Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Indian Humor Fm

The new face radio in the form of FM radio stations does give the same sense of personal touch to listeners as it gave during the years of its inception. Radio stations now offers programs on variety of themes. The Radio Jockeys or RJs have become household names and much popular among teenagers for their effective interaction and humour. The introduction of mobile phones with FM receiver was a significant leap that popularized the radio. Now everyone could listen to radio while going to work, in traffic, in homes etc. The FM stations besides giving a new face to radio also played a role in popularizing the local culture and highlighting the spirit of the people. Like many radio stations in Hyderabad makes one feel connected with the culture of city. The emergence of satellite radio has further expanded the horizons of radio broadcasting. As digital radio signal is transmitted through communications satellite one can listen to the same radio programs over a very large region. Due to its digital nature, the sound quality is sharp and the quality of programming is high. This resurgence of radio can be contributed to the entry of the private players in radio broadcasting sector, which completely transformed the way we listen to the radio.

The Radio

Radio has touched sentiments of vast section of Indian society. Many who are in their middle age can remember the days in the early 80's when in many homes the day started with familiar voice of Ameen Sayani in his program Binaka Geetmala on Radio Ceylon. It was much before the advent of television, that the Radio had become an integral part of an average Indian Middle Class family. The dependence on radio had gone to such an extent that families used to rely on timings of radio programs to do their activities. Many would relate starting of a particular radio program as timing to leave to their offices, sending kids to schools etc.
It was the All India Radio's main entertainment channel, Vividh Bharati, which was started in 1960's that first catered to the taste of Indian audiences. It ran programs like situational comedies, film music based programs, dramas, news, discussions and commentaries on various issues like health, cooking etc. With very less other mediums of entertainment besides films and radio offering easy and affordable mode of entertainment, it soon gained popularity among masses. Its flexibility, adaptability, extensive reach of Radio made it popular among every household in India and even attracted advertisers. It was the Vividh Bharati, which was going to set the precursor to the future of radio stations in India.
However, with the advent of Television in the mid 1980's, the radio began to loose its sheen as a potent entertainment media. Due to natural advantages of Television and its Audio-Visual nature, a large section of society shifted to television. The restrictive broadcasting and license policies of government also hampered the growth of radio in country. Even after having a good reach, the radio could not expand its penetration.
The Radio received a new lease of life when in July 1999 the government allowed private operators to enter the FM radio broadcasting sector. The first private FM radio station Radio City began its operation in Bangalore, Karnataka in October 2001. Soon licenses were issued to other private operators and now a range of private radio stations can be seen offering a quality programming content.

indian american music for u

American Indians are well-known for their sense of tradition. It is hard to keep American Indian traditions alive, especially in today's society. Despite being difficult to do, a large number of American Indians have done just that. One of the ways that they are able to keep the traditions that their ancestors started alive is through music.American Indian music is famous for its simple, yet amazing music. Unlike most modern music, American Indian music does not typically comprise of a wide variety of instruments. Many times, music is only performed with a flute and singing. Additional instruments can be used, but the flute is the most common instrument used in American Indian history. If an additional instrument is used it is likely a drum or a whistle.

As previously mentioned, it is difficult for many American Indian families to keep traditions alive and strong today. A large number of Indian tribes have created private schools on their reservations; however, not all American Indian children are able to attend them. Placing children in a private or public school puts them at risk for becoming interested in non-traditional activities that are not approved by American Indians.

To prevent traditions from dying, many American Indians have taken extra steps to ensure that American Indian music continues to live on in the heart and soul of newer generations. One of those steps includes teaching children how to play American Indian music and educating them on the history that surrounds the music they are playing. Many parents are working to teach their young to play and others have urged their children to take American Indian music lessons.American Indian music lessons are usually offered for free or for a small fee on most Indian reservations. The individual teaching the lessons is usually an older tribal member who is experienced and considered educated in the subject of music. In addition to teaching students to play the flute, drums, or whistle, they teach the history and importance of American Indian music.

indian western music

The Indian classical music system is horizontal; one note follows the other, while the Western music is vertical; many notes played at a time. Yehudi Menuhin, the noted musician, highlights the differentiates both systems by describing Indian music as: "for appreciating Indian music one has to adopt totally a different set of values... one must orientate oneself and at least for the concerned period, forget the passing of time and just sink into a kind of thematic, almost hypnotic trance. The rhythmic and melodic features of Indian music that are repetitive, acquires an extraordinary charm and fascination... despite the domination of this hypnotic mood's domination, which is an Indian music characteristic, actively frees the mind."

The place of "composition" in these two systems is notably different. In Western music, the music is first composed by the composer and arranges it in notation: then the musicians play this composition under the guidance of a music conductor. Here improvisation hardly takes place, and the performance value lies in the uniformity and the pre-determined conduct of tone and music speed (tempo). In Indian music, while the melody grammar and rhythm is fixed, the ingenuity and skill of the musician lies in his creativity and improvisation, especially in mood evocation and rasa of a particular raga.

In this context, an international musicologist has written: "In the West, solid blocks of music are constructed. After carving out like building stones, the seven degrees of diatonic scale, lined up and placed on top of each other with cleverly worked out harmony and counterpoint. In this way fantastic edifices in sound are erected.

In Indian classical music, no one can think of dividing sound into blocks; instead it is refined into a wire-thin thread. The sound is stretched out to refine it to an extreme point of delicacy... No standard materials, no building of three or five floors, but just like silk thread which unfold and rises and falls and evokes a world of sensations and feelings."In music of India, melody and rhythm offer a variety of subtleties, which is not possible in Western music. Indian notes are divided into units called shruties (22 microtones), whereas Western music consist of 12 semitones. The microtones are more subtle than semitones. These microtones adorned with gracetones (gamakas) create a magical effect.

indian classical music

The Indian music characteristics are evident when you compare it with Western music. In both the systems you will find some essential differences: the Indian music is based on melody or single notes played in a given order, while the Western music is based on harmony: a group of notes known as chords played together.

Dr. Rabindranath Tagore who was well familiar with both the systems, explained the difference as follows: "The world by daylight stands for Western music which is a flowing concourse of vast harmony, composed of concord and discord and many disconnected fragments. And the night world stands for Indian music: one pure, deep and tender raga. Both, touches our heart, and yet both are contradictory in spirit. But this is natural. Nature, at the very root is divided into two, day and night, unity and variety, finite and infinite.
Indian men live in the realm of night; we are inspired by the sense of the One and Infinite. Indian music draws away the listener beyond the boundaries of daily joys and sorrows and takes us to the solitary space of renunciation which exists at the root of the universe, while Western music leads us to dance through a limitless rise and fall of human joy and grief.

" Indian classical music basically stirs our spiritual sense and discipline - a longing for realization of the self salvation. Singing is a worshipping act and not an intellectual exhibition of mastery on the technique of a raga. In Western culture, singing is a formal and secular exercise, and does not involve piety or devotion as compared to Indian music.The teacher-student (Guru-Shishya) tradition in Indian music is responsible for the deep dedication and attachment of the student to the teacher. In the West, a music teacher is taken as a hired person who teaches lessons and there is no deep attachment between the teacher and student.

Like Western music, Indian music too is based on melody and rhythm, but it has no foundation of harmony which is so significant in Western music. Indian music is "modal" - based on the relationship between the permanent individual notes known as tonic, with the successive notes. This is the reason why Tanpura (drone) is played in the background of Indian music which reminds one of the tonic notes.