Literature as Lyrical
How many times have chords of a wandering minstrel or the ubiquitous begging tribe of musicians and blind singers touched the strings of your heart?
Be it on a long-distance Express train or a local train at the junction outside main entrance to Harvard campus; be it outside the London Underground or in some other corner of our good Earth,we have all noticed the immense talent all these less fortunate brethren seem to be endowed with.
And, yes of course, there are a whole lot of us who have been sent to take special music classes at enormous fees shelled out by parents but soon, gave up on this fascinating world of song and dance ,for the sports and later, the online competitions.
All this contrast comes out clearly on this historic day when the renowned Nobel Award Committee has graced a noted American song writer-cum-musician, Bob Dylan with the coveted prize for Literature in this year, 2016!
It is certainly an unenviable occasion. Of immense joy to all who wish to see a senior citizen of arts & music bag the coveted award under the exalted category of ‘Literature!’.
A delight to millions of fans of folklore, Country music, pop and rock style balladeers in the country sides, around the globe.
A sad day-for every aspiring contender who has been an acknowledged author, writer and story-teller worth his or her mettle!
On an apolitical front, this award has outshone all other moves and canvassing reportedly common, behind the scenes.
Even if one were to accept the theory of amnesty international rooting for him, they have definitely done a good deed to humanity, this time around!
Why?
All the materialistic world will now be emulating this eminent awardee for thematic apperception, thoughts, styles, verses, lyrical expression and the world would in essence, be re-booting to the hood old era of country music, folk lore.
Away from futuristic, noisy, Big Bang electronic music of huge decibels..
Traditionalists would spring up from apparently nowhere.
World would turn a gentler place.
Of love. Emotions. Finer feelings. Gentlemen. Decent words.
Degree of universalism. Compassion. Kindness.
Introspection would substitute outrageous rebellious attitudes.
In a nutshell, we will again re-live the glory of the 1900s in the next three decades at least!
Literature.
Ah!
That haloed realm of finer thoughts, finesse in writing, beauty in presentation.
Novels. Classics. Short-stories.
All must pause.
This by no means is a menopause for wonderful writing talent.
But, just a reminder that lesser mortal creations could dislodge them unless they concentrated on improvement ,in original style of the Bard of Avon and his illustrious successors of literary halls of fame.
Rather than catering to mass applause or pandering to populist slapstick comedy and the sort.
Am sure connoisseurs of cinematic works would agree that content wise, quality output has gone missing!
Be it within that world-captain of the film-industry Hollywood or the equally formidable Tollywood-Bollywood-Kollywood triumvirate!
So, three cheers to Nobel.
Sir Alfred Nobel had a vision.
The Foundation has it’s committees.
They have their collective wisdom.
But, fate and destiny have most certainly made Bob Dylan the dark horse of Literature as Rabindranath Tagore was in pre-independent India era!
Three cheers to lyricists.
After all, they churn the flesh of all musical songs.
Music directors lend the blood-stream to these words.
Together, they carry the message of the song to the masses.
Brief. Short. Crisp.
As that 140-delight called a tweet.
Yet, so comprehensive to lend miles and smiles to a story line, if used in a cinema.
Or, a delightful part of a wholesome album.
Whatever, as the leaves rustle to an autumn breeze, in a musical fashion, so also does this selection sound as the musical chimes of a church bell ring throughout the hills and valleys of literary world. How the times are changing. Back to a serene world of peace, love, sanity..
Literature, however, is richer by this additional recognition lent to even the shorter forms of expression. Good literature need not be voluminous, historical or subject matter of critical acclaims or critics’ selection.
Long live Literature!
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