We’ve all enjoyed the melody of the nightingale, the sweetness of the cuckoo’s call, and the cheery chatter of sparrows. How about a concert by crows? And, owls, eagles, drongos, bulbuls, herons, barbets, kingfishers…? Incredible as it may sound, A.J. Mithra, bird lover and music teacher at MCC Campus School in the city, has created music albums with the lilting sound of bird calls.
Due recognition
The effort has brought him recognition from the Bombay Natural History Society, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which, incidentally, has supplied bird and animal sounds for films such as “Jurassic Park”. In fact, Cornell Labs has given him a rare honour — a separate webpage on their official site!
Interestingly, Mithra has been recording bird calls on his mobile phone. “Bird sound recorders cost over Rs. 1 lakh, which I can’t afford,” he says. He composes background scores, and sets bird calls to score, often merging them with images of birds and even current happenings.
For instance, his albums on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill ‘Louisiana Weeps’ and ‘Louisiana Oh Louisiana’ were voted one of the hottest videos on Facebook. Then, there’s his ‘Mirch Masala’ on YouTube, which has birdcalls played to visuals by avid photographer and director of Asiana Hotel, Leo Fernando.
Mithra also collaborates with Nancy Landrum’s website Celebrate Urban Birds. Their most recent collaboration ‘Magpie Rockers’, uses animated photographs of the Oriental Magpie and the Blue Jay strumming a guitar, set to birdcall music by Mithra.
Mithra uses these pieces to get kids interested in birds. His bird walks and talks with school kids have evoked so much interest that many of them record birdcalls and send it to him for creating more music.
Listening to Mithra’s albums is a, well, ear opener — you marvel at the pitch, tempo, range, and melody of bird calls, and at the man who had the insight to set these birdcalls to music. “The range is amazing. But, what is even more outstanding is that birdcalls follow a perfect pitch and rhythm. The rhythm of most birdcalls is set to the tempo of 120 beats per minute, same as the default rhythm set in music software such as Nuendo,” exclaims Mithra.
Musical patterns
Birdcall sounds are not arbitrary either. There are definite patterns and progressions. “I have seen and heard young birds practising their calls till they get the pitch and range right. Because, without getting their calls right, male birds wouldn’t be able to woo the females,” says Mithra who does not tamper with the bird calls to create new pitches and tones.
Mithra says there still are lots of birds in the city, but we must save space for them and provide sustenance. “If we continue to steal space from these birds, we are doomed to extinction. Without birds, the chain of life snaps,” he points out. Mithra has been sharing these albums with schools and other organisations free of cost. “I’m not in this for commerce. I want these compositions to draw attention to birds,” he says. Want to hear it all? Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/ajmithra. Mithra can be contacted at mithra60@yahoo.co.in, and 98411-82780.
