“The Path towards Better Music in Darjeeling” with special reference to Mr. Prithiviraj Dewan, the unknown legend of Gorkha Music.

Privat Giri

Published in Himalayan Beacon

June, 2008.

It might not sound so pleasing, from my side especially, talking about music because I am not a professional musician. The little knowledge and experience I gathered in music was during those days of my college life when I (like many youngsters in Darjeeling and Sikkim) used to dream to become a great guitarist. I was very willing, and in the need of a ‘Guru’, I was searching, when I met Mr. Prithiviraj Dewan, a legend of Gorkha music (as I define).But the more rubbish part of it was, I only attended the class for few months and left. I had to give up my dreams due to some personal reasons but here are some precious things I have learned from Mr. Dewan and I want to share with you all.

“Appearing in the beat contest and playing the Iron Maiden song is not learning music but infact copying music. Where are our guys when the question of our own composition arises? We should understand the importance of the practical and theories in music and also should be able to distinguish it. Why do we people ignore the fact that music is composed not with your instrument in hand but with a pen in a sheet of paper? Music is not a hobby that you give importance only during your spare time. It is like a full-fledged academic session where you start from 'ABCD' and end finish up with your own philosophy.

Mr. Prithviraj Dewan and his views regarding Western Domination on Music.

“I cannot help it that my picture do not sell. Nevertheless the time will come when people will see that they are worth more than the price of the paint”. Can anyone be sure that those who are considered to be the best in a particular field are really the best? As the doubt lingers on, about the real talents, who have been overshadowed by the artificial glitter and limelight, remain hidden in the backdrop. Prithviraj Dewan, a music teacher from Kadamtala, Siliguri, started his career in music after completing his graduation from Darjeeling Government College in 1975. He acquired his initial basics of music at Calcutta under the counseling of Samar Roy, the former base guitarist of Bappi Lahiri. Returning back from Calcutta after five years, he formed the “Rhythm Orchestra”, the leading Orchestra in the whole of North Bengal those days. But his committed nature could not hold his feet for long days which paved his way towards Mumbai to embark his professional career in Bollywood. In Mumbai, he worked with famous singers like Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan, Shabbir Kumar, Sailendra Singh and multiple others. Within couple of years of his stay there, he had to flounder a lot and eventually realizing his fragility, returned back with a grudge to do something more.Then he contrived to make a theoretical study on Marshall Law in music. He was inspired by the great educators of the scientific period like Debushy, Schoenberg, and Mozart. He has made a complete analysis of the thesis written educators like Cavalli, Mouley, Scarlaltti, Pureell, Sergei Prokofiev and multiple others. Amidst this period he conducted a concert in Taiwan and has already remained a judge in ‘Nepal Idol’. Till date, he has given multiple background scores in Rajbanshi films.

At present, he is the President of “The North Bengal Musicians and Singers Association”, formed in the year 2004 and he is also running “The Friendz4films”, first film study center in North Bengal. All those years of his adherence in music has made him successful in completing his thesis on “Music Therapy”, (therapy for mental disorder through music). He has recently recommended his work to the Harvard University of American and Viswa Bharati (run by educators of Sweden and Denmark). “It need to be endorsed by either of these institutes so that I could continue with my Ph.D.”, says Mr. Dewan.

All the way in his 32 years of study in Western music, he distinctly figures out the reason behind the domination of Western music over others. Mr. Dewan says, it is not because of their design of musical instrument or their style of playing or because of their thick base sounds with combination of drums, for which our people are highly biased. There is no doubt that they do/have something extraordinary for which our inherited rich music has been discarded. To identify these answers, we need to analyze each and every instrument in Western Culture, especially the “Voicing and Harmony” education is necessary. “Music is an education and we need to have a theoretical knowledge to compose a meaningful music”. According to Dr. W.F. Lee (Professor of Music University of Miami, Florida), the first “Doctor of Music Award” was given in the year 1460 in Oxford University. Since then (548 years) they have been cultivating the Harmony education for which their style of music is dominating the rest of the world. Dr. Lee has classified music into five periods. Polyphonic period (800-1600), Baroque period (1600-1750), Classical period (1750-1870), Romantic period (1820-1900) and scientific period (1900- till date). We are currently passing through the scientific period of music and each note and chords played today are based on theories, formulas and calculations. Today’s music is composed with pen and paper for this and so it is obvious that we need to be educated in music.

Even we have that proficiency to compete the Westerners, but the path which most of us are leading is not decisive. Music should be in tandem with academics and the right guidance is very essential.