Reality check

Like 'em or hate 'em, reality shows are here to stay. The genres are all out there - dating, geeks and beauty queens, adventure, survival and music. The last in particular gives me food for thought especially with relation to desi music. And our only representation beyond the desi stage was Sanjay Mayekar from American Idol whose hair styling excited me more than his vocal prowess but that topic deserves a whole other post.

Going back to reality shows, they are dime a dozen on every possible TV station. There are times where you have to hear insufferable people working their way through the preliminary rounds with no talent whatsoever. Then there are times where the sheer talent astounds you. The age group varies tremendously and it's always interesting to hear kids as young as five or six singing songs that were created decades before they were born. That to me is the most inspiring part of the whole reality show hoopla.

I'm not afraid to admit that I absolutely enjoy the oldies as much as I enjoy the new. But to hear such golden songs from old movies sung by children who probably have no recollection of the movie itself is something else. And there is no dearth of talent there. There is a renewed interest in older, classical based songs that show off a vocalist's range and skill. So many participants pick out songs created by legendary composers, sung by immortal artists and bring it forward to our times.

While skeptics might argue that the intentions may not always be the most noble, I beg to differ. Nothing comes without a price. There was a time where oldies were only recognised when they were remixed, rehashed and regurgitated over and over. For a change, we can actually listen to the original sound of a song and perhaps even go dig up the original soundtrack from somewhere.

Though I admit that my young cousin of six won't know that Lata Mangeshkar sang Tum Pukar Lo, she certainly will remember the song simply because of her favourite contestants on a show sang it. From there, curiousity is piqued and she has discovered there is more music to be heard. And that to me is a great sign.