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One of Mirza Ghalib’s goes like this: ‘Why shouldn’t I scream. My beloved thinks of me when she doesn’t hear my voice’. (kyun n cheekhun ki yaad karte hain, meri awaaz gar nahin aatee). Ghalib was in favour of screaming because if his voice was not heard his beloved would start thinking of him and worrying about him. That’s why the famous poet, master of masters, Mirza Ghalib thought that it was better that he kept screaming. He could not bear the thought of his beloved missing him, searching for him and worrying as to where Ghalib was.
Norwegian painter Edvard Munch also ‘created’ a scream. On canvas. His painting named Scream was sold for 12 million dollars in 2012. His painting titled ‘Scream’ is the scream of western civilization. The cry of a desperate, frustrated, angry and tortured humanity. In the painting, a girl is standing on the bridge and is screaming. Screaming on behalf of all humanity.
There are some genres in music in which there is more scream and less music. Often the young generation likes it. If they read my opinion they would pounce upon me as call me biased and ‘old school’. Heavy metal is, in my opinion a very noisy kind of music for which millions of teenagers are crazy. If you can listen and understand something then you may understand what I am trying to convey. In this mode the singer’s voice and the music try to vie with each other in terms of decibels. Regardless of whether someone beats the other or not, listeners like us are badly defeated in trying to understand this kind of music.
Scream has its own psychology and it has also been studied by Prof. David Poppel at New York University. He has collected many kinds of screams and examined the effect of screams on the human brain as compared to normal conversation. The brain processes normal sounds and screams in different ways. The brain processes it in the same way that it processes fear. For the human brain scream is a symbol of fear. Since the beginning, humans have generally been screaming out of fear. Apart from fear, there are other emotions because of which a person screams. He screams in pain, joy, surprise, imminent danger and sometimes even in moments of intimacy! For instance, orgasm may make one scream! Scream is the first evidence that a human child is actually alive.
Understanding the psychology of fear can provide deeper insights into why screams resonate so profoundly with us. Fear is not just a reaction; it is a complex emotional response that can lead to various physical manifestations, including screams.
As soon as a child is born, the first thing he does is scream. If she doesn’t scream, both the doctor and the parents get worried. The child tries to scream as quickly as possible, just to prove that she is alive and healthy. If you look closely, you will find that a scream signifies a meticulous, disciplined symphony of different parts of the body and different areas of the brain. There is much more to it than meets the ears. Those who commit mistakes often scream out of fear of being caught. There is also a saying in Bengali language: ‘Chorer Mayer Bodo Gawla’, which means the mother of a thief screams very loudly to prove that her son has not stolen! Apart from humans, screaming is also normal in animals. Try catching a baby monkey. His entire family will surround you and start screaming. Crows also do the same. If by mistake you succeed in locking a crow in a cage, then their entire community will surround you and caw so much that your life will become an unbearably miserable event in no time.
Humans make strange faces while screaming. Many facial muscles are used for screaming and you will be surprised to know that not every person in the world possesses these muscular movements. There are those whose nerves get tight while screaming. Looking at them it seems that they must be in great pain while screaming so loudly. But this is natural for them. They find it necessary to shout in order to express their views and spread them far. Even if they themselves are in trouble, they either forget their trouble, learn to bear it and love to put others in trouble.
You may be wondering why so much is being said about screaming. Just the other day, a famous lady MP was expelled from the Lok Sabha. Seeing her screaming at the top of her voice, one may become very curious to know about the art and science of screaming. The prominent head of the political party to which Mohua Moitra belongs is also an expert in the art of screaming. But Mahua has succeeded in elevating this art to a much higher level.
When she screams, the nerves in her throat tighten badly and if you notice, it seems as if her lips, eyes and voice all scream simultaneously but in different directions. It seems that Mohua is addressing the entire universe and wants to convey her views to all the five elements, inanimate and conscious, to heaven and every nook of the big, vast earth. The TMC leader looks very angry while screaming. She also begins to call herself Durga and Kali as if she wanted to scare an entire army of demons. Generally, it is considered against the etiquette to ask women about their age, but Mohua herself reveals her age in anger. Mohua Moitra is not the only leader who screams, there are many leaders who think that speaking in a low voice is beneath their dignity and amounts to not speaking at all.
I don’t know how they talk to their wives, husbands or children at home. Shouting seems to have become a deep-seated habit with them. Unfortunately, there is no switch for the scream that can be turned off or on whenever one wants. Some leaders are so loud that even if they keep their mouths shut, their screams can be heard. Their very presence is a scream. Screaming does not prove that you are telling the truth. Nor does shouting in English prove you are right. Well, this also does not prove that you are wrong or lying. The only question is whatever you want to say, you can say it with seriousness, can lower your voice. But maybe screaming is now your habit.
You want to show your power through loud noise, demonstrate the strength of your vocal chords. But this also ends up turning you into a laughing stock. Sooner or later people start recognizing you as an incorrigible screamer. Many politicians need to learn about this. A leader is also a teacher. People also imitate him. There are role models for many youngsters. There is not much that leaders these days can teach the youngsters, but they can certainly teach them to be polite and gentle while talking. They can also teach them to protest firmly but not beat drums in order to make themselves heard.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.