The Misery at the End

Nine months after the crime that shook the conscience of the Country, the verdict was announced; fast by the standards of the Country in question. The death sentence, to some extent, provided a bit of a closure to all the people who, in one way or another, became related to the incident; the family of the victim, the family of the late Constable Subhash Tomar who died in the protests following the crime, the thousands of protesters who came out to the streets, hundreds of police personnel who had their own struggle during the protests and (a safe assumption) a vast majority of the citizens. The gruesomeness of the inhuman act committed by those “humans” on that cold December night may cause many a humanitarian minds to agree that death is the only fitting punishment for them. For now therefore, the disturbing episode seems to have taken a justified turn.

If asked to mention the one word, around which the events of December 16, 2012 and the subsequent protests seem to revolve, a plethora of answers may result. The one that struck my mind was misery.

Misery; because the one of the basic traits that distinguish us as humans were compromised by members of our own species. Misery; because of the loss suffered by the friends and families of the Braveheart and Constable Tomar. Misery; because even after stringent amendments to the law, there is a questionable level of security available to the Nation’s women (disturbingly including the minor female children). Misery; because the most fierce and brutal of the six attackers would walk free after spending a little over 28 months in a juvenile detention home. Misery; because the five young adults who gave in to perversion and resorted to fulfilling a short term urge, and who now face the gallows, paid no importance to the long, perhaps even promising, lives that lied ahead of them. Misery; because of the helplessness of the convict’s families.

The entire episode may paint a sorrowful picture and it may appear that nothing even remotely fruitful may result as a consequence of the tragic event. An observation of the practices sometimes followed in a country a bit eastwards of our own may suggest otherwise.

The aforementioned state of misery is ever present. It existed before December 16, 2012 and will continue to be in existence for decades following this date. Shortage of blood at transfusion departments of hospitals, shortage of donors of vital organs and the like make their own contributions to the miseries of the present day. This point needs to be made right now because it will be referenced later on in this text.

These five convicts; keeping them alive (by reducing their punishment to life imprisonment, not a completely impossible event) will only result in the further squandering of the limited resources of a planet no less abused, notwithstanding at a different level, than the young girl last December. Death penalty, as harsh as it may appear for the convicts, is but a comeuppance. A different way of ending their lives however, may yield some value out of the hopelessness of this entire episode.

Consider the flowing hypothetical situation; a sudden death, say delivered in form of a bullet to the forehead (other ways are also possible), followed by quick extraction of the cadaver’s blood for possible use in transfusion, “salvaging” vital and non vital organs and using the extracts to benefit patients in need may result in improvement in the lives of the patients in question. The five convicts already died ten months ago, though their bodies have some catching up to do. Utilizing whatever bio-extracts, in form of tissues, organs and fluids, may only help reduce someone else’s misery elsewhere. Such a biological salvaging in favour of those who may otherwise face long waiting times for the right type of bio-extract, and consequently face further medical complications due to too much of a delay, probably promises to be the only positive at the end of a trail of negatives left behind as the consequences of the disgraceful and deplorable incident.

The Voice of Music

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” 

- Aldous Huxley 

We listen to different forms of music in different environments. Music is played at coffee shops, lounges, malls and even in an aircraft during the boarding process. All forms of music appear to have their own sweet effect.

• Music amplifies joy. A good mix by Armin Van Buuren or Enigma made late night drives in the empty streets of Pune much more fun.
• Music is a catalyst. It helps accelerate. Beats by David Guetta or Usher used to cause revelers in the night clubs dance harder.
• Music mitigates monotony. Nothing would compare to the Beach Lounge Mix by Tekiu (being played in low volume of course) when drafting that dissertation report.
• Music motivates. It provides the occasional boost. "Lord give me a sign" by DMX is an excellent number to listen to while sweating it out it the gym.

Can music be something more? Specifically, can music without any lyrics still convey?

I selected a pleasant track and tried to figure out what kind of thoughts it induced. Having a couple of pints before starting any task like this is always useful. This was the track I tried to perceive:

Since perceptions vary, this track may create an entirely different impression in the mind of some other listener. What follows is what I felt:

Dissection of the track:

There is nothing unique about the first 30 seconds. Numerous trance and chill out tracks seem to have this kind of a start.

The part between 00:30 and 01:00 uniquely characterizes this track. This tune continues in the background, more or less throughout the rest of the track, with very slight modulation. The high tempo of this tune made me picture the high pace, hectic, frustrating and sometimes monotonous city life that some young professionals may connect to. This tune seems to lower down by 01:34, very much like the way people tend to get bored with the same job over a period of time, at which point some of them may look at options like switching to some other firm or pursuing post graduation.

Between 01:45 and 02:20, a new tune comes in and overlaps the background tune. The tempo of this new tune is lower and it is more dominant than the background tune. This new tune has a higher pitch and is more pleasing to listen to. Reminded me of how one needs to let go of anxieties and tensions at times and just do something to lighten up. Go on a long drive, take a vacation, work on the garden, go to the park and watch the little kids play or better yet, behave like a kid. Take it easy. Take a break.

After 02:20, the background tune picks up again but the way it is modulated changes after 03:06, making it sound more pleasing. Another low tempo background tune comes up at 03:35 and continues till 04:23. This blending of tunes seems to suggest that even after taking a break, the stresses associated with life as a professional may not fade off completely, but their effects can definitely reduce.

Hereafter, the original background tune gradually comes back and continues almost till the end of the track. I guess this indicates that time has come for another break.

Verdict:

With great posts in great companies come great chances of dealing with a stressful life. Before the stress gets a chance to become too much, take a break, it does not matter whether long or short, just take a break and unwind.