TAAL MEIL COMPETITION

I recently attended a classical music concert and was very moved by the ‘jugalbandi’ of sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and the maestro who accompanied him on the tabla. Initially, there were gestures of coordination, then compliments on a particularly difficult movement and then it evolved into a competition, where each challenged the other further and further – and the music just got better and better.

It occurred to me then that the word ‘competition’ has contradictory connotations.

Some people react to competition superficially – it’s a bad thing. If there was no competition, we would get the recognition we think is rightfully ours! Competing against others engenders bad feelings – of rivalry and hatred. We hate our rivals for the very qualities that make us feel so good about ourselves.

Then there is the other reaction, the one that produces champions. Competition is a good thing because it challenges us to greater heights. We might not know how far we can go if we did not have rivals to excel us and push us still further. We respect them and their qualities for the power they have in helping us develop our own.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his partner illustrated this – each delighting in the other’s performance and using it to spur his own talent further yet. To the delight of the audience!

One might argue that this is easier for musicians performing together. But think of the original iconic ‘mile sur mera tumhara’ when sports, arts & Bollywood celebrities came together for national unity. Think of the last time you shared a moment of camaraderie with your colleagues at work. Think of your last family gathering, where sibling rivalry made way for shared laughter.

Try to think of competition not as competing to succeed alone but as competing to succeed together.