Dear Old Folkie: Part II

I was listening to this song that a friend sent to me from her collection, at my request. It was, however, a live performance version. I have known about the song and its universal appeal for many years, and also about the way people have embraced it. But what was more touching, for me, were his words before he sang the song:

"You would like to get out of your pessimistic mood yourself.........I got one sure remedy for you. ....Go help those people down in Birmingham, Mississippi or Alabama.... All kinds of jobs need to be done. It takes hands, hearts, and heads to do it.... human beings to do it. And then we shall see this song come true."

These words didn't come from someone looking for name and fame, but from a real human being, a real person and artist. It was Pete Seeger, and obviously the song was, "We shall overcome".

When Pete Seeger had visitied Delhi in 1997, I was in a place 1700 kms away. But what was even more depressing was that, an ex-roomie of mine who visited me in December-1997, informed me that he had the chance to attend Seeger's concert in Delhi. I could never stop envying him ever since.

And now I quote Pete Seeger, talking about an incident that involves (one of) his India trip(s), from the website mentioned below[1]:

"I went to a little village with houses made of mud. A man took a look at me and says 'Pete Seeger' -- he'd seen my picture. He goes over to get his daughter, and with his little daughter in his arms, they sing 'We Shall Overcome' in Bengali. Then right after that they begin to sing 'What Did You Learn In School Today?'. India knows a lot more about the rest of the world than we [do]. I must say they don't get the rhythm right, they sing it like an English march."

One can understand Seeger's feelings of frustration, because this is the man, whose words of advice to Dar Williams, a young artiste who asked for his guidance, were: "Any idiot can write a complicated song, but it takes a genius to be simple."

("That's what I aspire to," Dar Williams said. "Pete Seeger is the one who writes the songs that unite people.")

"We shall overcome" was perhaps a simple song for Pete Seeger, but not for the villager from Bengal (and, going by its effect, not for the world either!).

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Note: A very warm essay on Seeger (written by another blogger) can be found at:
http://effectmeasure.blogspot.com/2005/05/happy-birthday-pete.html

References:
[1] http://cfs.osu.edu/activities/ProtestMusicAsResponsibleCitizenship/seeger.htm
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/04/wb.us.folk.music/
Picture Source: www.counterpunch.org/Pete_at_NYC_demo.jpg