Since the ancient times Indian art and culture has been the amalgamation of variant sounds and ‘shabdh’ (words). It’s only in our great land of India that the sound and words play a grand role in all the aspects of life. It is popularly been said that without sounds and words the life is just so meaningless. In fact, it is the various sounds and words that give a meaning and importance to the physical and the non-physical matters. It is in India only that the words (shabdh) are considered to be equivalent to God, that is why in the famous Religions of India the ‘shabd-roop’ is considered to be holy and one of the ways to approach the Almighty.
Words create sound that is a kind of Energy in itself and when this energy is put in a form of a rhythmic and a harmonious pattern it becomes the Music. Music is a composite form of words and sounds that plays a marvellous role. Especially in India, music has been given a greater importance since the ancient times. Indian Art & Culture has been nurtured with varied kinds of music among which the Indian Classical music has gained much of attention and appraisal.
Indian classical music is the most ancient form of music in India and there are valid reasons for why does it possess so much of significance. The ‘Ragas’ and the tunes that composite the Indian classical music are not being created for a fun-sake rather this music is supposed to create a celestial experience for the mankind. Classical music of India is sophisticated and it has got a charisma of building up a connection between the human souls and the Almighty. It is believed that our classical music is not only celestial but also thought provoking. All the sounds and words in classical music have been composed in a very accurate and in fact in a mathematical integrity. That is why this music creates a divine and ecstatic impact on the listener.
There have been numerous of Indian classical musicians who have advanced in establishing this stream of music as one of the paramount music of Indian art and culture. It has been found that the people who have devotedly learned the Indian classical music, they all have evolved as not only the great musicians but also as spiritual and enlightened human beings. And this is actually the huge impact of classical music that helps the person to grow in his/her spiritual journey by connecting the chords of heart with the divine. This music is deeply innovative and increases the focus and concentration power of the person. The greatest example of this statement was; ‘Tansen’ who was the finest classical singer of the Akbar’s dynasty. Tansen was so devotedly engrossed in classical music that eventually he gained the power/talent of igniting the lamps with his voice (sound of music). And I think this is not something unreal, rather this is much acceptable that classical music has the power to heal, soothe and to improve. There have been many instances where classical music has been used as a healing therapy for the people suffering from depression and anxiety syndrome. There are particular instruments like the flute, santoor, sitar, veena, in Indian classical music whose sounds are a great aid to meditation that helps in relaxing the mind and heart, these sounds also help in reducing the adrenal level in the body and reduces the mind wandering.
Today, we all are living into a fast and a furious era; everything for that matter has become so noisy and disturbing. Today, music also has been converted into a matter of agitation and not something that soothes the mind. Concepts like modernity and westernization have also redefined the aspects of Indian music. Nowadays, people rarely listen to the classical music and those who still listen to it belong to the oldest generation. Particularly the Indian Youth is getting fascinated by the western music (hip hop, rapping, etc.) the young generation rarely knows about the great Indian classical musicians like Hariprasad Chaurasiya, Alla Rakha, Bhimsen Joshi, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Upalappu Srinivas, and their minds are already occupied with the filthy lyrics and music (Chickni Chameli, Fevicol Girl, party all night and etc.) What I actually intend to convey here is that, we Indians have forgotten the greatness of our ancient music. It was created with the good intentions of manifesting the authentic experience of music in the lives of the people. Music was meant to soothe the people’s mind and soul and not for exaggerating anxiety and obscenity in their hearts.
Indian classical music has a great relevance attached to it; it opens up the horizon of one’s visions and perception. When one truly listens to the classical music, that very moment becomes blissful and truly glorious. We are catering our senses with completely weird and unsuitable kind of music that also creates an asymmetry at the core level of mind and heart. Thus, it is essential for the human beings to get connected with the roots of their art and culture. Uncouth music is a hindrance in the development of the senses and also for a growth of the psyche.
