Music is My Life
I was turning 3 years old, when I started singing just by listening to songs. It was amazing to my parents, and they started my proper music training in my daycare. The first thing I learned was the building blocks, seven beautiful music notes, which can be mixed to make a beautiful musical rainbow. My tiny fingers never get tired of making melodious rhythm with my keyboard. My keyboard was my favorite toy in daycare. While other kids were busy playing, I found myself engaging with my keyboard to make some magical tunes.
As I grew up, I realized that music is everywhere. The chirping of birds, the sounds of insects in the night and animal’s voices all are music. Water drops falling on the ground, rustling of leaves in trees, heavy wind sounds, waves of sea, sound of car horn all together create beautiful rhythm. Then I came to know that the seven swaras in Hindustani music originated from the sounds of nature. The seven swaras of Hindustani classical music as we all know – Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni are originated from various birds and animals. Sa is associated with the sound of peacock, Re the sparrow, Ga the goat, Ma the flamingo, Pa the cuckoo, Dha the snake and Ni the elephant.
When I am closing my eyes for morning riyaaz, I feel like I am in space, oh yes, the sound of space is nothing but OM. So, my morning riyaaz starts with OM. I used to feel like I am going deeper and deeper in the space and my heartbeats are getting slower and relaxed. While doing riyaaz once I noticed my heart beats. My heart beats were also forming a beautiful rhythm of music. Then I listened to the silence between my heartbeats and realized that there is no music without silence. The correct position of silence between the swaras can do the magic.
There are certain rules in riyaaz, like while practicing standing notes, it should not dance and shake. It is fun for me to sing swaras in different combinations, to create the alankars that I have learned from my guru. Each alankars are based on some Hindustani Raag, which has its own rules. Each swaras again must have a particular frequency in each scale. Is it not like our board game which we are playing with its own rule and regulations? Just as daily exercise is necessary to keep our body healthy, daily Riyaz is very much essential to strengthen our vocal cords.
I think there is music in the air, there is music all around us; The world is full of it, and anyone can enjoy it anywhere, anytime. More than enjoyment, it is essential for our mental development and concentration.
