Music Nationalism

Music is the only entity which is not supposed to recognize religion, caste, race and color. Anybody who can contribute to music is special, and he/she is given the respect which is deserved in society. However, the times have now changed so much that music competitions have changed people's thinking. A recent example was in India where a family created a big problem when a child was eliminated from the competition at a crucial stage. The explosion in commercial music competitions has resulted in a money oriented mindset among parents.

The latest incident occurred in a TV show on Zee TV called "Hero Honda SaReGaMa Little Champs". The contestant in question was a child called Aamir Hafeez. It was the last elimination round before the Grand finale. So, the stage at which the boy was eliminated was heart-breaking. The scene created by his family members would have indeed being embarrassing.

In the rush of competition and big money, the normal situation would be that Children are pushed to the limit. But, this case is different. The parents of the child eliminated did not even consider the result, and walked out, in front of Millions of TV viewers. All along the way, some remarks (hopefully unintended) were passed by the family stating that because they were MUSLIM, that they were eliminated.

Firstly, such kinds of action are totally uncalled for and showed the narrow mindedness of some people. In the quest for more money, they would not hesitate to immediately jump upon the victim wagon. The follow up to this incident is still unknown, but hopefully nothing foolish has been done. The Kid who was eliminated showed maturity at least, and its a good sign that children are more acceptable and more open to hurdles than the older generation. Thats why Kids are sometimes special.

What can be said about the impact of commercial shows on the mindset of parents? In the rush to acquire lot of money and fame, some actions are done by which they later regret. The unfortunate thing is the explosion of commercial shows like this does give a lot of talent, but over the long run, compromises quality perhaps. But, such actions are just the beginning. Who knows what may happen, a murder on the set? Not a far fetched thought, because such emotional outbursts are happening now.