"Pen is mightier than sword". In the days of yore, this proverb was often employed to encourage budding and diffident writers to put their ideas, however nascent, to pen. This proverb implicitly reckons a sword as a weapon of offence. Here the sword stands for the power of authority buoyed by the support of a disciplined, loyal, obedient, ruthless and subservient military. It precludes the fact that sword could be wielded in defence as well. Correspondingly, the pen is also portrayed as a device of attack, its capability to defend being also ignored.
As the time went by, the sword gave way to gun which term includes all kinds of firearms ranging from a pistol to AK47, M16 etc. to more complex, potent and destructive high tech military armament topped by nuclear weapons.
The power of pen, emanates from the writer's intellect. It was so in the past, is so in the present and will remain so in the future too. The written words, simple or nuanced, are the proverbial fireballs, brickbats, arrows and bullets hurled out from the pen. These optically invisible projectiles penetrate the readers' minds rather than their bodies. The wounds caused by the pen do not heal in a hurry. The hurt can be wide and deep. Whole communities can get affected for generations altogether.
With progress of time, the pen too underwent an evolution which saw it transforming from handwritten artifacts through print media to the software content forming the quintessential life support of ubiquitous electronic media encompassing communication, entertainment, information, social interaction and a multitude of other spheres of human activity. Today, even the man in the street feels empowered to hurl brickbats on any body, anywhere and any time thanks to easy and free availability of the modern avatars of the pen like Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Whats App and Messenger, coupled with the fundamental right of 'freedom of expression'
Spoken words too have been a very powerful weapon since time immemorial. History and mythology are replete with examples wherein spoken words played havoc to the extent of even causing wars. Which of the two modes of communication viz. written words and the spoken words is more powerful has always been a subject of debate. (See References 1, 2,3,4)
In the present times, the scale has tilted in favour of the spoken words thanks to the loudspeaker which stands out as a very significant, if not the only, factor responsible for the phenomenon. In the present context, the term loudspeaker is not restricted in its definition to just the passive device that forms the last link in the chain of artifacts comprising an electronic sound system; rather it is justifiably broadened to include the entire system because the loudspeaker is the most perceptible component in the system. The term loudspeaker is very often shortened to just 'speaker' and is also used in singular and plural interchangeably.
It can be deduced from the above arguments that the loudspeaker is mightier than the pen. And by applying the law of transitive property of inequalities, it can be postulated that loudspeaker is mightier than the sword.
It can be deduced from the above arguments that the loudspeaker is mightier than the pen. And by applying the law of transitive property of inequalities, it can be postulated that loudspeaker is mightier than the sword.
The loudspeaker, when used in a legal and controlled manner, is a great agent of delivery of entertainment, information and knowledge with its feed coming from a huge variety of live and recorded sources.
The flip side is that the loudspeaker is a major source of contribution to the noise pollution in Mumbai, Delhi and other Indian cities and is chiefly responsible for getting them the dubious distinction of being among the rank holders of noisiest cities of the world. (See Reference 5,6).
It is regrettable that the worst offenders, in respect of the illegal and / or uncontrolled misuse of the loudspeakers, are the abundant religious activities and places of worship. While some of these religious activities such as Ganapati festival, Navratri Dandiya, Dahi Handi, Eids, Muharram, Ramzaan and Gurpurabs are yearly phenomena, quite a few others such as prayers and chants are more frequent. Azaan, the call for namaaz, one of the five basic pillars of Islam, is made five times a day through loudspeakers mounted on high minarets. The power of these speaker system is kept far in excess of that required to cover the area of influence of the particular mosque. In addition, in many localities, the Azaan is broadcast by more than three or four mosques in quick succession resulting in overlap which turns into an irritating babel what would otherwise be a very soothing wake up call exhorting the faithfuls to shun laziness and to get ready for saying their prayers. These mosques seem to compete with each other in respect of loudness and variety of sound. Some of them employ echo sound systems further aggravating the cacophony. In addition, some mosques broadcast religious poems and songs for an extended period of time before and after the azaan.
Sir Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, regarded as one of the greatest modern poets of Urdu and a highly learned islamic scholar and ideologue must have felt very irritated and frustrated by the practice of loud broadcasting of early morning azaan. Otherwise there was no reason for him to write the following couplet wherein he has unequivocally lambasted the practice.
( The morning call has caused my heart to bleed. O God, what crime am I guilty of, to deserve this punishment)
For me, the effect of the Azaan has been very positive. Earlier, I used to feel very lazy and would not get up from the bed till well after the sunrise when the sunshine made it impossible for me to continue sleeping. Now a days, when the morning Azaan is sounded, I get up, say my morning prayers and go for a walk. I kill two birds with one stone. While on the one hand, I avoid listening to the cacophony, on the other hand I do my mind and body a lot of good.
Another deplorable misuse of the loudspeaker manifests as very lengthy, loud and overlapping discourses accompanying the Friday afternoon prayer. And in localities where madrassas are co-located with mosques, the morning broadcasts include naats, qawwalis, poems and even class instructions for duas for various occasions.
Consequently, more often than not, in India the loudspeaker becomes an execrable source of irritation, animosity, acrimony, ill-will and contention.
Sir Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, regarded as one of the greatest modern poets of Urdu and a highly learned islamic scholar and ideologue must have felt very irritated and frustrated by the practice of loud broadcasting of early morning azaan. Otherwise there was no reason for him to write the following couplet wherein he has unequivocally lambasted the practice.
नवा-ए-सुब्ह-गाही ने जिगर ख़ूँ कर दिया मेरा
ख़ुदाया जिस ख़ता की ये सज़ा है वो ख़ता क्या है
For me, the effect of the Azaan has been very positive. Earlier, I used to feel very lazy and would not get up from the bed till well after the sunrise when the sunshine made it impossible for me to continue sleeping. Now a days, when the morning Azaan is sounded, I get up, say my morning prayers and go for a walk. I kill two birds with one stone. While on the one hand, I avoid listening to the cacophony, on the other hand I do my mind and body a lot of good.
Another deplorable misuse of the loudspeaker manifests as very lengthy, loud and overlapping discourses accompanying the Friday afternoon prayer. And in localities where madrassas are co-located with mosques, the morning broadcasts include naats, qawwalis, poems and even class instructions for duas for various occasions.
Consequently, more often than not, in India the loudspeaker becomes an execrable source of irritation, animosity, acrimony, ill-will and contention.
A number of legal petitions against the noise pollution caused by the use of loudspeakers during religious festivals and prayers have been filed in various courts. Some of the courts have ordered bans on their use in religious places. But the loudspeakers merrily continue to irritate, provoke and sicken the public at large in blatant disregard and contravention of these orders.( See Reference 7, 8,9,10).
The brazen and unchecked deployment of the loudspeaker forces one to deduce that many Indians trust the power of the loudspeaker more than that of God. It seems to be their firm conviction that God is afflicted with dysphonia and that He also suffers from hearing-impairment. These Indians, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and others alike, are equally convinced that He needs a loudspeaker to make His voice heard by them. And in return, these people cannot do without a loudspeaker to make their voices heard by God.
Whenever I think of the loudspeaker, I get reminded of the movie "Beneath the Planet of Apes". In the movie, "the protagonist, astronaut Brent, believes that he has traveled to another planet and forward in time to the year 3955 and he finds a population of telepathic humans who worship an ancient nuclear bomb". ( See Reference 11)
Taking a cue from the above named movie and given the Indians' penchant for creating gods every now and then, coupled with their ardour for constructing places of worship at every nook and cranny, it will be no wonder if a temple devoted to 'Loudspeaker' springs up somewhere in, the not very distant, future. And in the course of time, 'Loudspeaker' would muster a huge following comprising devotees who would not only worship It, but would also believe It to be Greater than God. And some time later, a declaration to that effect may get issued. This would have regenerative effect leading to proliferation of places of worship devoted to Loudspeaker everywhere. God would perhaps be dispatched on perpetual sick leave.
God Bless The Loud Speaker and Its devotees.
References:
1. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slowchurch/2014/08/19/the-spoken-word-vs-the-written-word/
2. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/spoken-word-vs-written-navin-chandra-joshi
3. http://vwordpress.stmarys-ca.edu/nickgunawan/2011/03/31/spoken-word-vs-written-word/
4. http://arcade.stanford.edu/dibur/spoken-word-written-word-introduction
5. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/03/these-are-the-cities-with-the-worst-noise-pollution/
6. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ten-worlds-noisiest-cities-dermot-foley3. http://vwordpress.stmarys-ca.edu/nickgunawan/2011/03/31/spoken-word-vs-written-word/
4. http://arcade.stanford.edu/dibur/spoken-word-written-word-introduction
5. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/03/these-are-the-cities-with-the-worst-noise-pollution/
7. http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/04/18/hindu-janajagruti-samiti-and-shiv-sena-seek-ban-on-use-of-loudsp_a_22043914/
8.http://www.firstpost.com/mumbai/silence-please-remove-illegal-loudspeakers-used-in-mosques-festivals-says-bombay-high-court-2438882.html
9.https://scroll.in/article/672693/with-court-ban-on-illegal-mosque-loudspeakers-some-mumbai-muslims-oppose-street-prayers-too
10. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/ensure-religious-places-follow-noise-pollution-norms-ngt/articleshow/60752883.cms
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneath_the_Planet_of_the_Apes
