Vi·gnette (vĭn-yĕt')

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Spotlight: Music and Human Rights

I do not know if this is a bizarre conception. This thought anchored in my mind, as R.L.Stevenson terms it ‘during my pleasure trips into the Land of Thought.’

We know some of the most famous award winning music albums like Bob Dylan’s ‘Bringing It All Back Home’, Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born To Run’, Jackie McLean’s ‘Let Freedom Ring’, Bing Crosby’s ‘Don’t Fence Me In’, Charley Pride’s ‘Let Me Live’.....
The common theme in all these albums is ‘Freedom’. At some point of time these albums/singers have been presented music awards like the Grammy, Gramophone awards etc. So, we all knew this. Then, why do I have to write this, I should share the reason here. This is about a music band that is also riding high on the carapace of ‘Freedom’. Recently ‘U2 Band Members’ received highest ‘Human Rights Award from Amnesty International’ and this purpose caught my attention. With my limited knowledge I am aware of awards presented by the Gramophone Awards, Billboard, MTV Music Video Awards. Now U2 band members were awarded AI’s highest human rights accolade the “Ambassador of Conscience” Award for 2005. The Award, inspired by a poem written for AI by Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, aims to promote the work of the organization with the life, work and example of its ‘Ambassadors’ who have done so much to inspire and uplift.

Ambassador of Conscience” Award recognizes exceptional individual leadership and witness in the fight to protect and promote human rights. With songs like ‘Pride (In The Name of Love)’, ‘Mothers of The Disappeared’, ‘Miss Sarajevo’, ‘Walk On (Written for Burmese Political Activist Aung San Syu Kyi)’ and the song that has become an anthem to Amnesty, ‘One’, they brought the issues of trade, debt and aid, particularly as they affect Africa.U2 helped spread the human rights message of AI to global audience.

Bono, Edge, Larry Mullen Jr, Adam Clayton, Paul McGuinness are the members of U2.Their leadership in linking music to the struggle for human right is laudable. Vaclav Havel, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson were the past recipients of this award.

Meanwhile, let us hope this dark earth becomes a pleasant ground for everyone.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Impulse to Change

I advocate change, but am averse to change that deviates from scientific methods and expectations of the target group at large. Change that is not gradual often results in nothing but chaos and panic. One example of such pursuit was the recent decision contemplated by the apex body of higher education in Andhra Pradesh, in order to replace the three years undergraduate courses with four year degree. If I could express my distress, unfortunately there is no scope for any inquiry and reasoning in the present pattern of education. The resultant of this is graduates lacking both thought and action, leave alone personal and social leadership. So, would it not be prudent enough to keep intact the three years timeframe it takes to acquire an undergraduate degree and the change the contents and course concentrations. Shun those paradoxical ideas that only science based courses are the right choice. We need the combination and comfort of humanities and science to produce graduates with great potential. The model of study developed by the elite universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Princeton has been an extremely successful model and has been in existence for over many years, rather centuries. It could serve as a template for those who are mooting change in the present pattern. A practical hint from Sir Albert Einstein’s essay “Why Socialism (1949), he wrote:

“ I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate the grave evils created by the anarchy of capitalism-namely the establishment of a socialist economy accompanied by an education system which would be more oriented toward social goals. Socialism is directed towards a social-ethical end. Science cannot create ends; science, at most, can supply the means by which to attain certain ends.” Such is the sociological legacy of Einstein.

Perhaps, I am left with my own company, dwelling into happy thinking and taking a cue from David Bornstein’s “How to Change the World-Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas.” A work on fascinating stories of diverse individuals who made an impact with the power of their ideas across the globe. An extremely important book, it is both inspiring and invaluable. A must read and prescription for the existing panacea.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Hesitation Pause

I remained silent for a long while not communicating with the world at large. But after some introspection, I realized not to maintain this position anymore. It is not due to any resentment or indignation, that I remained silent, there is a sense of feeling that the writer and the poet within receded. Now my intuition helped me to discover the temperament within to write and be happy. Postscript, can’t someone be happy without writing? Of course, one can, but what if the desire to write grows stronger, then the only way to be glad and delighted is to indulge in writing. Thus creating more space in mind to think and write and to relate myself with the outside world. A world that is creative, hopeful and spacious. I am not sure if I would produce some non-sense in my communication, but the effort would be to write my views on anything and everything. It is in tune with my belief that nothing is insignificant. Everyday we are besieged with so many experiences around us, which rightly deserves our attention; we simply cannot disregard our presence in this delightful world. Hence the name of this blog ‘Vignettes’, defined as a small illustrative sketch or a photograph whose edges shade off gradually. We yearn to preserve such rare treasures, as they are possessions for life. Then how can we ignore our daily experiences in life, moreso some simple happenings around us. After all an amalgamation of all these exertions, agitations make us unusually rich in experience. So is it not desirable to present these vignettes?

Welcome to Vignettes!