This second album by noori was a follow up on where Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan left off. It talks about what happens when the ever so energetic and hopeful youth grows up and faces the realities of the world. The discontentment and suffering which arises in this growing up, creates an indifferent and self-centered individual, who finds escape routes in things like drugs and other short-lived pleasures.
Peeli Patti Aur Raja Jani Ki Gol Dunya is a call against such indifference. It depicts reality as it exists in our society today, and begs for a reconsideration of the direction people are carving out for themselves in these times of turmoil. Musically, the album brought out a darker and maturer side of the band – something they carried well with their new, don’t-give-a-damn image of long hair and beards. Apart from popularity, it brought a newfound respect for the band – not just as musicians but as individuals who cared for society and genuinely wanted to make a difference.
‘One day you wake up and realize that life is no longer the same! You look into the mirror and it takes you a while to recognize yourself. You walk out into the world and you’re overwhelmed by its commotion. You run around all day, with no peace of mind. Sometimes you’re not even sure what you’re running after. And when you are, you don’t think twice; you avoid reconsidering! You tell yourself, “I don’t have a choice… I have to survive!” You console yourself by thinking that you’re better off than all those who have absolutely nothing to hold on to, yet you are never satisfied! You know it’s a vicious cycle, yet you prefer the groove! Convenience is the order of the day!
Our times are not good times! We are in crisis! One could say that we are, most probably, going through one of the worst phases in human history. But what we have today is not a random or a sudden occurrence; it has been building up for years and years. Man’s apathy has existed for decades; for centuries have people fought against injustice, only to re-create a new, upgraded version of the same; since time immemorial we have been plundering in the pursuit of selfish gains, seeing the world through the blind spot in our eyes!’
Such is what we have inherited from our past, and we continue to preserve this legacy, calling it the innate animal-instinct!
The beauty of nature, however, lies in its inherent ability to discern the disorder that grows within and then to fight back to re-order – and so we have witnessed in history, the rise and fall of so many great nations and civilizations. We have seen how nature has taken us back to the most primitive levels of existence whenever we have tried to defy it consistently. The only question which matters is that how long will nature allow this defiance to last?
Today we see our people in a state of self-denial. We are victims of a very myopic view of life, where the center of attention is only our own self, and a future that does not go, at best, beyond the scope and span of our own lifetime. We seek short-lived pleasures while we turn our faces away from the unpleasantness and sickness that surrounds us. We love ourselves and ourselves alone, yet we are oblivious of the harm we are causing to our mind and body. We live for the moment, as we fear our mortality; but we kill ourselves every single day!
Peeli Patti aur Raja Jani ki Gol Dunya is the story of our society in this very context. It questions the very premise on which human beings are functioning in this day and age. It pinpoints at how we have been nurturing an indifferent stance towards life, and how, in doing so, we have harmed not only our external environment, but also our inner selves. It reflects on the growing frustration around us and sheds light on our discontentment with life in general. It urges for a collective introspection. It searches for a hope that one day we will rediscover ourselves. It begs our people to act before it’s too late; before nature decides to take its toll on us. Because then, we will have no choice!
