2. Should I make an effort to give up my ideas about my svabhava or pursue it? If I should give it up, then how to do it?
Someone has already asked you half of the first question I wanted to ask: https://askalokda.org/dear-alokda-i-love-listening-to-music-have-explored-a-lot-of-genres-but-i-end-up-going-back-to-listen-to-western-hippop-a-lot-but-my-inner-conscience-is-not-happy-with-the-type-of-lyrics-that-i-h/
From 2016-2020, I used to listen to loads of Western and Indian hip-hop music, and during the lockdown, as I started meditating regularly, I lost all my attraction for it. I deleted all my playlists practically overnight and didn’t feel like listening to such music again. Now, after more than 6 years, I feel an urge to write again, and I have a simultaneous attraction and hesitation.
While it is true that many rappers use crass language a lot- the kind of words I abstain from saying out loud- they have an amazing hold over rhythms and sound that I can’t find in any other form of music. I’m drawn to artists like Kendrick Lamar who put a lot of thought behind their music. There are layers to decode in his lyrics, as he draws from the Bible and history. There’s also braggadocio, which is one of the characteristic elements of this genre. It was initially about poets displaying their full arsenal of poetic devices—complex rhythmic flows, unpredictable rhyme schemes, vocabulary, wordplay, punchlines, and intelligent, cryptic references to a variety of subjects—i.e, bragging about their skills. Some of them are so hard to imitate—the way they play with numbers and arithmetic in their lyrics.This braggadocio of skill devolved into something asuric (songs on sex, money, and violence) and is easily copied and spread.
My question was whether I should engage with this form at all. This has answered itself while writing this mail- it is obviously like tinkering with toxic materials for the sport of it, which is not advisable.
But what should I do with the admiration I have for this form? I have this desire to develop this skill with language. Metrical poetry in Indian languages and in English follows a set rhythm and rhyme; they are not as varied or complex.
I am really interested in language, linguistics, literature, philosophy, and creative writing. During my bachelor’s degree, I dabbled in various forms of writing – like poetry, metrical and rap, short stories, essays and also a street play- but I could never develop these to a level where I could actually produce any works of significance. Now, after a long gap, after finishing my master’s and getting a job as an engineer, I feel like it might be wrong to pursue/develop these interests in my free time. My uncle, who is experienced in the tech industry, advised me to go deep into my domain- Wi-Fi technology- and understand how the company is solving customer problems rather than just focusing on my given work. If left to myself, my curiosity doesn’t really go in that direction.
In your penultimate talk on Essays on the Gita, you spoke about how in Integral Yoga we give up and go beyond our svabhava. I sort of had a eureka moment while listening to your talk, that I must stop thinking about myself so much – about my strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes and apply myself completely at work. I am reminded of how the Mother asks us to surrender our way of being and also the examples of Nirodbarand and Rishabhchand that you gave – how they progressed much more when they gave up their own ideas about their temperament.
Though I understand what must be done, I am unable to do this. I am more enticed by the idea of writing something or reading one of the many books I have accumulated on the weekends rather than researching the nitty-gritty details of how a Wifi router works.
Hip-hop is a form of singing. The lyrics are the content one fills in the form. Just as one may serve poison in a golden glass or nectar in a cup of mud, so too the two must be seen distinct from each other. Of course, it is wonderful to serve nectar in an appropriate bowl of gold. But it is not always the case.
As a form, Hip-hop brings a unique dimension by trying to break free from all forms and bringing a new possibility in the world of music more consistent with the pace and the consciousness of the new age that is breaking away from all old forms and looking for new forms to express the angst of the Age. Hip-hop does this work quite well. The content of course, is generally quite ordinary most of the time, but there have been attempts to fill it with inspired contents.
I also do not see how it contradicts your swabhav. Swabhava is not about the work you do but the innate attitude that you bring into it. One can take up two or three or even more, different types of works and do them all with the same swabhava, which is like the background music behind your action. Of course, the Hip-hop Rap are all transitional musics that will pass away, leaving their notes to be picked up by other generations until the music of the future is found.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
