The 6th of October, 2018 will always hold a special place in my heart. This was the day I discovered my true purpose. The day that a good deal of speakers went about telling it exactly like it is, and a great deal of emotional variation was experienced.
There were speakers belonging to all walks of life, having faced all kinds of trials and tribulations. If there was one thing that rang true for all of their success stories, it was their perseverance. No matter how many roadblocks they hit, they never gave up. YouTube stars Prajakta Koli and the TVF representatives had prepared a skit for us on the joys of college life. To say that Prajakta Koli received a warm welcome from the Manipal crowd would be a criminal understatement.
Image source: ScoopWhoop
With a fanbase of over 2.5 million people, she revealed the hectic schedule of a Youtuber, explaining how she was her own script writer, editor, actor, director and more. People were more than familiar with a particular question and answer segment she is known to carry out over the weekends, called ‘Sawaal Saturday’. One member of the audience even pointed out that she had overlooked his question the week prior to Conclave, to which her quick witted response was that she was waiting to meet him and answer his question in person. Quick on her feet and inherently dramatic, she was quite the entertainer.
One of the most inspirational speakers of the evening was none other than the Indian hockey captain, Sandeep Singh. He tasted fame as a youngster when he was called to play for nationals at the age of 19. Since then, there has been no looking back for the legend. Even a bullet to his leg couldn’t dampen his spirit, as he came back roaring to the Olympics after months of rehabilitation in Germany.
Image source: ScoopWhoop
He emphasized how important it was for hockey to be introduced as a sport at a primary level – in schools and colleges, Bunty’s talk made me realise everything spoken about struggling actors – sleeping on railway tracks, facing rejection after rejection, being abused and manipulated countless times – it was a reality after all. Even with the face of nepotism crowing all the film posters of today, it was unreal to hear the incredible journey he had undertaken.
Day two had people coming in feeling refreshed and inspired more than ever, a sharp contrast to the usual countenance of drudgery that Manipal students are known to bear. Prior performances had taught me that it’s good to be nervous before a show; Nerves show you care. And I care deeply and wholly about music, almost as if it were an inseparable childhood friend. It’s been there for me in the gravest of times, supported me on the toughest days, been a medium through which I can discover new allies. More than anything, I see my future dedicated to bettering it, to consuming more of it, and attempting to make the world around me see what I see – glorious bits of melted moonlight scattered across what you may observe to be sheet music. I follow it almost as a religion, and in all my nineteen years of existence, I have known nothing more beautiful.
My speech was about the “Evolution of Music Production”, the crux of it being that current technology allows our computers to orchestrate entire chamber choirs and musical ensembles. At a time when any fool with a computer is capable of making music, it both intensifies the music competition scenario as well as creating a situation where increasingly varying degrees and styles of music can be created. While this mostly yields a positive outcome, we must focus on being able to retain and enhance our musicality in our pursuit of an art form in a commercial world.
Ideally, an artist is committed to accepting reasonable criticism with volition. However, breaking the barrier between popular chart music and sweeping classical music is the truth; that music transcends time and reason- it only demands to be felt.
