Music knows no boundaries. From Plato to Bob Marley, Shakespeare to Johnny Depp, music has been a way for expression of dreams, food for soul, a succor from pain, a celebration of life and so much more. Indeed music is one of the common threads that blind men across class, colour, country, belief, faith or any other way of herding. Whether rap or sufi, reggae or bhajan, folk or blue, western classic or Indian classic, music expresses, music binds, and music unifies. A lover in sunny France or frigid Finland serenades his beau with the best love songs. When the head bows down in prayer to the almighty, whether in the mosques of Istanbul or temples of India, a song to thank Him is the best expression. Grief whether in war torn Sarajevo or Iraq or emanating from the hunger of the deserts of Africa are best expressed through the passion of music. From time immemorial music has always been a means to transcend barriers. Kings of old as also leaders of today, have often used music to strengthen bonds, to exchange cultures and know each other better and improve relations.
The French minister of culture Monsieur Jack Lang, conceived the idea of an all day music festival in 1981. A study on the cultural habits of France had revealed that among every 2 children, one played a musical instrument or the other. This was the seed of a thought to bring out people on to the streets and unite them through something common. In 1982 the first Fete de la Musique was organized by Maurice Fleuret, the director of music and dance at the ministry of culture. This has subsequently become commonly known as Make music day or World music day.
Indeed the purpose of music to bind, unite and bring together people across boundaries is amply demonstrated by the Fete de la Musique as it has transcended across boundaries and is now celebrated simultaneously in 120 countries. Across 700 cities in these 120 countries the Fete de la Musique works as a platform to expose amateur as also professional music performers to showcase their talents. All forms of music mix with each other in a fusion of form with only one adage that the performers perform free, and the audience have access to the music free. So Germany, Greece or Japan, Italy or India the day of the summer solstice that is 21st June is celebrated today as world music day.
India celebrated Fete de la Musique across the country through the Alliance Française, Kolkata to Kochi Bangalore to Delhi on the 21st like every year. Amateurs to professional performed on the same stage fusing rap with bhajan, hard rock with sufi, folk with ghazals, making an eclectic offering for the audience. Adnan Sami and Atif Aslam to Caroline Frenandez and Prakash Sontakke, Usha Uthup and Jeet Ganguly as also bands like Soulful Harmony and The Chronic Blue Circus performed on world music day. Peepal tree an alterantive rock band mixing hindustani classical with heavy metal had the crowds at the Bangalore gig in raptures with their version of the ACDC track highway to hell and their very own Chetana, an upbeat track about setting your spirit free and Many other famous bangalore based bands performed at Alliance française de Bangalore : Quarantine Band, Slither Band, Pulse Theory, Mode. AKA. Workshops, film shows, contests and other events based on music were all part of the celebrations. Vivre ensemble la musique or Living together with music was the theme for this year’s Fete de la Musique in india, and had been designed to highlight how music can bring freedom and peace in today’s world of turmoil. The famous painting of Marianne served as the inspiration of this year’s logo, featuring the silhouette of a woman holding various musical instruments. Indeed India like the rest of the world reveled in the words of Shakespeare” If music be the food of love, play on…”. As music flowed on stage it touched its audience bonding, healing, exhilarating, liberating in celebration of life.
