When music strikes a discordant note
Last week when I reached home after a hectic day, I was welcomed by my 10-year-old son’s singing the song,‘solwan ni tapiya, satarvan ni tapiya, atharwe ch munda badnam ho gaya.” The mother in me was taken aback because this was not something my husband or I had taught him. So I was obviously worried where he had learnt it from.
It’s rightly said that music is the food for the soul. I don’t only believe in this phrase but also practise it religiously since childhood. Old and new Hindi melodies have always found their place in my heart and home. There is a song for every occasion and mood and I know most of them by heart. I can hum them though not very melodiously.
Though I’m a native of Punjab yet Punjabi music has not attracted me much. I enjoy Punjabi music at gatherings, especially the dance numbers, but listening to them on a regular basis is not my cup of tea. I’m both happy and disturbed at my son’s newly developed love for music. I am happy because he has started taking more interest in music than ever before but I am disturbed because all he is doing these days is singing Punjabi songs with the actions.
I have nothing against Punjabi music, but it’s the type of songs he chooses to sing that disturbs me. He is most attracted to numbers that talk of guns, abuses, revenge and gangsters to name a few. My house doesn’t give him the opportunity to learn such songs. It’s the environmental factors -- friends, marriages, parties -- playing a role here.
Like a good parent I tried explaining to him that we have many good Punjabi songs that have meaningful and positive lyrics but that has not affected him much. Whenever he gets a chance, he gets hold of our mobile phones and seeks the help of Youtube to enrich his knowledge of music. To deal with this, I have started diverting his attention to Punjabi songs that talk of values, nature and family. Though not fully successful in my mission, I am sure the effort will make a difference.
Music has no language but I personally believe one should listen to only that music with lyrics which will do no harm. What scares me is the impressionable age of my son. Factors such as the influence of the media and role modelling are a part of my day to day discussion as a teacher of psychology. I am assuming that it’s just a phase and my efforts and reasoning will bear fruits one day.
I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST PUNJABI MUSIC, BUT IT’S THE TYPE OF SONGS HE CHOOSES TO SING THAT DISTURBS ME. HE IS MOST ATTRACTED TO NUMBERS THAT TALK OF GUNS, ABUSES, REVENGE AND GANGSTERS TO NAME A FEW