Roopkatha Banerjee of Mahadevi Birla World Academy was one of the students on Ranan's 3-day
SchoolConnect journey 'Music-Movement-Madness', which explored music, sound and the lack of it through a workshop, an interaction and a performance.
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| Day 1 workshop at MBWA |
Here is a poem she sent us on the Ranan SchoolConnect Hangout on Facebook after the performance on the third day...
The Sombre Silence.
Today, I am no longer whole.
I have been wounded,
I have been wounded,
And thrust in this cage for all eternity;
They have taken away my music.
They have stripped me of my soul,
They have torn apart my limbs,
Piece by piece. Yet; I am ashamed to face them.
"Speak a little louder, for I am deaf."
Despair and denial sets in,
Despair and denial sets in,
Like a noose around my neck.
I am choking; I cannot breathe
....do I truly deserve this?
The robin's happy chirp,
The beat of their tiny wings;
Absorbed. Like blotting paper.
This thundering quiet; is all I have left.
And this is truly, the worst fate,
He has an embittered sense of humour.
The last strains of those faint notes,
I can still taste on my lips; it is like nicotine to me.
I pray fervently, for a miracle.
I desperately hold on, in search of redemption.
Suddenly, I realized why he looked that way;
He had retreated into his own noiseless world.
I writhe in mortal agony,
But there is no pain
It is only;
Silence.
My own self fights back,
It claws at me from within.
Self-acceptance; the one thing
That I dread more than life itself.
I am ready.
Ready to face death, head on.
But; I am not ready.
I must first express all, that is within.
Those furious scribbles on the worn out parchment,
The faded grooves on the old record,
These, are what I live for.
Yet; these are what I die for..
Here are some glimpses of the 3 days, which ultimately inspired Roopkatha to write.
Thank you to all the students and staff of Mahadevi Birla World Academy, La Martiniere for Girls and Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan for being part of this amazing journey.
Day 1
a workshop on how do YOU hear.
discovering that everyone'e ear functions differently
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| Day 1 at Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan |
listening to sounds, listening to silence
listening exteranally, listening internally
listening to conch shells, tuning forks, gramophone horns... what sounds like what to who - A says a waterfall, B says a toilet flush...!
listening and writing to music
what happens when music changes
how do you respond ... what do you read.....
Responses...
Today’s
session was an enriching experience for me. It made me feel active, jolly and
enthusiastic. I could feel each and every sound that are usually missed out in
our daily life.
- Enakshi Guha Thakurta, BSS
It
was musically fantabulously oinky, woofy “definitely participating again in
schoolconnect” workshop. Taught me how deaf hear. Helped me realise what my ear
is actually capable of and how it plays an important role in my day to day
interpretation of sounds everything. Simply amazing
– Uzma Faiyaz, MBWA
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| Day 1 at La Martiniere for Girls |
It was SOOO
much fun! Learnt so many different things. Expected to be bored, but turned out
to be absolutely ZANY! Looking forward to more
– Shrishti Raichowdhury, LMG
Day 2
learning to listen through the body...
How would a musician or music composer deal with going deaf?
Is it possible to hear / experience music through the body rather than the ear?
Footwork vibrating through a wooden stage - where do we feel what...
the notes of a grand piano, the thump of a drum - how do we receive these, how do the reach us across the room, through walls, through our bodies...
How do we 'sense' music? How do we interpret music differently? How do we visualise music?
Responses...
– Krittika Ray LMG
It’s really amazing how a single piece of music can make one feel a lot of different things at the same time. It was an overwhelming experience. I had never really paid much attention to the effect sound and music had on the mind.
– Vatsala Khandelwal , MBWA
Responses
Day 3
performance of Ranan's Those Who Could Not Hear The Music
with a post-show discussion
[promo video of Those Who Could Not Hear The Music]
doubly inspired by the life and letters of Beethoven and Vikram Seth's novel, An Equal Music
So I gave it considerable amount of thought as to what I felt during today's performance.
Now, I am not known for being good with words, but I'll try.
What would I feel if I ever went deaf? I would feel empty, and lost. Seeing the world go by, and you're just lost amidst the fast pace, I think "emptiness" is a pretty appropriate emotion.
Eventually, I'd have to cope up, but until that time, I think I'd be in denial, much like Julia. Who would want to accept the fact that they are losing their auditory functions? No one.
I am not much of a musician. But as a vocalist, I'd definitely miss hearing what I am singing. :|
Now for the dance. I am not very educated in that field. But on occasions, I'd find my throat constricting due to overwhelming emotions. It was all so beautifully portrayed. It was like I was sinking, sinking with no escape, and it didn't feel nice, oh no.
Now, I am not known for being good with words, but I'll try.
What would I feel if I ever went deaf? I would feel empty, and lost. Seeing the world go by, and you're just lost amidst the fast pace, I think "emptiness" is a pretty appropriate emotion.
Eventually, I'd have to cope up, but until that time, I think I'd be in denial, much like Julia. Who would want to accept the fact that they are losing their auditory functions? No one.
I am not much of a musician. But as a vocalist, I'd definitely miss hearing what I am singing. :|
Now for the dance. I am not very educated in that field. But on occasions, I'd find my throat constricting due to overwhelming emotions. It was all so beautifully portrayed. It was like I was sinking, sinking with no escape, and it didn't feel nice, oh no.
- Oishi Bhattacharya of MBWA on Facebook
Absolutely breathtaking ! The dance sequences were so beautiful and overwhelming that they brought tears to my eyes. Very thought provoking, insightful and introspective. I am taking back so much from the workshop and performance that it will alter the way I perceive and the way I hear music. The duet (as I have countlessly mentioned before) was AMAZING. Thank you Ranan for this opportunity
– Nehal Binani MBWA
Simply wonderful ....
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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