‘Noise’ is a poem that reminds us of the restlessness, hypocrisy and turbulence of our lives today and how we are responsible for this misery in many subtle ways.
Aditi Palkar is a Pune – based freelance journalist.
The actress-slam poet Kalki Koechlin recent poem ‘Noise’ is no extraordinary insight on the chaos and restlessness of Indian life but yet manages to capture our attention because of its engaging narration, cinematic visualization and a choice of themes that everyone can relate to. In the poem cum song Kalki speaks of all the diverse kinds of noises that engulf us in our day to day existence and how many of these have in them inherent a sense of violence, coercion and aggression. The video showcases several such moments when noises from various walks of life be it the azaan of the mosque, the chanting of the mandir, the fish market, the traffic jam, the butchering of animals, the playing of children, the honking of cars and the claps of the transgender cause us misery. Koechlin’s verse moves from one uncomfortable feeling to the next without giving us any moment of relief, and the video of ‘Noise’ demands total attention. It’s the complete effect of the audio-visual that makes it worthwhile.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0RDIT5-bng
The poem which is seven-minute-long poem speaks volumes about the world we inhabit and the amount of restlessness that we are perpetually in through the myriad themes it addresses.
In the video, a gushing fan asks Koechlin if it’s “really her” and immediately the shot shifts from the glamorously dolled up Koechlin to a chunk of meat hanging in a butcher’s shop, then a pot of biryani and finally to the faces of several Muslim men, all part of India’s “major minority.” Through this simple yet powerful short the poem reminds us of the plight and agony of both women and minorities in India. Koechlin’s voice urgently reminds you frequently to keep up with the fast changing visuals.
The video has too much happening at the same time and this produces an effect wherein the viewer must keep at his toes but the cumulative effect of this leaves an impression on the mind.
One of the many important things that ‘Noise’ leaves us thinking about is the ways in which we use social media and how that has made us so robot-like and non-spontaneous.
It points out at how we are all the time making our own noise. A noise that reflects our inner insecurities and paradoxes. The noise also refers to how we are perpetually under the pressure to fit into certain moulds of social expectations and why we cannot ever be spontaneous.
We are all the time preoccupied ensuring that our social media accounts look a certain way be it Instagram , Twitter or Facebook we are all the time bust marketing the self so that it may sell like hot cake. The noise of having to leave behind one’s natural, spontaneous self and creating a ‘brand’ out of oneself does surely cause immense internal agony and noise!
Kalki’s ‘Noise’ also points out the inherent paradoxes of the social media induced world where on one hand these applications promise people the warmth of friends and communities yet these very platforms judge, ridicule and make fun of one’s weaknesses. She speaks of how electronically connected we may be to the world but how lonely and distanced we have become in our day to day existence. This alienation does not only cause us distress but because of its inherent contradictions leaves us in an ambience of unpleasant noise.
Kalki speaks boldly of the way people comment, judge and ridicule her for her looks and say “Your teeths are so big. Get lost ugly.” We may switch off for a bit, pause the game, but the hurt sticks to us. Sitting in a silent car talking to an adoring fan Koechlin still thinks about the size of her teeth, turns to the camera and says, “I am ugly.”
Even though ‘Noise’ makes it explicitly clear that it is not as if it originates in a certain place and reaches out the others who have had no part to play in it and that we are all collectively responsible for the noise in our lives, the poem does not leave behind a feeling of positivity or optimism. Kalki argues that is we who are the “capitalistic, communal fascists” of the country. She boldly confesses that we are the ones who watch rubbish news, use sites that encourage us to commodify ourselves, we’re the ones who choose to chat on the phone rather than speak to the person in front of us. Koechlin is not here to give us any answers but her poem sure arouses many questions within that are worth contemplation. The noise of the world within and the noise of the world outside cannot ever be understood in isolation and we must understand how we are all collectively responsible for it in our own distinct ways. The poetry and the visuals surely leave an impact, it is however a separate matter that this impact itself is noisy, turbulent and unsettling. Nevertheless Kalki raises important questions and presents significant metaphors through her creation.
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