In October 2010 this year’s prestigious Noble Prize was awarded to many deserving candidates from different fields of work. The name missing from that highly esteemed list for the past few years was that of Bob Dylan. It was Bob Dylan, who brought the entire nation together with his popular song which instantly became a raging anthem universally, Blowing In The Wind. His iconic song “The Times They Are A-Changing” is held responsible for igniting the musical movement during the Vietnam War. The thermometer of Dylan’s fame climbed an unimaginable height specially in the teenage domain, especially with the teenagers who believed in the doctrines of peace and anti war. Dylan made musical ballads a precious literature. His immaculately rhymed verses have been compared to the work of many literary geniuses. Rumour has it that Dylan’s name has been nominated several times for the Noble Prize with the same outcome every year roughly since 1996. The debate every year since the first nomination rests in the fact that many don’t include musical lyrics in the genre of poetry. This ongoing debate results in many diverse opinions. Although some are of the opinion that song lyrics can only be completely realized when performed, I choose to differ. Just like many others out there I personally feel that music and poetry are soulfully linked. Music cannot be disregarded and put away into a dark enclave. Music is the universal language of the soul - understood by all, and moving in all its majesty and capacity. It moves the soul like nothing else can. It is completely unfair to ignore this form of art when it comes to deciding the winner of the Nobel Prize. Dylan gave the rock version of music a new political agenda. It was no longer just a love lyric, it was now a beautifully rhymed socially stimulated version of soul steering music. Dylan himself has avoided this question repeatedly when asked, although we find him mocking the whole debate in one of his songs entitled I Shall Be Free. No. 10 where he says, Yeeppi! I’m a poet and I know it, Hope I don’t blow it. This great song writer cum poet has changed the line of thought of many generations with his motivating lyrics. Bob Dylan’s music has been a great influence in many people’s lives including mine. I fail to realize why his musical masterpiece is not considered as good literature by a certain sect of people. Good literature is not necessarily restricted in the printed classroom texts. It can be found anywhere. It according to me is ridiculous not to consider Dylan’s lyrics as literature…it is even more asinine, to not consider this hugely talented man as a laureate. Whether the Swedish Board will ever be capable of correcting their negligence or succeed in balancing their obdurate stream of thought in realizing the true potential behind this store house of talent remains a mystery. But in the common man’s journal Dylan is a true winner. He believes in him and trusts him when he infamously says, “Anything I can sing, I call a song. Anything I can't sing, I call a poem". All that we can do is hope that in the impending future our musical idol will receive his due.
