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An Analysis of Anita Desais The Accompanist

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An Analysis of Anita Desai’s -The Accompanist’ BY DR. RAM SHARMA SENIOR LECTURER IN ENGLISH J.V.P.G COLLEGE, BARAUT, BAGHPAT, U.P. AND Dr.Anshu Bhardwaj(Sharma) Senior Lecturer in English Depts. Arya College of Engineering & Information Technology SP-42,RIICO Industrial Area Kukas ,Jaipur

Anita Desai, short listed three times for the Booker Prize and honoured by the Padam Shri for her literary forte, is one of the literary luminaries of the contemporary Indian fiction writing in English and a prolific post colonial writer who like Virginia Woolf deals with the psychology of mind and goes deep into the heart of her characters to expose their inner feelings and dig out the hidden questions that spring at the core of their heart and ,thus, she appears travelling with the modernist sensibilities of T.S. Eliot and Faulkner. The author of the highly acclaimed novel -Fire On The Mountain’ and six other novels, has shown her craftsmanship even in the shorter fiction i.e., short stories rather than her novels. It is true that she finds the short story form -much less satisfying-1 than the novel ,yet she keeps on writing story as she started writing it -as early as her college days.-2 In her short stories her style shows to even more advantage than in her novels. Her short stories are witty, evocative, tender and perceptive and perfect in revealing her skill and dexterity in handling this genre. Not only her novels but her short stories also are the great exposure of her psychological perspect.

Desai’s -The Accompanist’, an extract of -Games At Twlight’ (1978) delineates the emotional state of a tanpura player who, in this story, proves a true shishy and a true accompanist and is known as Bhaiya or the accompanist. The story is woven in the thread of true human relationship between ustad Rahim Khan,a former classical musician and Bhaiya ,the tanpura player who accompanies him in his performance having the quality of love and devotion.

Ajit and Bhola ,Bhaiya’s childhood friends appear in the story as Mephistophilis in Marlowe’s -Dr. Faustus’, whose business is to corrupt ,mislead and caution and dissuades Dr .Faustus from his right path. They visited the accompanist almost two decades and provoked him to come out of the shadows of his master Rahim khan and create his own identity by being a soloist. They stated:

You even know how to play the sarod and the veena. You could be a great Ustad yourself ,with some practice-why do you spend your life sitting at the back stage and playing that idiotic Tanpura while someone else takes all the fame and all the money from you.

The oft-quoted lines explain that for years he was playing the tanpura for the ustad Rahim Khan but did not get any recognition. The attention was grabbed by the ustad and all these years Bhaiya was hidden behind him on the stage without any notice of his presence. In view of his friends he must have a life of obscurity and establish himself as a full fledged musician that will bring to him more fame and more money than the few pennies given by the ustad for playing the tanpura. These suggestions went unheared and the accompanist bridled the horses (the senses).Desai’s protagonists are not as weak as Marlowe’s who come under the influence of corrupted people like Mephistophilis .Desai’s accompanist knows the art of satisfaction within his limited means.(Contentment is happiness.) His friends enticed the accompanist for coming out of his ustad’s company and he should establish himself as an independent musician of a more worthy instrument than the tanpura but he realized the great glory of his ustad’s company and got spiritual wealth through this company. He remarks, -When I first met my Ustad,I was a boy of fifteen-a stupid, backward boy as my father had often told me I was.- At his father’s instruction he delivered the tanpura to ustad Rahim Khan. Delivering it to ustad he -saw greatness in his face, the calm and wisdom and kindness of a true leader- and immediately intented to deliver his whole life into his hands along with the tanpura. Later on the words -Play for me- uttered by the ustad made him stunned and brought changes in his life. In fact, these words were new-life giver to him as they created him, created his life, gave it form and distinction and purpose. The accompanist adds, -It was the moment of my birth and he was both my father and my mother to me.-

We become the victims of desires of the senses. It is controlled by the tremendous will power or by following the suggestions of the supreme bliss which Dr.Faustus felt. We get the exposure of the mind of the speaker when he thinks two ways of taking action. First he would establish his own identity by ignoring ustad’s company as his childhood friends suggested. Second he would be his accompanist for ever.

In Anita Desai’s writings the inner climate, the climate of sensibility is more compelling than the visible action. As Iyengar puts it, -Her forte- is the exploration of sensibility-the particulary kind of modern Indian sensibility that is ill at ease among the barbarians and the philistines, the anarchists and amoralising.-3 In the present story the accompanist was persuaded by the senseless talks of his friends, Ajit and Bhola who were empty headed and leading him into it. In real sense the accompanist was not convinced with the ugly thoughts of his friends but still he was compelled to think whether he could really be a front-rank musician or a ustad himself. The lines reveal his inner conflict as –I thought, Are they right? or the sarod, or the veena? And become an ustad myself ?- He found himself in delimn and tries to analyse the situation. For this purpose he goes on thinking about the futility of the time he had spent with his ustad and states, -Now these boys who had heard me play in the dark hall of our house have been an ustad myself, sat in the centre of the stage, played for great audiences and been applauded for my performances. Were they right? Was this true? Had I wasted my life?- Then he finds the exposure of his mind after some soul-searching that he can never become -ustad’ in his own life. This idea is revealed in these lines, -Yes, anyone could play the tanpura for him, do what I do. But he did not take anyone else, he chose me. He gave me my destiny, my life,- and thus, the alchemic touch of the master turned the crude and base boy into a noble and gentle accompanist who now regards him as his God on earth and feels, -Does a mortal refuse God?-

Our mind has various waves of thoughts which sometimes deviate us from our right path and we begin to doubt on our doings and become sad as the accompanist appears whispering, -Had I wasted my life?- As the feelings of repentance enter the mind of the person, he mends his short comings, his mind becomes pure and purged and then he realizes extreme love. The accompanist confesses, -Only once I was shaken out my contentment, my complacency. I am ashamed to reveal it to you. It was so foolish of me .- Further he holds the view:

Ours is a word formed and defined and enclosed not so much by music, however, a by a human relationship on solid ground level-the relationship of love.

The idea discussed in the above line describes the relationship between the accompanist and the ustad. The accompanist feels that their relationship is not only due to the music they played together, instead it was due to story human ties. The relationship developed due to the inspiration and guidance he received from the ustad who had framed his destiny it was further strengthened due to his love and devotion to the man he admired the most in his life.

The best ingredients of Desai’s style in short stories are childhood memories and the haunting feelings surging out of a romantic heart. In view of Iyengar, -As we remain mesmorised by Anita Desai’s verbal artistry and her uncanny evocation of atmosphere ,her tale unfalteringly glides by and we force a rendition of the veil of the realm of personal experience and attain the desired finale of acceptance.-4

Childhood memories are also recollected by the accompanist when his trust was shaken out due to the provoking of his childhood friends. He cried continuously. Everything appeared to be unpleasant and evil and then he recollected the past incidents of his life when he was a vagarant or a vagabond who was without hope, without aim and without destination and was passing a meaningless life. He goes back to his childhood days and reminiscences how other things were of importance to him . Music was worshipped in his family. The central hall of his house was famous for the musical instruments made by both his father and his grand father . Cordantly and discordantly sound of his music could be heared. The accompanist himself had strong likeness for music and also started learning all ragas and raginis from his father ,Mishraji at the age of four . His father, a maker of musical instruments ,tasted his knowledge with rapid persistent questioning in his unmusical grating voice and frequently grabbed his ears and pulled it during his teaching. From such lessons he felt the need to escape and managed several times a day. He was habitual of playing gulli-danda and kho and marbles with mischievous boys of his mohalla.He was fond of watching movies of Nargis and Meena Kumari who were the Queens of heaven for him. In order to fulfill his desires he never hesitated in stealing the money from his mother or father.His mouth watered for -halwa- and -jalebis- made by his mother and used to steal his brother’s and sister’s share for which he was beaten and cursed by the whole family. It was the life which he was leading before joining the musical band of ustad Rahim Khan at the age of fifteen.He is thirty years old now and for fifteen years he has been serving his ustad being his true accompanist.

Desai’s -The Accompanist’ elaborates the beautiful relationship between Guru and Shishy and proves it more important than other relationships-mother and son, father and son, brother and sister, husband and wife etc. The accompanist has strong likeness for the sweets made by his mother instead of her. -How I loved my mother’s sweetmeats, too rather more.- What her picture he has in his life is clear in further statement, -I did the non-descript ,mumbling ,bald woman who made them.. She never came to life for me. She lived some obscure, indoor life, unhealthy and curtained, undemanding and uninviting.- He considers her as a wonderful cook. His father had been a hard taskmaster who would religiously wake up him in the early hours of morning and train him in music. He wanted his son to become a musician not an instrument maker. With this view he gave him lessons in playing the Tanpura, Harmonium, Sitar and the Tabla and taught him all ragas and raginis by testing his knowledge with persistent questioning. It was the time when he was crazy for cinemas and playing marbles and had not so much likening for music. But when he was caught in a situation , he stood up to it. When his brain was washed by his friends, he began to doubt his father and recalled him by saying, -My father had taught me to play all these instruments and disciplined me severely ,but he had never praised me or suggested I could become a front-rank musician. I had learnt to play instruments as the son of a carpenter—But I had practiced on these instruments and played the ragas he taught me to play without thinking of it as an art or of myself as an artist. Perhaps I was a stupid, backward boy .My father always said so.- Such attitude towards his father the accompanist has .Stealing the shares of his brother and sister proves him unkindly ,irresponsible ,unsociable and naughty boy. Now he is married and has become the man of the world but has no interest in his married life while in his childhood he was crazy for the street beauties and the cinema heroines and put himself in the place of their screen lovers. He considers that he married for his mother’s pleasure, -I even married. That is, my mother managed to marry me off to some neighbour;s daughter of whom she was fond. The girl lived with her. I seldom visited her. I can barely remember her name, her face.- Whenever he gets the chance to go home for a few days to rest, he desires of cutting short these holidays and returning to his house in the city to practice.

The love for music and ustad Rahim Khan changed everything in his life and he gave up all his childhood pleasures and pranks. -All fell away from me ,all disappeared in the shadows on the other side.- Ustad – took the place of – his – mother’ s sweet halwa ,the cinema heroines, the street beauties ,marbles and stolen money.- Ustad Rahim Khan’s company brought several changes in his life and gave birth to him as Bhaiya, the tanpura player. All his attractions regarding playing with the mischievous boys of mohalla and going to cinema disappeared. All his follies and stupidities or bad habits disappeared for ever .Music has taken their place and become the goal of his life.He is fully satisfied with this goal. Thus he devoted his whole life to ustad and became his true friend and accompanist because he was nothing. -It was Ustad Rahim Khan who saw me, hiding awkwardly in the shadows of an empty hall with a tanpura in my hands and called me to come to him and showed me what to do with my life. I owe everything to him, my very life to him.- Thus he decided to remain royal in the same position giving the ustad the base material on which he would compose his music.

The intimacy between the accompanist and his ustad could not be perceived or understood by his childhood friends and their act of provoking him against his ustad failed and cultivated in him a strong sense of commitment towards his ustad. Having the feelings of self-assured, poised and self-satisfed he hired a tonga and asked the driver to take him to his ustad, his creator. Only one thing was going in his heart.

I maintain I am his true accompanist, certainly his true friend.

The feelings of the accompanist to ustad Rahim Khan are expressed in the above line. He feels that he always plays the notes given by the ustad repeadly and he builds his music on the background provided by him. Thus he feels he is a true accompanist. Above all he never expects anything and never tries to compete in the performance with him. He never seeks the attention of the audience ,their attention is always on the ustad ,whenever his ustad suffers with the hacking cough in a concert ,he always asks the accompanist to prepare the opium to quieten it, these points make him a true friend as well.

Tha accompanist stands for pure love and selfless service. When the ustad asked him, -Do you play? – These words contain a sense of security and relief, love and affection which were absence in his life. As a matter of fact, love is above money, above all the material gains and achievements. About the power of love, Coleridge has rightly observed:

All thoughts ,all passions, all delights Whatever stire this mortal frame Are all but ministers of love And feed their sacred flame. 5 The accompanist keeps on showing his true love and service to the ustad without any wish for gaining anything in return. -We have traveled all over India and played in every city, at every season. It is his life and mine. We share this life, this music, this following. What else can these possibly be for me in this world?-

It is interesting to note that Desai has beautifully presented the inner conflicts of the accompanist and also his victory over them. In fact, she believes in dealing with the mind and the soul of a character ,his inner workings and hidden and silent thoughts rather than his outer appearances .Similiarly, -The Accompanist’ has a fine fusion of feelings and form and proves itself a great example of Desai’s art and craftsmanship since her main business as a fiction writer is to expose the truth. Thus the story accentuates the importance of selfless love, devotion, dedication and gratitude in human relationship.

References: All the references of Desai’s -The Accompanist’ in -Games at Twilight and Other Stories’, New Delhi, Allied, and London: Heinemann,1078.

1.Quote in Jasbir Jain’s Interview with Anita Desai on 16th November 1979,Jasbir Jain, Stairs to the Attic: The Novels of Anita Desai ( Printwell Publishers,Jaipur,1987,p.13). 2.Ibid,.p.8. 3.Srinivas Iyengar, K.R., Indian Writing In English, New Delhi, Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd;1985,p.464. 4.Ibid.,p.745. 5.Coleridge ,S.T., -Love’ in Golden Treasury,op.cit,p.171.

The magic of electronic music

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Dance Downloads – The magic of electronic music
(dancedownloads.blogspot.com)

The magic of music

Do you ever find yourself being suddenly transported back in time and space by the first chords of a familiar song that starts playing unexpectedly? It does not matter much if you hear this song on the car radio, the sound of the shop where you pick something or inside a restaurant where you’re dining. In seconds, you’re out of air travel and start dreaming. After a while you find yourself immersed in a realistic scenario so that it is able to recall happy moments with vivid detail in a recent or distant past, and it gives you a deep and unspeakable welfare.

So far, nothing else. Visual sensations, olfactory, gustatory and tactile stimuli also have the power to remind us of situations encountered previously. But it seems like certain songs more easily associate the events lived in a particular context. And almost always they bind to the sensations that give us pleasure, joy and peace and give us the same feeling every time you hear them again. The nostalgic can be moved by the tears on hearing certain songs because they bring you happy memories of a past that no longer exists. But back to this and despite the tears, are happier, because the music was able to bring them back a little of that happiness.

Heard alone, the music goes straight to the soul, and as there is no interference, the more imagination is free to fly. Listening with another person, then you have a partner, a companion or accomplice with whom to share the music. However, nothing compares to the music you hear in a group, because then the reactions take place in jail. Each has its own history of experience which adds to the stories and experiences of others and all are there because they went in search of happiness or to share with others the joy they already have within themselves.

This is the magic of music. The show may end, but that song keeps playing in the minds and hearts for a long time, sometimes for years or forever. In fact, it will be etched in people’s memory. That is why, as an icon that is clicked, each time that song is played, the memory is “call” and all that this show is done again, repeating the same joy, the same vibe and the same ecstasy.

As always go to these places and hear the same songs can eventually lead to boredom, it is usually possible to vary the places you go and listen to different music or music played by other well-known artists in a new way. In other words, going to shows, meet other artists and bands, and at home when this is possible, instead of listening to music while performing some task, listening to music by the way, sitting comfortably in our favorite chair and, preferably, the cover of the CD or DVD in hand to accompany the letter, will only increase our own musical repertoire. And for what?

Just as our cultural background increases in proportion as we read new books, watch new movies and keep informed about current world events by reading newspapers and magazines, the renewal of our musical repertoire will make this even better, because nothing should have more importance in our lives than the present moment.

The new song, though it is only new to us, is a virgin. Not yet linked to situations, because he’s born and begins to irrigate the present moment, which is good and beautiful. So, today it can be enjoyed and savored by itself without joins. In a while, when we hear that music we hear today for the first time, some associations may be established. So, let us remember a time when we were happy, yes, but we were well aware of that happiness which, after all, still, because, like the time, the music does not stop, and yet it never gets old.

How an Audio Interface Can Help Your Music Career

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Everyone who loves making music and wants to make a career out of it needs to record their music. The only way to truly record your own music so that it sounds professional is through the use of an audio interface. An audio interface has come a long way over the past several years, making it more compact and much more affordable so that just about anyone can have their own studio.

When you want to record music, a USB interface can plug directly into your computer so that you can download what you’ve already recorded. The interface itself is very small and contains storage on the machine so that you can take it everywhere you go. If you want to record a live session at a night club, you can do so using the interface.

Once you get home, you’ll use the USB audio interface to plug into your computer and download your jam sessions. Most of these interfaces come packed with their own software to make the downloading very easy. After you’ve downloaded the music, you even have the option of modifying the sound waves, adding techniques, voice overs and much more to customize the sound. You can also designate what kind of file you want to save the music as to make it easier to share online, burn to CDs or send to potential agents.

The audio interface will go wherever you go. It is a fairly small device in most cases – smaller than a shoebox. This allows you to keep it in your backpack, set it in your garage or take it anywhere that you plan on making music. You can plug microphones and instruments directly into it or have the device record from the amp or speakers.

There are many USB interface systems available in the marketplace, so you need to determine which one is right for you. Some will give you a screen so that you can do playbacks right from your interface without plugging into a computer while others depend on the computer for playback. You may also be able to adjust pitch and other parts of the music with controls directly on the interface.

Ultimately, you need to determine how much you want to do with the USB audio interface. If you plan on tweaking the sound in the field, then you will need to spend more money on one of the higher end interfaces that will give you more control. This doesn’t affect the size much, but it will give you more controls and a screen to be able to adjust your settings easier.

The USB interface can help you with all of the digital changes that you’ll do from the computer, too. The software bundled with the interface should be stand alone, meaning that you don’t need to buy additional software. Read through the features of each software program to make sure that you’re getting everything you need to produce the right kinds of sounds. Some programs feature background tracks and synthesizers to adjust your recorded sound as needed.

Once you have the USB audio interface of your choosing, you can start to record the sounds that you or your band are capable of. The only way you can improve your chances for success in the music career is if people hear what kind of music you’re playing. You will be able to create electronic files to share across the internet and send out to anyone so that you can be heard.

How to Choose Music Recording Schools

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Whether music recording has been a passion of yours for years or if you are just getting into it you will soon discover that there is always more to learn. If you are serious about learning more when it comes to music recording then it would be in your best interest to apply to one of the many music recording schools that there are out there.

No matter what point you are at in your life there is always things that you can learn. If you have been a music lover for you whole lives and always interested in learning new technologies than choosing a career as a music engineer might be a wise choice for you.

When you decide to start your career as a music engineer you will soon discover that in order to get hired some sort of knowledge of the industry and technology is paramount. Finding a good school that can teach you all you need to know to succeed is the first step on the road to success.

Ever since music recording and manipulating has started to happen more and more on computers you will find that there is an increase in the amount of people wanting to learn the technology. The computer programs that is used currently is very complicated and hard to understand unless you are guided though it by someone who knows what they are talking about.

A music recording school can help you learn everything you need to know to get your new career in music and audio recording and engineering off to the proper start. When you have found something that you are passionate about and want to dedicate your career to it is in your best interest to get started the best way possible.

The one thing that stops many people from doing what they want to with their life is the fear of failure. The fear of failure can make many people not want to step out of their comfort zone and try new things to better their life. When it comes to making sure that your efforts are not futile it is important to realize that an education can help.

A good music recording school is sure to teach you everything about the field so that you can get a good job. Once you take the step to furthering your life through a new career and education you should stay positive and remain hopeful that it will not be for naught.

When it comes right down to what kind of music recording schools there are out there that can help you it would be best to do some research on them first. In order to get the best education you possibly can you need to trust the place where you are learning

Music Licensing Is A Great Way To Promote Brands

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Can you think of every way individuals use music in the course of a day. The most common are MP3s, CDs, radio. But we also hear a steady stream of music in different commercials, in the background of radio commercials, when we are on hold during a call to bank, from music while relaxing in any restaurant or when the local band plays songs on Friday night at our favorite club. In every case, the lyrics writer is earning a music licensing fees. In addition to the income which these deals bring in, they extend and strengthen the musical brand with the cool music for brands and expose it to more number of individuals. The cool music for brands create a connection between the music and the service or product being promoted.

It is always advisable to hire a well known music licensing company, efficient in this job of promoting cool music for brands rather than promoting you. But for an unknown lyricist or one just starting to enjoy their success, a smaller music licensing company can offer better service regarding licensing their music.

Individuals must bear in mind that there is a difference between a music library and a licensing company. A music library merely adds-up the music of any artist to a large catalog database for potential users to peruse. A music licensing firm pro actively goes out and pitches their music specifically. This music licensing company charges a larger fee but it is worth paying.

Apart from use in TV commercials, TV episodes, movie trailers, and on films, music are also used greatly in video games also. Video games provide a great opportunity for placement of music. But it is essential to match the music with the commodity. For instance, a fusion jazz may work perfectly for any dinner club radio advertisement. While choosing any music licensing company do a good homework. Check to make sure whether they have any pending lawsuits or not for non-payment. Try to talk to other artists who have worked with this company involved in promoting cool music for brands. The artists must ensure they know exactly what they are signing while entering into the contract. Another essential thing to bear in mind is that individuals must never pay any kind of upfront fees. Reputable companies that provide assistance in licensing music never charge any upfront fees. These licensing music firms work on commission. These firms do not make profit until the artists do. Therefore if any licensing music firm asks money from any individual, it will be better not to go in any kind of deal with such company.

Web is the best place to find out several reputable music licensing companies. Selecting any company carefully will help you to avoid any future trouble. The utmost benefit of music licensing is that individuals can control use of their music. Once individuals opt for licensing music, they can have a legal right on their compositions. Anyone interested in using their symphony need to take their permission to use it. Artists can get a good amount of money by providing others the right to use it.