MTV Coke Studio – Isn’t it about Staying Raw??

Few months ago, I remember asking a question to my friend whilst watching and admiring a Coke studio video on YouTube – ‘How well will this concept work in India, collaborating raw talents from diverse genres on one common stage? Will it be as good as this one? And I was being answered –‘I can’t imagine anything coming to this level but who knows. Let’s wait and watch.’

The wait got over on 17th June, when Coke Studio’s first session was aired on MTV. And they all claimed that it was amazing. Since, I don’t own a television set, I was the last one to witness what the hype was all about. And with my hopes high, I saw the first performance of the first season and the performances that followed. I repeated the videos again because, I thought to myself, maybe it is good and but am not yet used to it and but eventually had to conclude that they were just normal. Honestly, I was disappointed.

Why? Well, what happened to the word called ORIGINALITY?

Being a huge fan of Coke Studio, I feel it’s not just about collaborations and fusions; it is all about celebrating music. Letting two entirely different genres make love to each other, completing each other, feel at one and make a beautiful memory out of it.

Maybe, it’s the overdose of Bollywood. They have featured artists like Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan and other Bollywood singers, who, undoubtedly, have proved their niche in the past but don’t we see them on every reality show anchoring and judging people, singing the same songs every day? Also, the choice of songs were quite predictable. I’ve heard these tracks and their remixes so many times; it feels like I have been listening to them since forever. We need a break from Bollywood, please.
I’ve seen its followers feel elated, nostalgic, blue, animated with the powerful performances they deliver. For instance, take Arif Lohar’s ‘Mirza’ from season3 of coke studio. That is what music does to you. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel slightly close to that feeling, rather had to try hard to like it. All I could come up thinking- When they have taken every single attribute of Coke Studio to India, from the stage to the ambience, the way the bassist sits in the corner- relaxed and cool, facial expressions of percussionists, amazing sound engineering , the way the singers sings- gestures and display of emotions. Why, then, i couldn’t feel the excitement? The music? The energy? Why does it all look as if they have to try too hard to make it alive?
Some would argue that I am being too harsh or judgmental, making our neighbors look good. My point is that we are no less short of talent and innovation. For references, check our reality shows and talent hunts, they always have someone who can even beat the most versatile of singers. We can outnumber anyone when it comes to raw talent and fresh ideas.

A different chord here and a thump of a drum there won’t make much of a difference. Collaborating artists of one state with another isn’t fusion. The artists should complement each other and the music should make sense. Otherwise, it is just another cover song with a language I would never understand. I say, give us some more folk, more Sufism, more energy, more experiments, more music and less Bollywood.

P.S- My opinions are subject to change on the basis of the upcoming episodes.

Indi-yeah!!

Bite me if I never cared about sports. In my defence, I had my own reasons and then merely because I would prefer reading a good book then making judgements on how some random sportsperson on TV is playing (and not that I am getting paid for it). The only thing that ever made me curious about cricket was- ‘Why all do all men lose sense of reality while watching it? Why do they shout and abuse so loud as if the players could hear them through the TV sets? Why do they cry when they their teams lose?’
I hate myself to admit this, but all my doubts ended on this epic day,30th march 2011. The day when Indian cricket team kicked the Paki’s, where it hurts the most.

I vaguely remember my plan for the day. Few hours at office, I’ll come back home, clean up the room and sleep (yippee!!). Little did I know that there was a history in making outside my cramped room and boring plans.

The moment I stepped out, I could feel something different. Cricket was in the air. On my way to office I have seen order and chaos on the same road. It is not every day that you see people wearing blue jerseys and holding Indian flags on one side and green paint faced Pakistani supporters on the other. The excitement was contagious and before I know what was happening, I became the victim of what they call ‘Cricket fever’.
My extremely delayed realization deprived me of the luxury of getting the tickets first hand and so we decided to go to kava and see what the hype was all about. And honestly, I could not complaint. From the time we step in till the time we got out, it was a total frenzy. The atmosphere was no less than that of the real deal. Free beers and whistles, I did everything I could. And amidst all this festivity I saw myself whistling, shouting and abusing with whatever energy I have. (Bite me again for being a hypocrite)
And when India won, Chandigarh went crazy. No festival, no occasion, no party, no other day could be the compared to what we witnessed. We- the Indians, went crazy and me, I was a part of it.
The second best decision (of the day) was to check out the post –victory effect on the city. So we went on the famous Geri route and it proved quite fruitful. Never before I have ever seen anything like this. The roads were jam-packed with people dancing with and giving hi-fives in the air. Hooting and congratulating. Everyone greeted everyone. And though we all are ecstatic about India getting into the finals, this was our true winning. (After all, ijjat ka sawaal tha and India made us proud)

It’s funny how we can compromise with our self-respect and dignity when we are in love. We fight, we curse, we loathe the person once promised to die for, we say things we are not supposed to, and we do things we are not proud of. And when all is said and done, we long to go back and hold hands and forget it all.

What is there about love that we cannot resist? What is there which makes us take in all the hatred and want us to go back to the same person? Why is it that all we remember are the amazing times and not the worse ones? Why is it so easy to be in love and so hard to get out of it ….!!!