The lanes arrangement of Doverlane Music Conference : Every lane speaks a different language.
The Second lane filled up with the legacy. The old , the finest listener of classical for last few decades , even half century , some witnessing the legends since the first time he or she came to this event of high indulgence of classical music , some just still live to tell those best stories of the yesteryears while many of their co visitors expired, they all came to be witness the rendezvous of music 2020. The octogenarian came with his grandson, the old mother who last year severely clogged her heart never wanted to miss this chance which might be her last one to witness the classical extravaganza,so came accompanied by her only son. The blind daughter came holding the caring hands of his father as every year.And all three friends also came this year’s show which are their 22nd since their first coming and 10th since their retirement. The young lady who came with the best attire and keep glowing the surrounding came in gorgeous red silk as every year. The man with shoulder bag and thick eyewear just wanted to listen every single bite of the instrument and vocal right from the beginning, so he took his sit in the first row well in advance.
The first row is with the very Important persons so called VIPs and reluctant viewers like any other show where the occupants keep on exhibiting by their very attention disorder problem which simply and stupidly exposes that how accidentally they come in wrong place altogether just to borrow some identity from everything with some class (of which Dover lane is definitely one) attachment more to exhibit and less to enjoy the finest music ever. They are the noise maker by everything doing in the wrong time, while clapping, walking in and out of the front rows to much distraction and disgust of everybody ,to the serious audience and to the sincere performer
The third row just filled up with those very youth who are trying to love the classical most time but find its hard enough to get engage with its grammar. Still they never give up and try their best to understand the rag , tal, lay as dedicated apprentice and enjoy instant enlightenment once touched by the spirituality ,however momentarily it may be. They are the future bearer of the legacy of audiences who are confident to pick up few lessons every year to train their ear with the fine skill to understand different Indian classical music with its inherent philosophy and physical being (the structure , the status, style of rendering )
Fourth and fifth row normally filled up with the aficionados of classical music ,very sharp and very alert , but too obsessed with grammar to let its feel or pleasure to overwhelm their amygdala full of fastidious , fussy and finicky in nature. They are another group of people who lends the class to this programme(instead of borrowing it like first row’s VIPs, the pseudo fan of classical music). If Doverlane music conference since its inception six decades ago could bear the burnt of so called onslaught of instant gratification by light music or contemporary music and still commands one of the best congregation of maestros in every classical music form whether instrumental or vocal it was because of these very informed audience amongst whom there are enough experts and skilled singers apart from critiques who are extreme puritan by education and highest cheerleader for the best in this exclusive genre of Indian music. Once entered the hall they just took the position as very professional but purest listener , they simply command the whole show passively but passionately. They are people whom the performers just felt awed with their depth of music sense or taste of elitist musician.
The next few rows just never allow the fineness of music get overtaken by the focus on grammar or puritanism. Instead of having every bit of knowledge about what’s being played on the podium , they simply stay away from interfering ( with any extra cheering for good performance and equal jeering for bad one) or even interjecting while the artist performs . In deep emersion in themselves they just developed their very best acumen to listen and learn again learn and listen the best music in classical. Sometimes just get too immersed to clap or cheer the performer, they look like very highly knowledgeable artist themselves(and so many of them actually are ) who took the music to their heart to play to themselves but never to the hall to perform for others. They are the music listeners for who Dover Lane just can forgo numbers, sponsors , financiers . They are the gems of audience whom the organisers just cannot afford to loose at any cost. The cards, and passes are being just tendered to them as an honour , the same honour what the artist feel while coming to perform on the stage called Doverlane Music Conference.
Rest of the rows of DoverLane are completely heterogeneous and hardly can be identified them with very straight trait as we always observe for the above front rows. There are literally n number of people in audience , some are just the first timer who came to see taste the magic of classical music after listening so many times from the neighbour’s daughter (who incidentally a classical apprentice) how mesmerizing the rag Malkosh when played by Sujat Khan in Sitar or being sang by Aswini Vide in vocal at the dead of the night. Some just came after reading so many reviews every year in the Bengali Desh Patrika how a rag called Multan if you listen in the mid night will sound like an artisan just finish his art work in the Jamdani saree by weaving a story from the Mahabharata all over the body. Many came who believe listening classical music will fine tune your creativity ,trigger so many art of improvisation, the art or skill they can lend it to their other field of work whether its teaching or consulting , running administration or executing big project. Afterall mastering in classical music whether playing Sitar , sarod or rendering bhajan , Thumri all are about how you are mending your speed and scale ;swag and submission while getting into your rendition of any raga by strategizing , restratagizing with continuous improvisation where keeping the destination sacrosanct and sacred which is presenting extremely pure , pristine yet fine music. And for me the whole academic as well as organisational management is just a state of such continuous improvisation, innovation and if needed invention of your way of making everything possible in world of crisis, chaos and clumsiness whether it is about resource mobilization or stakeholder motivation. Infact there cannot be found any closer example to describe how an organisation should be run than to observe how a concert being played by different players in complete synchronisation where the individual plays his individual talent being part of a single entity . Where being from difference or diversity in style keeps adding the fineness as well as fullness of the musical journey merged into a single entity they took together .
And we in the rows behind are just that .To sit and see the whole programme from behind is just as enjoying a bioscope or movie in your study room. In your full comfort sometime too laid down in almost empty cushions in the back benches of the concert , the challenge was always there to get you awake whole night . But thanks the continuous ,I repeat continuous improvisation of the singer , the maestros of music just can make dead man alive . You simply cannot afford to even close your otherwise tired eyes by its natural time cycle of night. Every moment is precious as every twist and turn you are being walked through in the journey which brings up new rendition, so new resonance. It is all about how we can just take everything in our own stride. Sometimes assertive, sometimes submissive, sometimes dozing it sometime dominating it, life is what you believe to be or belies to be. It is never synchronous and so not expected to be also. The challenge is in its asynchronous functioning and so taking those challenge fully frontal. When a percussionist challenges the raga singer , when a flute’s soft melody just trump over baritone beat of pakhawaj , when two violin gets crush amongst each other , when a vocal simply creates a new rendition of old raga , innovation , creativity , imagination all just go full throttle. Spirituality, divineness suddenly descends on the earth. You will find your lost path , he will find out that life is much more voluminous than he would have thought , she will touch the cord of eternality. Its deep immersion inside the world of heavenliness ,truthfulness, self consciousness . It is about to searching you inside yourself, extracting the life out of living .