANYTHING TO DO WITH PAKISTAN THE TRUTH IS THESE MORONS PAKI CRICKET PLAYERS SINGERS DANCER ETC (OR SO CALLED CULTURAL CONTACT IS CRAP ) THESE PEOPLE HATE INDIA AND WE SHOULD KNOW THAT THERE CAN BE NO PEACE WITH A COUNTRY WHO HAS PLANED AND IS PLANING TO KILL INDIANS BE MORE PROACTIVE BOYCOTT PAKI MUSIC ..JAI HIND
and like one of my good friends said on the band’s facebook page, since when did music start having a nationality? music, or any form of art, is probably the only thing mankind has known which transcends all – ALL – boundaries. race, religion, nations, creed, everything. what pains me even more is that this is a band which I’ve had close relations with, have had fun seeing them perform, spent some good times with them. the views of the band member in question maybe personal, but they are completely unwarranted and unprovoked. and they just don’t deserve to be discussed on a forum of music lovers who give you a listening ear. what should be remembered is that musicians are lent a listening ear for their music, which essentially conveys a feeling of love and peace. the listening ear is not meant to abused with immature and irrational personal views which have no standing. yes, music has been a vehicle for conveying feelings of hatred as well. but against oppression, against inhuman behavior. not against music itself.
I pray that better sense prevails, and people get out of the straitjacket they have constricted themselves into with feelings such as these. till then, I know one band whose music I’m going to stay away from.
