Music: Like a gust of wind on a humid day. Food for the soul. Like a slice of pizza from the food court after having mess food for days. Like binge watching Friends after a long day of classes. Music is like all of this, and much more. This year on June 21st, the 34th International Music Day was celebrated. Like every year since its inception, there was a mass outpouring of love for music on social media. This post is dedicated to all the budding musicians in our campus and for those who will be joining us soon and are looking for a place to give their music freedom–
Music culture finds a special place in JGU, with concerts, open mic nights and fests showcasing the rich diversity of different genres of music, from traditional Sufi qawalli to Bollywood, complete with hordes of students singing along with zeal. Whether it is our own music society, or artists who are invited, JGU embraces music in all forms. So naturally, on 21stJune, you could find various members of the Music Society on campus introspecting about what music meant to them, and recalling various memories attached to it.
“Music has all the attributes of being my best friend. It is always there to lift my spirits no matter what. It adds colour to simple activities like long drives. Moreover, listening to songs that you connect to during sad phases feels like there is someone who understands what you are going through and that no matter what, you are not alone and it will all be fine in the end. Before performing on stage, all that goes through my mind is getting the audience to enjoy it with me and letting them get to know me as a person through my music. Music has also helped me make friends- bonding over music with complete strangers has given me many everlasting friendships!
I do mess up lyrics a lot of times on stage because of nervousness, but I know how to cover up without anyone realizing. (cheeky grin)”
– Rishabh Goel, Guitarist
One student even celebrated this day surrounded with renowned maestros and teachers at a dream-come-true summer school music course:
“ Music for me is everything. I start and end my day by listening to music. For me, there is just no other way of living. Music has helped me understand myself and grow as a person. Whatever I am today, it is all because of music and my love for it.
I could not have celebrated International Music Day in a better way. I spent the entire day working on music at the A.R. Rahman KM Music Conservatory. My life’s aim is to just work on music all day, every day.”
– Akshat Agarwal, Singer
How has JGU reinforced your love for music?
“Whether it is at a Bollywood Night or Bonfire Night, I get to play for and along with different people with diverse music tastes. You get a feel of various forms of music in JGU more than in any other university. You will always find a patient and fun audience here that want to listen to you. They understand your music and don’t just cheer for the sake of it. This gives me motivation.
The music society is a versatile bunch of people who can put aside their personal likes/dislikes to create beautiful music. The range of instruments we can boast of is brilliant – harmonica, saxophone, didgeridoo, flute, violin and of course guitar and drums. We just come together and jam in the music room once in a while. We are trying to get the admin to replace the broken instruments in the music room, and hopefully after that happens, we can take our music to the next level. We also provide tutorials for different instruments for those who show interest. Sharing our love for music with others is a wonderful feeling. Having said that, I wish the college did more for the music society, but I guess moot culture and debate tournaments are given more priority.
For me, music is my escape from reality. It is my rock during sad times. I know that sounds very cliché but it is true.
Now, if only I could learn my course readings as fast as I can learn to play an instrument…”
-Diganta Banerjee, singer and multi-instrumentalist
Music is magic that can make life worth living.
