‘One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain,’ wrote Bob Marley in ‘Trenchtown Rock’. As one celebrates World Music Day, June 21, one cannot but think that music has no less healing power than yoga, which will also be celebrated June 21 world over. In today’s divided world, one should listen to more and more music that can work as a balm on the wound world outside inflicts on one’s mind. In the first part of a series, Monalisa Patsani speaks to the doyens of Oriya music to tell the readers of the Orissa Post about what they think about music in general and Oriya music in particular. Read on …
post news network, Bhubaneswar, June 19: Orissa has had many legendary singers such as Sikandar Alam, Balakrushna Dash, Akshaya Mohanty, Prafulla Kar, Shantanu Mohapatra etc., who are known for their versatile music world over. The state is waiting for more such musicians and singers who could bring laurels to the state.
Speaking to Orissa Post, Padma Shri Prafulla Kar said, “There is a vast difference between Western music and Indian music. The world celebrates music day June 21 but for Indian singers Saraswati Puja is the day of shadhna and worship. So world music day for me is a western concept and we are forced to accept the tradition.”
Speaking about the Oriya music industry, he said, “At one point in time Oriya classical music had a great influence on the music industry of Orissa. But now everything has changed. Now, singers from outside sing Oriya songs without understanding the meaning of the words of the song they sing. Earlier, singers used to know the meaning of the lyrics they were singing, which used to give a soul to the song, which is now missing. The modern songs are just songs without a soul. The standard of lyrics and music has also gone down, which is why the young generation is going for Bollywood or English songs”.
Sound director Subash Sahoo is a well-known name in the Bollywood who has, till date, bagged two national awards. Known for his works in films like Omkara, Kaminey, Khosla ka Ghosla and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Shubhas believes that Oriya music industry is yet to evolve. “We have a long way to go in the field of music before we march along either Assam or West Bengal. Parents in these states encourage their kids to take up music and other art forms alongside their studies. It was not so here. But the trend is changing, as parents are now encouraging their children to learn music, dance and other things. So I think slowly Orissa is opening up. It will take another 10 years to develop the music industry of the state.”
Talking about his days of struggle, he said, “Initially, my journey to Bollywood was very tough. In those days, it was difficult to get to know about the world outside Orissa. Language was a big barrier for me. I am happy that after some struggle, I finally made a place in the industry”.
Talking about his future plans, he said, “Right now I am busy with some projects, but in future I want to make a film, with beautiful music in Hindi and Oriya, upholding our Oriya values. People in Mumbai only know about the Punjab, Bengal, Assam and southern states. I want to bring Orissa into the mainstream in the world of Indian music so that people would know that Orissa also has lots of talent.”
Noted classical singer Guru Gopal Chandra Panda feels that classical music in Orissa will never die. “Classical sangeet (music) of Orissa is one of the most important styles in music. However, change is inevitable, so the world of music has changed accordingly. But classical music still exists because there are some who still love these. Each individual has a distinctive taste which is why classical music survived alongside other forms of music. Though the number of audience today has decreased during the shows, but many students of the present generation are coming up to learn classical music, which gives me hope that classical music will never die.”
