Does Modi listen to Dylan?

Jyaneswar Laishram *

PM Narendra Modi is 'the man' with the courage to bring in 'a-changing' that his political counterparts do afraid of doing it, because they don't want to lose vote banks. But a bit of downbeat is that common people are upset about the long queues outside banks, which have little or no cash inside, and ATM booths being extensively shut down or out of order—all in the process of the PM's demonetisation of old 500 and 1000 currency notes to crackdown on black money. Now that things show bit by bit improvement, Modi should make it faster and he must have transparent lucidity in his goodwill speeches, or he will become a leader of big promise with little delivery.

When it comes to contemplating Modi's goodwill messages on TV, radio and newspapers, in connection to pacifying people's edginess over the demonetisation upheaval, one that had startlingly amazed many was the way he went on to quote Bob Dylan's transformative song, The Times They Are A-Changin', via live video at the recent Global Citizen Festival in Mumbai. Most of the urban middle-class people, who are hardcore devotees of Modi, seem nothing to care about what the song is about, but many do, particularly Dylan fans. The PM must take extra care about it and what he utters about Dylan, unlike typical ways that politicians blare at poll rallies and party meetings.

Over decades, The Times They Are A-Changin' has been an influential song to common people carving for a change in the society. Though the song sounds quite universal as a message of change, use of it 'unknowingly' or 'un-contextually' may lead to red herring, which Modi seemed unaware. A wise leader like him must have chosen another, an unpretentious one, and more relevant to the situation. The fact is that The Times They Are A-Changin' is an anti-establishment song—which means a 'rebellious howl' against the government. Dylan's intention in the song is to ignite the unvoiced sentiment of public by providing them an outlet for clamor. The lyrics resonates a protest against the government's unhelpful attitude towards change.

Written in 1963 and released in 1964, The Times They Are A-Changin' had instant gain of its popularity, not only on radio charts, but among mass protesters when civil rights movement erupted across America. Youngsters, or call them hippies, in the region used this song as a protest anthem against the then hegemonic polity of the American government during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. A canto in the song's lyrics urged American parents to let 'their sons and daughters walk free, because they were no more under their command'.

It's quite unclear whether PM Modi really knows the theme of the song or ever listens to Dylan. Or is he blindly likes the lyrics of The Times They Are A-Changin', without making clear about the theme behind it? When he attacked some opposition leaders who made some unfounded politicised noise about his strategic demonetisation move, Modi picked up a powerful line from The Times They Are A-Changin' saying, "Don't criticise what you can't understand." And the followed-up lines after that in the lyrics sing: Your sons and your daughters/Are beyond your command/Your old road is/Rapidly agin'/Please get out of the new one/If you can't lend your hand/For the times they are a-changing'.

Dylan in one of his early interviews described The Times They Are A-Changin' as a 'song with a purpose', which he wrote with inspirations from some Irish and Scottish war ballades like Come All Ye Bold Highwaymen and others. It's also believed that the song had some other European inspirations that even reflected in its title. The prefix 'A' to the word 'Changing' in the title is an archaic form of British English that have been found in many folk songs originated from the 18th century in the region. In this, Dylan once mentioned that The Times They Are A-Changin' was composed to accelerate folk music as well as civil rights movement in America.

Rolling Stone magazine in 2004 included The Times They Are A-Changing in its list of '500 Greatest Songs of All Time'. Since its release in 1964, many musicians from diverse genres, right from the releasing year, have covered the song in albums and live gigs. Those who have covered this song include a league of musicians who are known for their rebellious instinct. Of them, mentionable are Tracy Chapman, Richie Blackmore, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Herbie Hancock (with Lisa Hannigan in vocal).

Modi, with the charm of his reformation prowess, at the Global Citizen Festival, gleefully mentioned Norah Jones (Ravi Shankar's daughter), Chris Martin (frontman of Coldplay, the leading band performing at the festival), AR Rehman—and that was enough without Bob Dylan—as icons the gathering youth must have idolised. Then he carried his speech forward quoting a verse from The Times They Are A-Changin', which however sounded so pretentious.

Even Steve Jobs recited the second verse of The Times They Are A-Changin' when the IT honcho introduced Macintosh to Apple shareholders in 1984, all contextually and knowingly, unlike Modi.