Acoustic activism is a new age concept involving volunteers who seek to reform the soundscape of the cities and towns. It aims at bringing in sanity in the noise levels of the cities and to minimize the metallic noises of the automobiles, trucks and aircrafts of high decibels that affect the mindscape of the citizens, leave alone their eardrums!
There is no denial of the fact that noise pollution, like pollution of air, water, or soil, is again the stiff price paid to the developmental requirements of industrialization and large scale transportation through automobiles, aircrafts or railways.
While nature has extended certain quietness and peace in its sound spectrum especially in forests, hills, sea beaches and groves, the arrival of the consumerist human society which doesn’t even hesitate to consume the very nature itself has posed serious threats to the ecological aspects of life on the planet. Ecological soundscape is an essential field which is concerned with the minds of the people. As nature’s soft and sonorous sounds are always soothing exhibiting a dense beauty of its own to those who are prepared to listen to it in a trek or in a secluded nature spot, the man made or machine made sounds are harsh, metallic and irregularly painful both to the ears and to the mind of the people.
Nature’s Sounds
Life at dawn, early morning hours, noon, afternoon, evening and late nights in deep forests show a certain subtle tonal ambience and pattern, which is recaptured in the Indian raga system. In nature, movements of elements such as earth (as in earthquakes or tsunami), water (as in waterfall, rains, snowfall or meandering rivers), air (as in storm, breeze, desert air, hailstorm etc.) all exhibit certain distinguishable and varying sound vibrations and patterns. They are the most natural sound emanations having an overall impact on life on planet earth. They also contribute towards the overall psychological health of the people.
Natural soundscapes therefore, need to be fiercely protected and preserved, without yielding to the onslaught of dredgers, earthmovers and city traffic noise. For noise pollution, a stiff cess has to be levied on such noise making machines, which will be used as a fund for the treatment of the mentally challenged free of cost.
Visitors to the Himalayas often indicate that an important reason for visiting the mountains is to enjoy the tranquillity offered.
In a survey conducted in 1998 in the United States, people were asked to identify some of the most important reasons for visiting national parks. Seventy two percent of the people stated that such parks provide opportunities to experience natural peace and the sounds of nature, which soothe the mind. In studies of visitor preferences respondents consistently rated several sound forms as birds, animals, wind, and water as very pleasing. In Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, a multi-disciplinary research team drawn from philosophy, sociology, and art gave rise to what is called the World Soundscape Project. Led by writer and composer R. Murray Schafer, WSP participants collected recordings of urban “sound marks” such as noon whistles, harbor horns, and train station ambiences, documented natural soundscapes and tribal history, and conducted interviews to discover how people react to various sorts of sounds encountered in their daily lives. Perhaps the most influential (and controversial) idea to come out of this early work in acoustic ecology was the idea that natural soundscapes can be characterized as “hi-fi” acoustic environments, unlike most human sounds, which are “lo-fi.” While lo-fi soundscapes are characterized by distortion, broad-band noise, and discomfort, hi-fi natural soundscapes tend to sound rich, balanced, and pleasing to the ear — a quality imbibed in man made music from the ancient times.
In advanced countries, city sound ordinances have been developed to fine or prosecute those who belch out so called music in high decibels at inconvenient times. This helps in limiting the dangerously loud sounds, which not only impart sleeplessness but also several mental diseases. This also helps in blocking housing areas from highway noise; the value of open space and parks as sonic refugees has become part of the urban planning mainstream.
Acoustic activism, which fights against the noise pollution, has increased, as the ability to retreat from human sounds has diminished. Gordon Hempton, a natural sound recordist has experienced a dramatic decrease in the amount of time he can record without having human noise (talk, speech or shouting) intrude. Between 1984 and 1989, the number of locations in Washington State where he could record for fifteen daytime minutes without interruptions by human noise intrusions dropped from twenty-one to just three. “Earth is a musical planet, spinning in silent space,” he says. “However, the acoustic environment has not received adequate protection. The music of nature and the quiet opportunity to enjoy it are threatened by the noise of man.”
Airplane over flights of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks is the most established issue being championed by environmental advocates of natural quiet. In Grand Canyon National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, sound studies have contributed to the establishment of new, more limited flight patterns for tourist aircraft.
Preservation and restoration of diminishing natural sound environments or soundscapes has become a foremost challenge in the protection of wildlife sanctuaries. Even in the U.S., Biscayne National Park, which has offered some of the best places to hear the calls of wildlife and the melodies of wind and water, such natural ambient sounds stand severely threatened. All of us need to ponder on this — earlier the better — before unhealthy sounds start affecting our life and sanity!
This article is published in ‘AYURVEDA AND ALL’ June 2008 – Pages 44 to 46
Edited by Geeta Shreedar, July 22, 2021