Bombay
India is a Melody
You just can’t escape it. It’s in the streets, in the stores, in the taxis, in the blood of the people that call India their home. Music pervades every inch of this city, from the pavement to the palaces, and for many, it’s the lifeblood that propels them towards another day.
I came here to explore the impact of Bollywood, the billion-dollar industry and musical export heard the world over. Five years ago, Bombay possessed only a handful of nightclubs, each pulsating with Hindi film songs and Bollywood dance moves, the Bombay Romeos purring lyrics from their favorite hits. I was surprised however to find a contemporary Bombay quite different from the one I had known. Globalization brought to Bombay German cars and Japanese electronics, Italian food and New York styles. It also brought a completely revolutionized music scene that represents a new generation of Indians. In the Bombay of today, there are dozens of nightclubs spread all throughout the city and a new wave of genres that cater to a new class of Indians. With the explosion of new media and nouveau rich Indians traveling the globe came new styles of music reserved exclusively for an upper class society that separates them from the common folk. I’m discovering that amongst other things, music is a major representation of the vast socioeconomic class divide that pervades the city.
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Food Before The Law
While life is not picture perfect in the USA, one thing America can justly pride itself on is the idea of the “American Dream.” No matter your initial socio-economic status, hard work and ambition can provide you a ticket to a better life. I have a friend from high school that grew up in a drug-infested, poverty stricken neighborhood in Chicago. He worked hard and obtained a scholarship first to Phillips Academy Andover and then to Harvard. He is now a star trader at Goldman Sachs and his prospects are unlimited. In India, such a rise to the top from an underprivileged background is virtually impossible. The country revolves around an elite 1% of the population that owns the other 99%, with family businesses that extend for generations controlling the lot of it. The poorest are so poor that there is little hope to rise unless some sort of viable standard of living is obtained. India is a nation of about 1.15 billion people, and the amount of untapped potential that lay in the slums and in the countryside is staggering. Without the basic necessities of life, how can these children even begin to dream? What would they even dream of?
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Up to four awards will be available to pursue projects around an aspect of international contemporary or popular music as a cultural force for expression. Preference will be given to creative projects that are conveyed in a dynamic fashion and are accompanied by a feasible plan. In addition to presenting unique projects on music as a global force for mutual understanding. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2012.