Gully Boy album

It’s pretty embarrassing to admit that you didn’t know much about Indian hip-hop before #GullyBoy. Sometimes I feel that it’s not just the artists’ responsibility to reach out to his/her fans but it’s also the fans’ responsibility to search for new artists, the underground ones and the unpopular ones, to go beyond the “Trending” section on YouTube.

For those who are new to Indian rap/hip-hop, the #GullyBoy album is a masterpiece. Sure, some of the songs don’t work but it seems like an earnest effort. To bring more than 50 hip-hop artists together and respect their idealism and what they stand for, is worth taking your hats off!

For long, the elite have had a grip on art and culture. I wouldn’t be surprised if people start saying that hip-hop is not “pure music” etc. That’s because we are used to the elite expressing themselves or the elite expressing on behalf of those who are not privileged. But art is not something reserved for those sitting in air-conditioning rooms. It’s also about the streets.

So thank you, the #GullyBoy team, for bringing this gem of an album to us.

Artist and the inner voice

As a good artist (the word ‘good’ is quite subjective) progresses in his/her career, he/she starts experimenting more. There is less pressure on him/her to prove something and hence, there comes a sense of freedom. And yet, there is a pressure that the next piece of creation will lead to the loss of all the reputation that he/she has built over the years. So in a way, an artist is always trapped. I guess the only way to survive this pressure is to listen to your inner voice and do what you enjoy doing. When you create something and do it straight from the heart, your piece of creation will find acceptance, either by the majority or the niche, either now or after decades (by becoming a cult classic). Even if that doesn’t happen, you atleast enjoyed the process of creation which is a reward in itself.

P.S. Don’t you think this applies to how we live our life as well?

​Is there a connection between creativity and innocence?

Maybe, we have to be a little innocent to believe that we can create something that never existed before. Being too clever perhaps gets in the way of creativity.
Maybe that’s the reason why many artists suck at “duniyadari”. Maybe that is the reason why we cannot ‘cunningly’ use our  life experiences to make art

Why I don’t listen to Michael Jackson and Why Johnny Depp is not my favorite actor anymore

There was a time when I used to force myself to keep the artist and the art separate. My heart always felt that it was wrong but somehow, I used rationality to convince myself to listen and watch artists who have been accused of child sexual abuse, domestic violence, etc. But now when I listen to the English retro station and hear Michael Jackson, I immediately close the tab or my ears. Whenever I hear praises about Johnny Depp (Who was my favorite actor at one point of time) or Woody Allen, I cringe. It’s true that the art is always greater than the artist but it is kind of impossible to separate the two. Art is not rational and human beings are emotional beings.

You might ask, “where is the proof? How do you know that the accusations are not false?”. My answer is that it’s okay if I miss out on one of the greatest pieces of art because of the accusations. Humanity is more important than art. A piece of art that has been created by a man/woman who has done some inhumane things is anyway not worth my time.

To old people who criticize ‘today’s music’

To old people who criticize ‘today’s music’: Many a times, your criticism has got nothing to do with the music itself. We all want to go back to our childhood and adolescent days. If you ask me, I would say that the 90’s music was better than today’s music but that’s because I have some amazing memories associated with it. Objectively speaking, every generation produces good music but we tend to be biased towards the music we grew up to and it is understandable. Childhood and adolescence is a time when we experience many things for the first time in our life (e.g friendship, love, heartbreak etc) and the music that we listened to was an expression of our emotions. Instead of criticizing ‘today’s’ music, we should respect each generation’s need and right to express itself. Let’s stop bullying the younger generation by saying stuff like, “today’s music is crap”.

‘Purity’ in art

Before you judge an artist for his/her work, it’s good to remember that we all need money to survive. Getting paid for your creativity is both a boon and a curse: On one hand, you can do what you love but on the other hand, you have to ‘manufacture’ ideas like factory workers. The idea of ‘purity’ in art (i.e. art unaffected by commercial stuff) is noble but human beings are not perfect. Let’s celebrate artists who dedicate themselves to excellence but let’s not burden them with our obsession with perfection.

Inspirational People: Kate Allan

Kate Allan illustrates cute animals with encouraging mental health messages. If you are going through a bad day then take a deep breath, go to her page (Click) and look at the wonderful illustrations. What’s inspiring is that Kate started her blog when she was going through a rough phase in her life.

Inspirational People: Ayqa Khan

Photo: Ayqa Khan

Ayqa Khan (click) is a Pakistani American artist who creates body positive art and shares it on social media platforms. One of the most recurrent themes in her work is the depiction of body hair on women’s bodies. We live in a society where it is obligatory for women and girls to get rid of their body hair. Even men are getting waxed these days but for women, hair removal is a MUST. And if you happen to be a woman with facial hair, then you will be bullied and treated like an alien. That’s what happened with Harnaam Kaur, who has a beard. In an environment like this, we need artists like Ayqa, who challenge conventions.

While looking at Ayqa’s art, I was transported to my teenage days when I wanted my mother to be like other mothers. Unlike most mothers, she never talked about waxing with me, mainly because the concept didn’t exist in her family. Now that I have grown up, I feel lucky that she didn’t pressurize me! I’m glad that she didn’t condition me. There is nothing wrong in getting rid of body or facial hair. What’s wrong is shaming someone who chooses not to. The next time you stare and mock a woman with body hair, ask yourself if you would do the same to a man. The question might open up a new worldview.

Ideals, work, love, etc.

Is it easier to be more dedicated towards your work than people?  “Work” doesn’t have any emotions. Your boss has emotions and expectations but the abstract concepts like “work” or “excellence” don’t have expectations. Dedicating your life to an “ideal” or a “passion” is noble, but dedicating your life to a person is dangerous…there are so many things involved including ego. If you dedicate your whole life to painting and you are poor, then people will call you a “true artist”. But dedicating your whole life to human beings makes you vulnerable. Irom Sharmila was a hero when she was fasting. But the moment she broke her fast, she is being treated as an outcast and her motives are being questioned. One can say that Sharmila’s fight is also for an “ideal”, but unfortunately for her, the ideals and human beings are entwined in her struggle. Are these ‘abstract’ concepts a way of avoiding pain? Or are they an attempt to connect with fellow human beings?

Ideas v/s Experiences

Life can be divided into concepts or ideas and experiences (technically nothing can be divided, I know) We can only try to express our experiences, but nobody can actually know what we are experiencing. It is ours and ours alone. Concepts or ideas, on the other hand, can be expressed and understood by others as well. Both are equally important. But generally, we pay less attention to experiences.

People who discovered something new were those who put experiencing before the ideas. For example: Buddha put experience before everything else. When he left the life of Prince Siddhartha and started his journey as Gautama, he first met a group of ascetics who would starve themselves to attain liberation. Gautama did this too. But after some time, he felt that this path won’t work for him. He didn’t say that the ascetics were wrong, because it was their experience. He left the group and the group members thought that he was not serious about spirituality. But Gautama trusted his personal experience and the rest is history.

When we judge someone harshly, we do it because of the ideas that we have in our head. But that person has experienced life differently than us and that’s why his or her actions are different from our expectations. For example: I might say that a girl’s decision to end her life is foolish but I have not lived her life.

When we keep aside these ideas for a minute and meet people then we will realize that we forcefully try to fit people into an idea but in reality, each human being is different. Meeting every human being is a different experience. For example: I may decide that I will avoid narrow minded people. But then meeting Mr. A, who is a narrow minded person is different from Ms. B, who is also a narrow minded person.

That’s why education is incomplete without Art. Art is honoring these individual experiences. It is also a bridge between ideas and experiences: We express our personal experiences through language, ideas and concepts. Unfortunately, sometimes, art becomes a competition where experiences become less important.