On June 21, 110 countries celebrate World Music Day. From where did world music evolve? Why do we celebrate it one day in a year?
There is a culture abroad that India sorely misses out on - street music where musicians gather on sidewalks and perform for the general public. We have street plays, street dances and street shows but no real street music culture.
In Europe, street music is a genre by itself and like 8-Mile, which starred popular rapper Eminem, shows a realistic picture of the street rap culture. So why the hubbub about street music? Because that’s what World Music Day celebrates! Though the movement began in France, the fete de la musique honours musicians and fusion music in more than 100 countries today.
Says ace drummer Sivamani, “Music is what it was, right from the beginning. The seven notes sa, re, ga, ma, pa, da, ni are constant. Only the kind of music changes according to the time. And as music evolves, bits of it are inspired from other kinds. That is how nature works, where everything is in harmony.”
On this day, anyone can perform music anywhere between 8 30 am and 9 pm, anywhere. And that’s what they did. “Change is the only constant thing in the world and it is always welcome. I never used to listen to Bollywood music but A.R. Rahman’s entrance made me. He is fresh, creative and there is so much fusion in his music,” says Subir Malik, the keyboardist of Parikrama. Subir also believes that the advent of the Internet is one of the key reasons why world music is going big today. “A decade ago, this type of a global celebration would not have been possible,” he adds.
Raghu Dixit who started his music journey by collaborating with musicians, including amateur ones, feels that street music is almost non-existent here because there is no dignity of labour. “In places like Europe and France, you can find musicians performing at ever corner. They are licensed and perform for their livelihood. It’s sad that we don’t respect the diversity of Indian music and there is no dearth for it anywhere in the country,” he says.
June 21 is a time to pursue that passion for music and perform. Everything is free, the concerts and the tickets. It is a mere celebration of an art, and the goodness it brings to the world.
Isn’t it so true when they say that the best things in life are for free?