I'd answered a question on Quora on this, and some people wanted me to post this on my blog too.. So here it is..
My Background:
I am currently a full time student of the Dhrupad form of Indian Classical Music (The oldest surviving form of Indian Music..). I live in a Gurukul run by the Gundecha Brothers, Padmashree Award winning artists (Padmashree is the 4th highest Civilian honor in India. It's quite a big deal!) learning from them in the traditional Guru-Shishya style of learning.
I also did my BTech from IIT Bombay (passed out in 2013). Yes, I have made a HUGE shift in life. And NO, I did not have any background or prior training in music. I started as a hobby while in IIT, and now here I am.
Okay. Before going into the purpose of art, lets see what the purpose of anything we do is. A broad and universally applicable answer is happiness. We do what we do, because it makes us happy (or atleast we think it does/ will). This happiness could be associated with fame/ popularity for some, money, a huge house etc.., good relationship etc.. Different people have different things they associate with happiness and strive for. Having a tangible material goal is very good and necessary to keep one active and focused in life. But what is it that truly makes us happy?
When I got my JEE results, I was happy. Really happy... There have been many such instances in my life.. When I look back at these instances, after a while I realized that I was happy here, simply because the heat of the moment made me forget all reasons for unhappiness.. For example, when India won the cricket world cup in 2011, I was really happy. At that moment, my grades, pending assignments, arguments with a few people, worries about where my life was headed.. etc.. all dropped out of my head; and I was happy!
In a way, emotions are all relative. Conversely, it can be argued that during my really low moments, I forgot all the good things in life. My point is that, real happiness is not about feeling ecstatic about a certain event in life. Real happiness is in the ability to move beyond these plays of the mind, observe its ups and downs from afar, and live life as a game.. Enjoying every moment inspite of the circumstances.
The arts require the individual to do this exactly. The journey to becoming a true artist is scary. One must confront all his/ her inner demons as a sort of job requirement. When constantly finding ways to express yourself, your thoughts and emotions better, you automatically are on a journey to know yourself better.
In Indian Music, there are hundreds of Ragas (Anup Jalan's answer to Hindustani Classical Music: What is a Rāga? How do we distinguish between different Rāgas?) When I hear each of these different ragas, it has a different emotional effect on me. And the effect of each raga is different each time, depending on my prior mental state, the approach of the artist and other factors, like company, atmosphere etc.. I have never been able to satisfyingly identify or name the emotions that arise in me listening to any raga. I can just observe, and at times, immerse myself in it. The same happens to me even when I am doing my practice and singing myself.
What is happening is, I am being made aware of the different facets and depth of my being in the most objective manner possible. Emotions can be very very intricate at times, and difficult to quantify.. I am now accustomed to observing them, without the entrapping attachments that come with a personal involvement. This enables me to become aware of an existence of my self, beyond petty emotions, and become a true observer to all that is occurring in universe within my mind and without. This leads to the true happiness I spoke about earlier.
This is also why artists are placed a notch above others, and are respected immensely. They bravely take out the time and efforts to master the grammar and language which they use to create the chosen form of art. And it is truly a form of service to themselves and society.
I urge all of you to engage in some artistic hobby or the other.. It's amazing!
My Background:
I am currently a full time student of the Dhrupad form of Indian Classical Music (The oldest surviving form of Indian Music..). I live in a Gurukul run by the Gundecha Brothers, Padmashree Award winning artists (Padmashree is the 4th highest Civilian honor in India. It's quite a big deal!) learning from them in the traditional Guru-Shishya style of learning.
I also did my BTech from IIT Bombay (passed out in 2013). Yes, I have made a HUGE shift in life. And NO, I did not have any background or prior training in music. I started as a hobby while in IIT, and now here I am.
Okay. Before going into the purpose of art, lets see what the purpose of anything we do is. A broad and universally applicable answer is happiness. We do what we do, because it makes us happy (or atleast we think it does/ will). This happiness could be associated with fame/ popularity for some, money, a huge house etc.., good relationship etc.. Different people have different things they associate with happiness and strive for. Having a tangible material goal is very good and necessary to keep one active and focused in life. But what is it that truly makes us happy?
When I got my JEE results, I was happy. Really happy... There have been many such instances in my life.. When I look back at these instances, after a while I realized that I was happy here, simply because the heat of the moment made me forget all reasons for unhappiness.. For example, when India won the cricket world cup in 2011, I was really happy. At that moment, my grades, pending assignments, arguments with a few people, worries about where my life was headed.. etc.. all dropped out of my head; and I was happy!
In a way, emotions are all relative. Conversely, it can be argued that during my really low moments, I forgot all the good things in life. My point is that, real happiness is not about feeling ecstatic about a certain event in life. Real happiness is in the ability to move beyond these plays of the mind, observe its ups and downs from afar, and live life as a game.. Enjoying every moment inspite of the circumstances.
The arts require the individual to do this exactly. The journey to becoming a true artist is scary. One must confront all his/ her inner demons as a sort of job requirement. When constantly finding ways to express yourself, your thoughts and emotions better, you automatically are on a journey to know yourself better.
In Indian Music, there are hundreds of Ragas (Anup Jalan's answer to Hindustani Classical Music: What is a Rāga? How do we distinguish between different Rāgas?) When I hear each of these different ragas, it has a different emotional effect on me. And the effect of each raga is different each time, depending on my prior mental state, the approach of the artist and other factors, like company, atmosphere etc.. I have never been able to satisfyingly identify or name the emotions that arise in me listening to any raga. I can just observe, and at times, immerse myself in it. The same happens to me even when I am doing my practice and singing myself.
What is happening is, I am being made aware of the different facets and depth of my being in the most objective manner possible. Emotions can be very very intricate at times, and difficult to quantify.. I am now accustomed to observing them, without the entrapping attachments that come with a personal involvement. This enables me to become aware of an existence of my self, beyond petty emotions, and become a true observer to all that is occurring in universe within my mind and without. This leads to the true happiness I spoke about earlier.
This is also why artists are placed a notch above others, and are respected immensely. They bravely take out the time and efforts to master the grammar and language which they use to create the chosen form of art. And it is truly a form of service to themselves and society.
I urge all of you to engage in some artistic hobby or the other.. It's amazing!
