Sometimes I wonder, why all the materialistic things that bring so much peace and easement to one are categorised as lifeless objects. Things that have immense potential to add life to a soul. Now all the science buffs will serve a thousand thesis to us to prove it to be lifeless. But metaphorically speaking, the guitar hanging in the corner of my room wherever I go, be it college or vacation or my den, to a great extent signify human traits.
Outwardly in a black mundane case it looks like any ordinary face in a sea full of humans. Hard to differentiate among a group, a normal face. But, as one opens the outer layer of the guitar case to unveil the exquisite instrument with a body coloured in gradient shades of the sunset, just like a human opens up layer by layer as one talks to them, gets to know their story (trust me everyone has a story, their background, childhood, experiences in life), slowly revealing their uniqueness. The upper end of the guitar, usually termed as the headstock with six tuning pegs, present there to tune the strings are somewhat synonymous to our brain. When tuned wrongly due to mental distress and unnecessary pressure, it tends to produce a deplorable melody. On the contrary, when tuned under right circumstances with patience and concentration, it has the ability to produce passionate work like the strings producing a euphonious melody, candy for one’s ears. The middle section or the neck of the guitar with all the fretboards and strings brings us to the salient features which are requisite for striking the right balance in life. So we have six strings, namely ‘E, B, G, D, A and E’ in order. Metaphorically, E stands for Enthusiasm for taking up initiatives and projects in the field that one is zealous about which helps them get a purpose in life. B stands for Boldness to become the voice of those who remain unheard and have enough risk taking capabilities. G stands for Gratitude for everything good and bad that happens as the good part pushes you towards success and the bad parts teaches you a lesson that no textbook knowledge could ever imbibe in you. D stands for Drive or determination to satiate the thirst for ‘success’, a term which is subjective from person to person. A stands for Ambition because without the bigger picture being clearly defined, it is next to impossible to set the right goals. Lastly, E stands for Empathy which leads to helping and edify everyone as you go about in your journey of life.
When mixed together, these six ingredients tend to make the perfect recipe for a balanced life, similar to the strumming of the six strings to produce a tune. Moving to the body of the guitar, with the sound hole in it which signifies one’s inner self. The voice that echoes from within. The bridge which hold onto the strings with the body of the instrument are like the strong support system one has in their life which keeps them connected, grounded and strong.
It’s an instrument which never fails to fit the numerous moods of human. Be it sad like ‘Tears in Heaven’ by Eric Clapton, full of love like ‘All I Need’ by Prateek Kuhad, funky tune like ‘Rude’ by MAGIC! or a song which feels like sunshine bottled up like ‘Here Comes The Sun’ by The Beatles, a guitar has the way of being there with one in ups and downs of life, trying to serenade and relax one’s nerves. If my guitar could come to life, I would say ‘thank you’ for setting the mood for jamming with friends and family, for helping me survive my stressful exam days, for being a companion in the rainy days with breezy wind flowing and most importantly for keeping me going in life.
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