The Work Horse vs. The Wild Horse #acnotes

a parable or a paradox

“Work will always be work. Some people work doing what they love. Other people work so that they can do what they love when they’re not working. Neither is more noble.”
- As told by Anis Mojgani to Simone Stolzoff, The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work

A few years back, 2022 I think, I came across Simone Stolzoff on Twitter (I prefer to call it Twitter, since the current version or its new name is not what I like).
Simone, had posted a tweet about his upcoming book and, had asked if anyone is interested in reading the Intro excerpt and he would be glad to mail it across. I was amongst the numerous people who had reached out to him and the above quote is from the Intro. These were the words Anis Mojgani (Writer & Poet) told Simone during his senior year in college. These words still ring in my head at times, when I’m swamped with work yet I take some pockets of time off to do what I love. It’s quite obvious by now on what my preference is. Now, if you wish to read Simone’s book, which I haven’t stopped recommending till date, here’s my review that might nudge you further to pick it up.

So, what’s the connection with the quote and this post’s song recommendation? Well, I first listened to this song almost 9 months back when I was part of a WhatsApp group run by two multi-talented and musically inclined gentlemen Chuck Gopalakrishnan and Berty Ashley (stop smirking Chuck and Berty). Then I wrote a brief note about this song and shared it on the group. In fact, the bassist of the band - Swarathma - Jishnu, who is part of the same group read it and invited me over to their next gig. Nothing comes close to watching them perform live. And Aiyanar Kudurai was no exception.

So, if you wish to read the note, then here it is:
||A banyan tree sprawls on the wide open green and beneath it resides Aiyanar (idol of a village guardian/ deity worshipped by the villagers) and his horse (idol). A squirrel leaps over the Aiyanar's shoulder and reaches for the banyan fruit, however the fruit falls on the horse and startles it to take flight on all fours.

Well, this is the basic premise one needs to know, if you don't understand Tamil to get the song's context. That said, you might still follow the song because the storyteller here is the goddam riffs and rhythm more than the lyrics. And what a ruckus. Ignore whatever you read, perhaps, pretend you didn't read what your read till now and listen to this banger. From the start to finish you'll be atop an imaginary horse, galloping all the way. The moment you hear the first few beats kick in, you're alighting the horseback. The guitars prop you into the saddle. The vocalists ensure you feel the breeze rush through your hair and cheer you on. The bass & drums' rhythmic progression are the hooves on an imaginary landscape. Kudos to the lyricist for that imagery, but the ones who wrote/composed the music race way ahead. Perhaps, it is almost like the horse is galloping towards the finish line, but its shadow has leapt way ahead for the photo finish.

Word of Caution: Do not! I repeat, do not listen to it, if it's past 00:00 Hrs.

I just did, and I doubt I would be able to sleep anytime soon. What a riot from the word go. Perfect mood setter for a Monday morning.||

https://lynkify.in/song/aiyanar-kudurai-from-raushan/QtLLZWkz

That said, the note went viral for some time. Yet, my mind kept going back to this visual. The cover image of the song on YouTube. So, here’s another interpretation of the song after repeat listens over the months. And here’s my trying to decipher the lyrics once again. This time, it’s the full song.

Disclaimer: This is purely my interpretation and it may or may not align with the band’s intent. Apologies to the Writers: Varun Murali, Sanjeeva Nayak Sooda, Veronica Angel, Jishnu Dasgupta, Vasu Dixit, if this seems to overstep or go on a different tangent.

Play the above song, as you read below. Here’s the attempt at translating the full lyrics of the song, but more so in a prose style:

||A banyan tree sprawls by the river side and on the wide open green. Beneath the tree resides Aiyanar (idol of a village guardian/ deity worshipped by the villagers) straddled on his horse (idol). Or, perhaps, it’s just the horse’s idol. A squirrel leaps over the horse’s shoulder and reaches for the banyan fruit, however as the fruit falls on the horse, it gets startled takes flight on all fours.

The horse bolts, non stop. He gallops on and on for a few hundred miles. He crosses the farmlands and paddy fields, plush green grasslands and dark barren fields, and as he crosses the village limits, there’s some spell that’s holding him back. It hits him then that he’s way past the fragrance of his familiar soil. And all he sees are eight lane highways crisscrossing. He’s wandered into an unfamiliar horizon. That very instant he retreats.  He turns around and once again darts back to where he came from. It’s a return to the start. To that same banyan sprawling by the riverside on the wide open green.||<end of translation>

Well, you could call this a piece of circular fiction where the tale ends at the starting point. Or, it’s a parable of running in circles? Now, I wish to shed light on the cover image once again. Scroll back up and glance at it once again, if you may. If you don’t wish to, it’s an image of a stallion in a stationary workplace setting. A wild being that ought to be free under the wide blue expanse and hoofing over lush green landscapes, is confined to cubicles, surrounded by colleagues and humbled by routine.

What if the song draws a parallel about someone you know? Or, a story that represents you and me? More specifically, the ones caught in the 9 to 5 loop and trying to strike a work-life balance. On a parallel universe, this song could have featured Dolly Parton instead of Vasu Dixit and Anthony Dasan. However, that’s a discussion for another day.

While there could be (occasional) instances that would startle you and break the routine for you to rethink your choices and revaluate the path you’re on, there seems to be certain factors that still keep us in the loop and not let us break free from where we are. The startling factors could be not getting a raise, being over looked for a promotion, work on weekends and/or toxic work culture to name a few. However, certain financial commitments, familial responsibilities and professional aspirations might keep you from breaking free. In other words, return to that familiar soil while you might have some outbursts at times. But you’re working towards making ends meet. While I don’t negate the fact that there have been many who have had the privilege or taken the risk to take a sabbatical and succeed with a Plan B, there have been many who have not gotten the chance. So, this song is perhaps a testament about those who are still in the loop. However, they still have passions or vocations they visit - time, time and time again, only to feel alive - that’s when they run amok but they retreat. There are pockets of time or breaks one uses to do what they love. But this main job is to sustain that passion or vice versa. In other words, neither is more noble.

To conclude, here’s quoting the lead vocalist of Swarathma - Vasu.

“Most of our songs are not a statement, it’s more a starting point of a discussion.”
- Vasu Dixit, Artist | Musician - Swarathma

#acnotes