Saturday, May 10, 2008

A Musical Concert by the sea

I have just returned after attending a musical concert that has stolen my breath and given me moments of clarity and beauty so pure that I just can't stop myself from penning down this magical reality.
I was one of the hundreds gathered to witness this phenomenon, and I don't think any one of us had even an inkling of the effect this performance would have on us. I have been to live concerts before; I have stood among thousands of spectators and sung along with them. Standing there, among several kindred spirits, I have felt a harmony with myself and my surroundings that usually eludes us in the mad rush of our lives. Usually a live concert is a crowd of bodies who are shifting from one foot to another in an effort to find some comfort in a stifling atmosphere. Most of the black t-shirt clad bodies around you are drenched in sweat, and are stinking of alcohol after standing in a queue outside the concert grounds for hours, just waiting to be let in. But when the music begins, all the discomfort vanishes with every thought in your head. Awestruck, and numb, you can feel the reverberations of the music within your soul, and you realise that this moment could be the on were living for.
But at this particular concert today, I felt isolated. I did not feel united with the other spectators, I did not feel their joy mixed with mine. Today, I didn't care. I just felt the eternal music, I felt it lift my soul above to a place where I could feel nothing except the emotion that I was alive, that I was free. I felt my desires, my ambitions and I acknowledged that I would fight to make every one of them come true, that I would not give up the smallest dream; because every dream is a little flame of hope that gives me the strength to envision a larger dream. I acknowledged my strengths and my weaknesses as I gazed up at the sky, I acknowledged the people I love, I acknowledged my teachers and I saluted mankind. I saluted every person alive because man is glorious, he is a multi-faceted creature whose creativity can extend as far as the horizon. Yes, I felt proud, proud to be a woman.
I attended this concert a walk away from my place, a musical concert by the sea. I stood on the parapet, I stood as tall as I could and I gazed at the sea as if by just staring at it I could compel it to perform for me. And what a performance it gave me!! The lilting tones of the sea emanated a calmness that I have never found anywhere else, the crashing of the waves against the rock sung a song of perseverance and strength that helped me face my fears. The dark sky and its bride, the moon accompanied the sea to create an atmosphere of peace that crackled with joyous energy.
And I stood there, transfixed just listening to this harmony of love and I felt like I had witnessed a sight that everyone saw, but few understood. I felt blessed because I had the vision to behold a mysterious entity, a beauty bound by land and yet so free.
I finally recovered from the spell I was under and walked back home under a canopy of trees, smiling to myself, confident to have been the only witness to a concert by the sea. Until the fluttering leaves whispered their ancient knowledge of my secret to me.
allvoices