Open Mics, ‘Comedians’ and the Lack of Intellectualism
- In Current Affairs
- 09:05 AM, Jul 07, 2020
- Devashish Tiwari
Many of you might be aware of this OPEN MIC culture for those who are not, it is a potpourri of Storytelling, Poetry, Stand-Up Comedy, and many more things. Earlier it was limited to Metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, etc. but now it is mushrooming in Non-Metro cities too. So what's the fuss about?
"The crave for likes or appreciation", Yes you read it right. This is a Digital World and getting lost in a labyrinth of "Likes" is the new norm.
Everybody is in a rush to get overnight recognition and appreciation. The issue becomes grave when the "youth" with a creative bent of mind is trapped in this quagmire. These OPEN MICS add to the woes instead of assuaging it. Let me explain how.
These OPEN MICS provide platforms to any Tom, Dick, and Harry. Now you might wonder that this concept is good as it is providing a stage to showcase their talent. Then my point is simple "But What about the "Quality"?.It cannot play a second fiddle it should be of the "utmost" importance, it is dwindling faster than Antarctica's Glacier. (Yes Climate Change is not a hoax).
To be a good Poet/Author/Raconteur you first have to be a "good patient listener" which is missing in my "2-minute Maggi" generation followed by experience/observational skills, while the former is totally in our hands but latter comes with time. Both these skills are missing in people performing in OPEN MICS. They consider their "average" poetry to be the "best" thereby creating a cascading or ripple effect in the society. But how?
It is simple, Youth throngs in these OPEN MICS in large numbers, so once they listen to these OPEN MICS' poets and gets influenced by them and starts believing that this "Mediocre" is the "ultimate thing" and nothing can surpass this. They close all doors to even think beyond this "Mediocre" stuff. The number of digital footprint and views(some even in millions) this "mediocrity" gets baffles me as to how we will keep the true intellect of "Bharastvarsha" alive if we stick to such mediocre content and let go of the genuine ones without even noticing. Surely this is the “Elephant in the room" and it does not portend well.
So in a way a whole "ECOSYSTEM" is developed which appreciates and promotes "mediocrity" thereby hampering the growth and reach of GENUINE AUTHORS/POETS. My generation needs to realize that it took 14 years for "Ram" to be called "Prabhu Shree Ram" or for that matter "metamorphosis" too is not completed overnight.
In a conventional "Kavi Samelan" the young poets are nurtured under the tutelage of the elder ones, this in a way paves the way for a smooth transition of the baton from one generation to another thereby eliminating the chances of the intellectual chasm between the two generations. Such is not the case in open mics because the performer and the audience both are of the same age group. Some people are genuinely talented in OPEN MICs too, albeit their tribe is too minuscule. They too get lost in the haze of "mediocre" artists.
We have been looted of our intellectual wisdom since the days of Nalanda. Question is can we still turn a blind eye to this?
Pic Credits: https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g293890-d3821964-i253179827-House_of_Music-Kathmandu_Kathmandu_Valley_Bagmati_Zone_Central_Region.html (no copyright infringment intended)
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