JOIN USWhen I asked Subrahmanyan Chandra-sekhar the inevitable question about his reaction to the Nobel Prize, he answered with characteristic irony: “Have you heard this story of the general who, when asked how he got his decorations, quipped: The first one here was a mistake. The rest simply followed!”
The Nobel Laureate’s comment was not dismissive of his award. It rather showed an inherent humility about his own professional achievements. The latest recipient of this prestigious prize has shown a similar indifference – something that has irked the Nobel committee. Bob Dylan’s indifference may be credited to his utter lack of self importance. Like many artists before him, he does not think much of his own achievements. He is known to have dismissed them as trivial – “I am no mainstream artist” – and he has reacted to the world’s most sought after prize, not with disdain, but with supreme indifference.
If Bob Dylan has simply followed Kipling’s philosophy of “meeting triumph and disaster, imposters both, with the contempt that they deserve…” the Nobel Committee is not amused. How less amused it would be if it recalled his words of long ago when he sang:
“You that build all the guns,
You that build the death planes,
You that build all the bombs,
I hope that you die ….”
Or, if the singular musician had turned down the “tainted” prize like Einstein did. Let us not forget that Alfred Nobel, who instituted this much celebrated decoration 115 years ago for “service to humanity,” made his fortune through the sale of arms and explosives! Since 1901, scientists, economists, historians and those who have contributed to the cause of medicine have been honoured with this award.
Authors who served humanity with their extraordinary writing have been its recipients. Statesmen who struggled to usher peace into a strife-torn world have also been recognised. The award is said to be a recognition of individuals or organisations which changed the lives of ordinary people.
But, like all other awards, the Nobel Prize has also been mired in controversies. The 573 prizes given away have been hotly debated like the present one which has ruffled many feathers. Although the citation says that Dylan “created new poetic expressions within the American song tradition,” critics are not ready to accept the choice.
A Nobel for a mere songster? By no stretch of imagination can he be called a musician, leave alone a literary figure. An interloper in the corridors of giants – how dare they equate him to Sartre or Yeats or even Hemingway? No wonder writers th-emselves have been lukewarm after receiving the news. At least, Salman Rushdie grudgin-gly commented “Great choice,” unlike the Canadian writer who cattily retorted: “For what?”
Newspapers have not been charitable either. While one mocked that the prestigious award had gone to a mere “song writer,” another bluntly commented: A world that gives Bob Dylan a Nobel Prize is a world that nominates Trump for president.”
Perhaps, what many have missed is the individuality of this year’s unique choice. It is not Dylan the songster or the poet or the musician who has been honoured. Even if his works were extraordinary, they were obviously not the focus of the award. The Nobel Committee recognised the singular fact about an outstanding artist who went beyond his art to fight for those who were left out of the mainstream of human activity.
Transcending boundaries
It recognised an artist who used his art for a greater cause. Just as this year’s Magsaysay committee identified Indian musician T M Krishna as an artist who transcended the boundaries of music seeking parity, the Nobel Committee saw Dylan as one who went beyond his music to campaign for social justice. An artist who skillfully used his art to do so “at its most basic, human level.”
Surprisingly, it’s a business journal that recognised this truth. The Forbes magazine captured the significance of Bob Dylan’s music with this commentary “His art, at its finest, dignifies the voices of the marginalised…with clarity, conviction and authenticity. A musician who channelised those voices for over six decades…”
It was indeed a great choice to award the Nobel to this one of- a- kind artist. Yes, it is the most controversial prize in the world. Many wonder why Mahatma Gandhi was ignored and did not receive this accolade.
I think that we should feel happy at the omission. A man of peace rewarded with the blood of mankind? What an irony that would have been. The Nobel Committee later regretted its blunder and declared touchingly: “The greatest omission in our 106 year history is undoubtedly that Mahatma Gandhi never received the Nobel Peace prize. Gandhi could do without the Nobel, but whether the Nobel Committee can do without Gandhi is the question…!”
That speaks volumes about awards.