When they talk to devices, turn on the radio
The human mind travels faster than the speed of light and sound. Our imagination can take us to and fro in time in nanoseconds. The human mind is not confined by boundaries. And, whenever the mind travels to the past, it refreshes myriad memories: Bitter, sweet, sour, entertaining and enjoyable; some unforgettable, some better forgotten.
And when dwelling on the past, there is nothing better than listening to the songs of yesteryear that make one nostalgic: How beautiful the lyrics and poetry, the melodious voices of the singers, and the haunting tunes and compositions of the music-maestros of a bygone era! Music gives ‘a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything,’ as Plato said.
Now, music has changed, so has the medium; and choice of songs! I remember, despite my father’s shouting, shrieking and scolding, I would not switch off the radio while studying. What for him was ‘distraction’ from studies was an ‘attraction’ for me! That habit, a way of life, persists. Those old songs still soothe life’s daily tensions and help me overcome loneliness!
I grew up listening to All-india Radio and always had a small transistor by my pillow. I still have one. Unlike now, the radio was then the main or only source of entertainment at home. One had to obtain a license to own one, and pay the prescribed fee! There were gramophones and tape recorders too. Even today, listening to those songs on the radio helps to live life and dream-walk through the corridors of time! How true, ‘our sweetest songs are those that tell us of saddest thought’, as Percy Bysshe Shelley said. However, across time, portable digital music, audio/video players; a wide range of music system models/ speakers in different sizes/ shapes have shadowed the radio. For me, however, radio remains my soul-mate!
The other day I heard my son Gagandeep say: Alexa play rap Punjabi songs. He swayed with the loud music. I wondered, who did he talk to? And where did that music come from? Another day, I heard old Hindi songs. I looked around but could not locate the source.
Some days later, I saw a black cylindrical gadget behind the table-calendar on the kitchen-counter. What is this? I hesitantly asked my daughter-inlaw, Amandeep. Ignoring my ignorance, she explained that now a whole range of such loud ‘echo-speakers’ (voice-activated internet connected) gadgets were making waves; adding to life’s laziness. Alexa is the virtual assistant, who responds to ‘voice-command’. We are now in the ‘voice-controlled world’. Besides music, one can receive weather updates, the day’s news on this device, which acts as a dictionary too and can operate lights, fans and TV.
Out of curiosity I Googled to learn more. Before my mind numbed and imagination froze seeing the tsunami of answers that popped up on the screen, I shut out. The unstoppable avalanche of technology that influences our life, ‘cloud servers’ working round the clock, is simply mind-boggling; music is just one small drop in the ocean of available technologies, innovations, gadgets/gizmos that enslave us.
Like the mind, music has no limits. It traverses the air-waves, unfettered, unhindered. For the elderly, it was a melodious past, for the young, it is a noisy present! Given the quarantined life the elderly lead and live at home, music from the past rekindles their spirit. And, as Hans Christian Andersen said: Where words fail, music speaks. Yes, music does speak, when the present generation does not and silences the voice of the elderly in loud ‘echo-speakers’ and walks away, ears plugged, eyes glued to Smartphones.
I GREW UP LISTENING TO ALLINDIA RADIO AND ALWAYS HAD A SMALL TRANSISTOR BY MY PILLOW. I STILL HAVE ONE