“Coke Studio @MTV” A Brand New Musical Treats for the Music Lovers

Usually, I am not a fervent TV watcher, as I get easily fed up, switching over the channels, intending to watch with “what else is there in the channel” rather than “what is there in the channel”. However, yesterday as I was flipping over the channels as usual, I happen to tune in to the premier show of MTV coke studio, which was indeed, to my utter surprise, different from other musical shows as the show focuses only on music—and not on competition, as many music programs currently on TV do.
I did remain glued to the TV as I found myself captivated by the brand new musical show staged by musical legends of India like Richa Sharma, Kailash Kher and Shankar Mahadevan, engulfed in the crisscross of fluorescent illumination, MTV coke studio, The Indian version which is called “Coke Studio @MTV” is a unique musical programme that starts at 7Pm every Friday. The show which has already persuaded many music lovers in Pakistan, has now started to cast its spell in India too. Bringing together 45 dexterous musicians from different parts of the country, in various genres such as folk, classical and qawwali, sufi and others.

“We have such a rich musical heritage. It’s surprising that we don’t have a platform to bring this heritage out and show it to the common man. Film music has taken over completely,” Aditya Swamy, who heads MTV India, told IANS. “The show aims to bring to gather various cultures of the country on one stage, and mix three very potent elements. On one hand, it will have well-known classically-trained singers. On the other hand, we will have folk legends of the country, whether it’s a Bihu singer or a qawwal. The third one will bring young and new talent. We will be mixing all three ingredients together to get something very explosive out of it,” he added

The show has been produced by MTV India in partnership with Red Chillies Entertainment.Talking about ratings, Swamy explained: “I don’t think Television Rating Points (TRP) are the only scale to measure success. I’m not doing this show to see whether it will do better than ‘Indian Idol’ or a ‘Sa Re GA Ma’. The objective is to celebrate the music of India and build a community of people who want to listen to alternative music.”
“Having said that, I feel if you hunt for TRPs you never get them. You create something world class, and the TRPs will come,” he added. [Source: The Express Tribune].
The show is a “must watch show” for every music lovers as it shows the explicit blend of folk, classical with regional and western instrument.
Mr. Basir told India Real Time that Coke Studio aims to reflect the “aural culture of the country” by capturing musical traditions from across the nation. Each one-hour episode of Coke Studio features six songs that could be a diverse mix of old Bollywood songs, classical compositions and folk music. The show will also aim to mix-and-match established musicians and up-and-coming artists.
The show’s musical director, Leslie Lewis, said Coke Studio will be “another direction for the music in this country.” Mr. Lewis is known in India for his collaboration with singer Hariharan as part of Colonial Cousins, which was hugely popular in the 1990s. Across several albums, the duo mixed Indian classical music with Western pop sounds and English-language lyrics.
“Coke Studio isn’t a reality show. So there are no mentors, no anchors, no judges and no voting,” said Mr. Lewis. “It’s just live music that has been recorded from the beginning to the end. I didn’t allow artists to patch up later or make corrections.”
The line-up of artists for the first season which was held on 17th of June 2011 were some well-known Bollywood names like singer Richa Sharma, as well as folk legends like the Wadali brothers, who are musicians from Punjab who sing in the Sufi mystic tradition, and Advaita, a fusion band from New Delhi. The line-up also featured lesser-known musicians like the percussionist Bondo, from the former Portuguese colony of Goa, and Bihu musician Khagen Gogoi, who performs in a folk tradition from the northeastern state of Assam. The most unique feature of Coke Studio is that renowned artists actually breaks out of their comfort zone and come out to perform on a platform pushing their boundaries, collaborating with artists they haven’t worked with before, and taking their music to people it hasn’t reached before.


Sikkim stands nowhere inferior in the field of both western and eastern regional musical arena. Renowned bands like “Still Waters” and “Girish and the Chronicles” which have been born in the soil of Sikkim, is itself evident that we have reached the pinnacle of success in the musical sphere. There are numerous such talents lying dormant or awaiting opportunities. Thus, Coke Studio @MTV where versatile legends of Indian music exhibit the show in their splendid form can inspire and reenergize our budding musician of Sikkim.

http://www.facebook.com/cokestudioatmtv?sk=wall

MUSIC

With the notes played in serene air,
there comes a music one loves to hear.
Yours remorse fades in tranquility
and your sorrows left in vanity.

Though it might be tango or a ballet
rhymed with brief or a crotchet,
The music that reeds an unholy mind
is perhaps the music that succeeds.

So I pay you my utmost gratitude
and also to your creator.
for you shall be my destiny
that shall hover throughout my era.

Youths' suicidal tendencies: Causes and solution

One of the very reasons that strained me to comprehend over Suicidal tendencies is the increasing suicide cases in my society. Within a short span of two years three consecutive cases has occurred where every time the girls of age 19 to 22 has dare to take such a fatal step. Moreover, two of them being my cousins has indeed dragged my attention closer. It was just yesterday we have finished with the funeral ceremony and I heard numerous assumptions being made by the people attending the funeral. Some felt that it was because some evil force that had possessed the diseased soul, some felt it to be the 'Karma' of previous life or the result of the deeds of her parents, while some considered it to be a curse on the family. However, the most rational one was that, it was because of some unbalanced love affair she was undergoing.
There are numerous suicidal cases that have occurred all over the world, but it is reported to have occurred most frequently in Sikkim. Suicidal cases, though, has set a firm grip in Sikkim but it has been apparently ignored by our society and the Government.
I was fortunate to come across this article which provides us a comprehensive insight into the crisis prevalent among our youth and facilitates us further to comprehend over the matter.
Here are some opinions on the issue.

DR RITA Agarwal, a psychologist and the director of Tears (an institute for mentally retarded children) opines that the high expectations of the parents and the society are one of the major reasons of growing number of suicides among the students. She states that the problem begins at the level of parents as they hold high expectations from their children without to understanding their mental calibre. They overload their children with unbearable responsibilities and commitments. It becomes an obligation to fulfill the desires of their parents. As a result of this, the child lives under constant pressure.
The high expectations of the parents make them emotionally weak and insecure and the child loses the mental balance to overcome the problems. He lives in a constant fear of failure and this horror increases with the parents’ expectations. Gradually, when the child sees that he is failing in his efforts to fulfill the expectations of the parents’ and the society, it becomes tough for him to face them and as a consequence, he chooses death in order to let himself free and escape all the troubles of life.
So it is the responsibility of the parents to take care of their children and understand their emotions. Sometimes, this also leads to psychological problems like depression and hypertension. The problem could be surmounted with the joint efforts of the family, teachers and the close friends. But the role of the parents is most important because if they are able to understand the interest of their children, then such a problem may never arise.
Parents should seek career guidance to understand the aptitude of their children. There is no harm in taking the psychological tests and they should go for tests like aptitude tests and standard psychological tests to identify the IQ level of the students. If possible, parents should also take the help of family counselling to understand their children. Parents should understand that they play an important part in the lives of their children and therefore they should try to understand their needs and interests.
Attitude of admiration and acceptance.
Dr Seema Dixit, personal counsellor of St Conrads College, Agra, opines that the increasing number of suicides among the students is due to numerous reasons. She states that student’s can’t be blamed for poor academic performance. In fact, some parents think that it is the responsibility of their children to make them proud with their achievements. But they fail to understand that parents too have the responsibility to make their children proud by providing them with the best possible facilities.
Parents play an important role in the overall development of children. This is because they are the ones, who act as role models for their children. So its the parents, who actually make or break their children.
Sometimes, parents force their children to take up the career of their choice rather than the child’s. But they fail to realise that career is the result of one’s attitude, capacity, IQ, aptitude, and interest and it is the duty of the parents to understand this and make their children choose a career of their choice. Thus, one of the reasons behind the increasing number of suicide cases is the ignorance and indifferent attitude of the parents. Because of this parental attitude, children indulge in the company of bad friends thereby ruining their personal as well as professional life. Later, they feel that the only option left with them is to commit suicide.

It is the duty of the parents to provide them quality time and they should have an attitude of acceptance and admiration. Parents should learn to appreciate their children and never make a mistake of comparing them with other children as this can create an inferiority complex in the child. Parents should try to encourage their child’s faith in God, so that he may regard this body as the temple of god and that we have to live for god’s sake. The most important thing is that parents should always keep a note of their child’s activities
Teachers should be impartial.
NS Chauhan, senior lecturer of St Patrick’s Junior College, states that the problem of suicide has become a major problem among the students of almost all age groups. Earlier, these problems were common among the students, who failed to perform well in the competitive exams. But with the passing of time, this problem is becoming common even among the school going students. One cannot deny the fact that sometimes, these problems occur because of the environment in which the child seeks education.
There’s an increasing trend of suicide cases amongst the school going children. In school there are students with different IQ levels and often a weak student finds it difficult to meet the set standards of the intelligent ones. Another major reason is the partial attitude of teachers towards the students.
Sometimes, the a teacher’s attitude towards a student is guided by the social, cultural, economical background of a child. Teachers often make a mistake of according more importance to some students. This results in a feeling of neglect among other students and they inculcate a feeling of inferiority. This ultimately leads to problems like depression and tension and life seems a dull and aimless affair to them.
These problems need a solution and the key to these problems lie in the hands of the teachers. They should try to understand the needs of a child and hold an attitude of equality towards each and every child. They should give equal opportunities to all the students irrespective of their backgrounds. It’s the responsibility of the school to keep a watch on the attitude of a child and report to the parents about the psyche of the disturbed child. Apart from this a child needs an overall development and therefore it’s the duty of the school to organise events that may help achild to showcase his talents. Schools should make an attempt to enhance the hidden talents of the students.
Its time for the teachers to realise that they play a vital role in the life of a student and they are the inspiration of a child and therefore they should be unbiased in their treatment.
Proper purgation of emotions.
Suicidal cases show a normal probability curve, which shoots up as soon as the results are announced, says Neharika Sethi, a student These days, suicide has become a trend among youngsters either to escape the circumstances or the parental expectations. Every year, this number is increasing and apart from parental reasons and circumstances, there is something more about the victim, something that’s within the person, she explains.
When one misses the inner zeal to live, it makes a person to commit suicide. The reason can be anything from poor result to love affairs among youths. The pressure of problems stops the proper purgation of the emotions of these people, which leads to a psychological imbalance, which finally leads to mental frustration. This may also lead to aggression and hypertension, all of this then leads to hypersensitivity and forces the person to develop suicidal tendencies. The situation is really pathetic and does need a lot of initiation. Movies like Tare Zameen Par are a good step address the issue. Regular psychological counselling and education sessions should be conducted in schools to help eradicate this sin, she opined.
Parental fear forces such actions.
Dr Amitabh Chauhan (former emergency medical officer of district hospital Agra) states that doctors come across many cases where the youths make an attempt to end their lives. The major reason behind such violent actions of youths is the treatment that children get in their respective families. Many a times doctors come across cases where the parents fail to tell the circumstances which, lead their children to take such extreme step. This simply reflects the pitiable parent-child relationship. In such cases, parents fail to understand the needs and requirements of their child and in such circumstances the child starts getting away from his parents that forces them to take such actions.
Another reason behind suicide attempts is the strict attitude of parents towards their wards. They think that austere behaviour is the only alternative to protect their children and make them a good human being. But when the child fails to fulfill their hopes, he tries to take his life. Parents need to understand the needs of their children and should play the role of a friend to understands their inner feelings and share their joys and sorrows.
Hence it is evident that many of us have to revive our outlook towards suicide cases. It is the responsibility of every individual of the society to direct our youth towards right direction, to guide them every time they falter. Above all, anyone suffering from Suicidal tendencies requires to be treated with our love and concern rather than ignorance and suspicion.