Talent vs Skill

Talent vs Skill: I Shrug, They Shine

The baraat that shut down Wall Street, making headlines and history. 
 Photo: India Today

“Such a talented woman!” Haven’t you heard that remark at a pooja (prayer) programme, a wedding sangeet (musical programme), or a get-together where you are a part of the miniscule audience?

As a railway wife, I had an overdose of this comment during music and dance programmes for Teej, Garba, Diwali, New Year eve, welcome and farewell of boss’s wife, or sometimes a sangeet, a brave hostess dared invite me to. One after the other, came on stage a ‘lady’ or a group of them, dressed in their latest shiny best lehengas or saris, adjusting their dupattas and pallus. The compere would promise a ‘mesmerizing’, ‘scintillating’ dance or soulful singing.

The music range for dance was wide – from a folk or classical music-based film song to bawdy, vulgar item numbers. Struggling to synchronize, their waists thickened after the sacrifice of childbearing, and layers of cellulite joining in the thumkas like loyal sidekicks, these ladies would gleefully fling their fabric-armoured limbs, testing a few laws of physics.

In case of singers, the forehead would crease, the neck crane, one hand holding the mic like a weapon of offence, the other rising up in air reminding of a mermaid emerging from the ocean, distracting me from the screech and sound of the lyrics or one singer going off-key.  As I would shift in my seat somehow enduring the two or more-hour long display of talent, wasting my prayers for it to end, some generous, not to forget awe-struck woman, would turn and remark, “Wow! Kitni talented hai na (How talented they are)!” And I’d dutifully nod my head in agreement as if endorsing a grave medical diagnosis.

But here is the thing, it confused me then, it ferhoodles me now when I am invited to such events. Why call such performances talent? With hours of practice- giving up their afternoon naps, television soap operas, Whatsapp chats, shopping et al, these women manage to almost imitate stars, who get paid whopping sums for doing that to perfection after several takes. Why credit divine intervention for that sweat and sacrifice in following Ganesh Acharya or Farrah Khan’s choreography?

Dictionary confirms that talent is an inborn sense of creativity, in dance-to think of new steps or forms, but skill is thumping your body to ape somebody’s moves till your bones banter. Talent is the sense to follow notes and rhythm in music yet skill is toiling, continuing even after Guruji ji sighs, “Chalo, aaj yahin tak” (Let us stop here today), and the dog, ears perked, head tilted, whoofs.

I remember a friend’s nine-year old grandson make a painting in watercolour, and put it away, not worried for applause or likes. A teenager now, he has gone beyond taking inspiration from others’ work and paints complex creations from imagination. That sure is a gift from God, aren’t the others just diligent copycats?

In schools, we are encouraged to participate in music, dramatics, dance, declamation, debates, art contests, with the idea that the talents the families might not know about, surface, we inculcate courage and team spirit. Once the parents start feeling their little angel is the next John Travolta or Shakespeare, the performances come to the level of drawing room, with hapless guests treated to a beta, uncle ko ga/dance/poem suna kar dikhao. (Child, sing/dance/recite the poem, to uncle).

Fortunately, either the parents lose steam or the obedient offspring grow into gawky, rebellious teenagers, and the rehearsals for Indian Idol faze out. Sometimes, however, the guests grow wiser and stop coming.

But suppressed desires are like weeds, psychologists claim, which germinate again in favourable environs. No wonder then, at every community function, madams and sirs, didis and bhaiyas, are reunited with their inner Shahid Kapoor or Shreya Ghoshal. It is not sur-taal, it is sheer courage, and hamein to bachpan se hee bada shauq hai. (I have had a great passion for this since childhood).

Somebody tell me: don’t men find it awkward to watch somebody else’s wife or bahu-beti (daughter in law-daughter) shimmy through item numbers? Especially the self-appointed watchdogs of Bharatiya sanskriti (Indian culture)? In fact, I found my schoolmate’s brutal honesty heartwarming when a little merry after a few drinks, he said he’d rather watch the original item number to have ‘fun.’

On the other hand, do you, like Meerabai, break into a song in devotion to God? Do your feet move of their own accord and arms rise skywards, in a baraat procession snaking its way on a busy road, perhaps in front of a hospital? Or influenced by spirits, you run to the dance floor, even climb up a table, and with your eyes closed, let your limbs and waist show your signature chaos? Go on! Have a blast. To hell with talent, to hell with skill! The Dandiya evening, reunion, birthday bash, or rain dance are no प्रतिभा-प्रदर्शन (talent show) on stage. Only DJ wale babu mera gana baja de! (DJ, please play my song.)

But, if the dream is the dance/singing video doing the rounds in family Whatsapp group or reel on Facebook earns you social recognition as a performer, you might better rehearse.

Navratri (from the 22nd), the nine-day period preceding Dussehra, is not merely fasts and prayers. It is the time for community poojas and Garba, also the official muhurat (auspicious beginning) of wedding season which goes on almost till mid-May. Imagine the plethora of golden opportunities that would provide for you to showcase your skill!

Will the following checklist do?

Dust off the notebook/diary of songs you have collected, take it out.

Ditch the mobile; great singers know their lyrics.

Let your vocal cords be wild and free. Time to test audio-reception, patience, and vocabulary of your audience. For comfort, you might just accidently create a remix.

For the audience-the way Mani sees it- good singers are a delight to the ears; bad ones-a legitimate reason to make a strategic exit.

Make a playlist of the music you would risk dancing to.

Dance like you are competing with Katrina Kaif or Shakira. They are never going to know.

So, carry on! Doll up in your gaudiest, go up the stage, earn your supper of spicy chaat and desserts by parading your so-called talent, and flood those on your broadcast list with reels and videos. Who knows this performance could just get you a contract with Yash Raj Films! 

A friendly tip: Don’t waste your data plan forwarding the video to me. My ungrateful phone keeps complaining- ‘Safari cannot open the page because the address is invalid.’ 

                                                                                                     -Anupama S Mani