Why not Shruthirpitha layahmaatha ?

The bondage between parents and a child is a quintessence of best relationship. Heaven and Earth are the personified forms of God's Fatherhood and Motherhood, which cooperate in the creation and nurturing of human kind and the universe.

The shakthi (Mother) and the Shiva (Father) factors are no exceptions to the world of Music. A cherished Sanskrit aphorism “Shruthirmaatha Layahpitha” quotes that the melodic resonance (pitch) is the Mother and the rhythmic system of Tala (timing) is the Father. The unison of the musical elements with the flavours of life was experienced as impeccable blend by our ancestors who have rightly quoted “Shruthirmaatha Layahpitha”-Why this kind of comparison? And why not “Shruthihi Pitha, Layah Maatha” is the question.

The soft divine touch of a mother, her togetherness and guidance all through the life is phenomenal. The Mother is the conscious force that gives birth to and dominates all existence. She is one, yet many-sided to watch and guide her offspring. So is the divine mother Shruthi. She is the mainstay of life and existence in the world of Music. Shruthi is the subtle force that binds us with our resonant tone/frequency. Mother is the source of life and existence and Shruthi is the base of all notes. It is Mother, the life-giver again who stimulates the inviduality in a person. On a similar note, no sound pattern is music if it’s not bound by Shruthi. “Shruthihi Maatha” is thus well justified.

Father is known to set rules and expectations.”Laya” or more easily called “Tala” sets the rules and regulations for the music. It sets a rhythmic boundary which an artist has to abide by. Taking a close interpretation from our lives, it is apparent that fathers have a different approach or binding with infants than mothers. Competition is seen more in father/child bonding which is considered healthy if used in small doses and with sensitivity to a child's temperament and abilities. Likewise, the art of music lies in skillfully handling the varieties of timing scales in different rhythmic patterns. This becomes a challenge to master and acquire expertise over the varied Mathra kalas (timing groups).

Life has no meaning if there is no existence (Mother) and consciousness (Father). Music has no life if not bound by “Shruthi” and “Laya”, Shruthi-the base of existence and Laya-the source of consciousness. When we become “one” with the disciplined musical concourse of shruthi and laya, that union itself becomes a merger with the Atman-Self. The divine Mother and Father would serve as the guiding lights to self-realization-Bhakthi through Music.

Two more added to the gallery

Uploading a few of my sketches

started with something,but ended with this sketch

Emotions in Carnatic Music

Emotions in Carnatic Music

The idea of life without “emotions” is just inanimate. We often use words to express emotions. We paint words so beautifully, yet sometimes fail to express the right emotion. Art is a means of expressing emotions to the fullest. One element that is common among all performing arts is their ability to express the emotions which make up different slices of life. Emotions characterize life as well as art. Music is one such language of emotion.

Music without emotions is lifeless and an emotion without music is inadequate. Navarasayutha krithiche …..A famous phrase from Thyagaraja’s “Sogasuga mridhanga thalamu” states that the nine emotions (“Rasas”) are very essential aspects of a krithi. The present article focuses on the emotional power of music & the science behind these emotions.

Science of emotion: The effect of music on emotions is a result of embodied mind thesis. According to a theory, an embodied philosophy or embodied mind thesis proves that the laws of thought are metaphorical, not logical. What this means is the truth would be constructed from metaphorical reasoning and is not an attribute of reality. The truth would be an outcome of feelings of certain situation, not attributed to facts, science or religion., say for instance the chirp of birds, cry of a child....There is no science written from where these emotions or feelings are derived, but they raise from situation. Each time we hear a piece of music, we are actually re-experiencing the emotion which we would have experienced earlier. So, the statement “Music brings out emotions” is wrongly termed. The correct way of stating this is- we reflect emotions on hearing to a piece of music. The first time when an emotion is aroused, it creates a pattern in certain part of the brain and each time a similar emotion is felt, this pattern/template is invoked.

Source of emotions: Emotions in music need not be associated with the phrases and the words that make up the song. Pure music i.e., music without words (instrumental, aalaapana or swara kalpana) can bring out emotions too. To site a good example, the tone of a person on the other end of the phone can make us get a feel of his/her mood. Whether it is a face to face conversation or a phone conversation, gesture and tone constitute around 90% of what is being conveyed. In a similar way tone & its quality constitute a major part of what is being expressed in music. Perhaps the brain identifies and catches the gestures employed in music; gestures here being referred to the aural gestures and not the body language. On recognizing the gestures, the brain tends to imagine if it were to bring out these gestures, what would its emotional state be? That explains how music creates emotions. To quote the theory in a nut shell,
o the ears capture the music and its tone
o the brain listens and analyses the musical content
o imagines what feelings/emotions would have produced that configuration of music

Rasa
If Raga is the soul of Carnatic music, rasa or bhava is its emotional quality. Good quality rendering can arise intense emotional feelings in both the person rendering the music and the person listening. Nine types of rasas are identified predominantly in Carnatic arts, be it music or dance.

They are:
o Wonder- Adbhutha
o Love/Beauty- Shringara
o Anger- Roudhra
o Fear- Bhayanaka
o Compassion- Karuna
o Disgust- Bibhatsya
o Valor- Veera
o Mirth/amusement-Hasya
o Peace-Shantha

Ragas and rasas
Each raga is associated with a rasa.A raga can portray more than one rasa if handled tactfully. Oscillating the relevant swaras vigorously could give rise to “Roudhra” rasa, while managing the same notes feebly could mean “Veera” rasa.Though rasa is an inbuilt trait of music, the extent of its exposure lies with the musician, his imagination and his control on the raga boundaries. Raga kamach maps to “shringara” Rasa and that is one good reason to have many successful javalis in this raga.

Rasa could be associated with raga as well as the tone and the phrases in case of verbal music.
Shantha rasa is the base of all emotions. Some people term it as a passive state, devoid of all emotions. To put it the right way, all emotions emerge out of Shantha rasa when their excitation state is achieved and merge back to Shantha rasa when they are withdrawn. Presence of all rasas in the right proportion or devoid of all rasa is equivalent to Shantha rasa. This is like saying white is a combination of all colours and black is devoid of any colour; we don’t term either white or black as a colour .

Let me try to interpret and explain the Navarasas with a close relevance to human life, its fabrics and flavors.

Rasas, their interpretation and Navarasas in Carnatic music (Thyagaraja’s compositions)

Life is the true testing ground. Emotions are as large as life and twice as natural.
As soon as a child is born, the awe that it feels while coming across every new act, every new incident is something that is felt for the first time and is a matter to wonder and ponder about. “Adbhutha rasa” is the curiosity of man, the astonishment caused by something not imagined earlier or felt. The emotional outpour of Saint Thyagaraja in his various compositions appeal even to the lay listeners.Thyagaraja, the king of Carnatic music has remarkably depicted Navarasas in his various compositions on Lord Rama.In his composition in raga “Kapi”-“Raama raghukula jalanidhi”, he says he is wonderstruck at Sri Rama’s greatness that it isn’t possible even for Brahma, the creator of the Universe to know the vastness and boundaries of Rama’s great achievements.

Love is an indispensable part of life. It encompasses every relationship and influences all actions.”Shringara rasa” represents love and beauty; any element of beauty evokes love. This emotion can be used to paint love between friends, love between a mother and her child, the love for god or the love between a Guru and his disciple. Thyagaraja has made so rich use of this emotion and expressed Love in all forms to Lord Rama, seeing Rama as his father, mother, friend, teacher and the most interesting being a beloved lover. In his composition “Chera raavadhemira” in raga reethigowla, Rama is addressed as his divine lover and Thyagaraja yearns to keep gazing at his lotus face.

When love is not reciprocated, the definite feeling would be anger. This brings us to “Roudhra rasa”, anger, which could be out of concern for another or out of experience of injustice.Thyagaraja couldn’t target the intensity of his anger at Sri Rama. However he used nindha stuthi to express his anguish against Rama for the indifference shown to him. One such composition is his “Chalamelara saaketharama” in raga Marga Hindolam, where Thyagaraja questions why Rama is so emotionless with him when he has shown so much of love and sung his praises all the way.

Anger, most of the times is a result of fear. The subtle feel of helplessness, the anxiety of being dismissed can be expressed better in no form than through music. In the plaintive and melancholic notes of raga Chakravakam, in composition “Etulabrothuvo theliyaa”, Thyagaraja expresses the “Bhayanaka rasa”.He says he has a despicable record of sins and he is afraid how Rama is going to give him refuge and save him from his past deeds.

The next essence is the feeling of compassion. The sympathy and fellow-feeling that sorrow generates is “Karuna rasa”.Thyagaraja is very tactful in praising Rama before he seeks compassion from him in most of his compositions. He chooses the somber tones of raga Amrithavahini in “Sriraama paadama” and says it is enough if he secures His grace.Rama has been so compassionate to Ahalya and redeemed her in the past and why not he show the same sympathy towards him.

The sixth emotion is Disgust. This emotion is evoked by anything that is a symbol of repugnance, nausea .In his composition in raga Kalyani, “Nidhichaala sukhama”, Thyagaraja expresses his deep aversion and disgust to material wealth through “Bibhatsya rasa”, when the Maharaja of Tanjore attempts to buy him and his music through money.

To fight disgust, one needs Valor. To be/become a hero doesn’t need shining weapons. Heroism should be in body and soul. Any person who has courage to take a stand exhibits “Veera rasa”.Rama, the hero of Ramayana is the embodiment of Veera rasa.In the composition,”Rama bana thrana” in raga Saveri, Thyagaraja has beautifully described Rama’s manliness and valiance, his arrows’ valor, the arrow that killed the army of Ravana, the arrow that destroyed the evil on the Earth.

The ability to express amusement or laughter is one thing that separates the human species from animals. Teasing and laughing with a friend is one face of “Hasya rasa”.Thyagaraja enjoys Hasya with his friend Sri Rama in the composition “Vararagalaya” in raga Kamboji expressing amusement at empty boasts of people who have scant knowledge of Music and brag themselves as scholars and experts.

Beyond all these emotions lies the emotion of peace and serenity.”Shantha Rasa” represents complete harmony among mind, body and the universe. This is a state where the mind is in rest, a state of tranquility. In his composition, “Shanthamuleka” in Sama raga, Thyagaraja has pleasingly delivered the essence of Shantha rasa.

An attempt to depict emotions has evolved more rasas than the above mentioned 9 flavors. “Bhakthi rasa” and “Gana rasa” could be considered as derivatives of the Navarasas. The beautiful compositions namely “Ragasudharasa (raga: andholika)”,”Shobillu saptha swara (raga: jaganmohini)”,”Sripapriya sangeethOpasana (raga: atana)” conveys the nectar of music brings pleasure that is equivalent to the beneficent results of all the Navarasas.Further moving on to Bhakthi rasa, we have a range of compositions, quoting a few, “Ramabhakthi saamrajya(raga:shuddha bangala)”,”Apparamabhakthi(raga:panthuvarali)”.How great and grand is the essence of devotion. It stops the wanderings of the mind and provides a protective shield as eyelids involuntarily serve to eyes.

I have tried to provide my own interpretation to Navarasas to underscore two topics-their relevance to the mundane actions that characterize everyday life and their presence in Carnatic music through various examples from Thyagaraja’s golden collections.
Nothing in this paper is new, but the attempt is to combine the scientific, emotional and spiritual aspects of this vast ocean of music in one shell for easier consumption.

“Through Music, we can experience emotions and add expression to our experience”

PS: Submitted this as a part of dissertation work at NADA

Monday, October 09, 2006 Music: An Art, a Science and Medicine

Even after years of practice and commitment, I have only scratched the surface, so to speak, in terms of describing what Music is, a lot more work needs to be done in exploring the perceptual effects of Music. And the conjunction of musical elements proves that Music is a science, art and an effective medicine! It depends on how efficiently it is being used.

Music is an art. Art, in its broadest sense is an expression of creativity or imagination, or both. Anything that would give a form of expression is art. And music could be precisely defined as an eddying flood of expressions and so is the greatest form of art.

Is music a form of science? Yes, of course. Any kind of systemized knowledge derived through experimentation, observation, and study is science and music is not an exception to this criterion.

Practicing music for musical goals is a usual act. However music being a means to attain nonmusical goals is what makes Music different and unique from other arts. It is said that in view of the progressive decline of human powers, the path of Music is devised for the present age. The sphere of music has proved a tendency to evolve simpler media of enjoyment and relaxation.

Music has its own therapeutic values for music hides in it physical, emotional, social and communication powers. Music can be perceived as a pathway into the mind.
On hearing a piece of Music, if you get a momentary entertainment, you are an appreciative beginner and can enjoy music perfectly well at that stage. But if by nature or by training, you can hear all the intricacies of Music, enjoy the levels of pitch, dynamics,inflexions,microtones,voice leaving, rhythmics and historical allusion at the same moment in real-time, which is the full way music has to be heard, then you find yourself participating in a very complex musical phenomenon. This would involve each part of your soul, every sense and all possible emotions.
Listening (not hearing) to Music is an art too. And Music therapy works only if there is an effective and efficient listening. The microtones, the notes, the vibrations should get into every nerve of our body i.e., it must imbibe in us. Music is designed to have a positive and reaffirming effect on emotions and mental clarity. Singing along to a familiar song or show tune might be all you need to come out of depression or distress. Stress or depression is caused by the negative energies that get locked in our nerves centers (referred to chakras in ancient Indian literature).Music clears out the blockages and helps in removing the concentration of negative energies.

How does mere sound affect the body and mind?Music is a magical medium and a very powerful tool. Music can delight all the senses and inspire every fiber of our being. Music has the power to soothe and relax, bring us comfort and embrace joy! Music subtly bypasses the intellectual stimulus in the brain and moves directly to our subconscious. There is music for every mood and for every occasion. Music files neurons into the brain in the tempo in which the music is played. Thus, it can suit and adapt to any kind of mood. For instance, raga saranga is known to cure all seasonal fevers and would bring in tranquility and relief. Ragas like mayamalavagowla, kamavardhini and gamanasrama are known for Bhakthi rasa.Kapi, bhairavi, thodi, asaveri create the necessary atmosphere during afternoon. Raga neelambari is the lullaby raga that can put any disturbed mind to sleep. Such is the effect of the raga on mind. Every raga has its own special and unique feature that would leave an imprint of the emotion and feeling associated with it.

Body and Music:There is a one to one mapping between our body and certain sounds. Many cultures recognize the importance of music and sound as a healing power. In the ancient civilizations of India, the Orient, Africa, and Europe and among the Aboriginal and American Indians, the practice of using sound to heal and achieve balance from within has existed for many years. The Tibetans still use bells, chimes, bowls, and chanting as the foundation of their spiritual practice.

Music and Brain:Our ear comprises of a spiral sheet that receives the musical sound and sends it in like the waves caused by plucking the guitar strings. Vibrations in the air created by music and words move thousands of tiny hair spread atop this spiral sheet. This firing triggers certain nerve cells which send electrical signals from the ear to the base of the brain then up to the cortex.
The membrane where hair and nerve fibers meet is wound into a three-turn spiral, thick at its inside and thinning toward the outside whorl. This is compared to guitar strings. In both ears and strings, the thick part is tuned to low frequencies, the thinner part to higher frequencies.
At the highest station, the auditory cortex, just above our ears, these firing cells generate the conscious experience of music. Different patterns of firing excite other ensembles of cells, and these associate the sound of music with feelings, thoughts, and past experiences.

Mind and Music:Any sound, be it the music of a violin or the rhythmic pattern of rain on the rooftop is composed of vibrations is the air surrounding us. Our outer ear behaves as an antenna that receives captures and funnels these sound vibrations (waves) into the middle ear. The captured waves vibrate the eardrum and tiny bones of the middle ear to amplify and pass the sound to the inner ear. The inner ear's cochlea (i.e., a fluid-filled coil lined with neurons) converts the mechanical energy of these vibrations into electrical energy and transmits it to the brain. As the transformed sound waves move through the brain, they generate motor responses, emotions, hormone release and higher order processes (e.g., recognition and memory recall). In other words, the brain guides the body's response (e.g., physiological, emotional, biochemical, etc.) depending on the sound pattern. For example, a loud noise may frighten us, while the sound of ocean waves may calm us.

How does Music therapy work?The universe is musical and so is every existence in this universe. To understand this concept better, let us define Music. Music is a pattern composed of rhythmic vibrations. Music can be defined in simple words as "organized sound”. A general definition may best be given as "sounds and pitches organized in time to create a chosen artistic pattern.” Music is hence a collection of vibrations. Any object in this universe will have a natural frequency with which it vibrates. Our body is a pool of energy components. Each part, every organ is a symphony of sound, energy and frequencies. From our discussion so far, we understand that every organ would resonate at its own natural frequency which determines its healthy state. If it does not vibrate with its natural frequency, it shows that the particular organ or part is “not at ease” or what we call “dis ease” (disease).The vibrational power of music is said to remove the blockages in the veins, naadis … and progressively tune the organs to vibrate at resonance. Music therapy is based on this vibrational medicine.

The important question that would occur to anyone at the point of reading this article would be “Is everyone Musical”? We cannot expect a person to be musical to make the therapy work for him/her. Music is such an art that everyone would be pulled into its magical sphere. It’s the rhythm, the repetitiveness that mesmerizes everyone. One need not be trained or talented to become a member of the music family. Human brain is very receptive to repetitive patterns and the main characteristic of music is its repetitiveness. This explains that everyone is musical by nature.

There are 5 diff wings in Music.
1. Hearing
2. Listening
3. Voice tuning
4. Singing
5. Composition
Each of the above will/can influence a person in its own way.
o Hearing is for mere entertainment.
o Listening to music would take one to the depths of the territory of music and would give a soothing feel and would take him/her to the joyful bliss.
o Voice tuning is the easiest way to relaxation where we hum with a song running in the background.
o Singing gives the benefit of music in totality.
o Music composition is a technique given to cure people with mental disabilities. The act of composition would clear out the mental blockage as the emotions and the disturbing thoughts would flow out as verses and free their mind.

Raga Therapy in India:Ancient Indian music has devised a special therapy based on the 72 ragas. It is appropriate to define Raga at this point. Raga is neither melody alone, not notes; neither scale nor mode. It’s an ensemble of all these.
According to an ancient Indian text, Swara Shastra, the seventy-two melakarta ragas (parent ragas) control seventy-two important nerves in the body. It is believed that a person who sings/performs a raga bound to the raga specifications (lakshanas) and with purity in pitch (swara shuddi) will have complete control on the corresponding nerve.
To quote a few, for those who suffer from hypertension, ragas such as Ahirbhairav and Todi are prescribed. To control anger and bring down violence within oneself, Carnatic ragas like Punnagavarali, Sahana and so on, come handy. Not only psychological, but the somatic or physiological impact of ragas have come to light in recent research. For instance, stomach-related disorders are said to be cured with some Hindustani ragas such as Deepak (acidity) and Jaunpuri (constipation) and Malkauns or Hindolam (intestinal gas and fever). Simple iterative musical rhythms with low pitched swaras, as in bhajans are capable of relaxation, as observed with the alpha-levels of the brain waves. They may also lead to favourable hormonal changes in the system.
On the therapeutic side, nothing new is to be invented.We just have to know how to knock the hidden goldmine.There is an urgent need for a detailed enquiry based on scientific parameters and the medicinal effects of Music. No doubt,its a long journey,but worth to start off. There is a growing awareness that ragas could complement or even be a safe alternative for many medical interventions. For this purpose, it is necessary that exponents in Indian ragas join experts in medicine to help evolve a scientific system of raga therapy for the various illnesses of modern times.

Science of Music:Of all the arts, music has had most to rely upon a scientific and mathematical analysis.
The first energy that came into existence was that of sound in the form of the all pervading OM! This sound permeates throughout ether and affects the surroundings as per its nature and situation.
Centuries ago Indian sages and musicians studied the intricacies of music and fixed the seven notes of music i.e. Sa- Ri-Ga-Ma-Pa-Dha-Ni which remain unaltered till date. So intricate is the science of music that no one in the world has been able to create a single note of music other than the seven notes that are in vogue. And all the existing ragas and even any new ragas that could be found in future would, for sure be bound to these 7 notes.

To conclude the first edition of my paper, I would like to quote this instance of Music therapy which I read in an article. This was a case study in a newborn intensive care unit where they found that playing lullabies with drum beats at the rate of the heartbeat can be so beneficial to premature infants that they are discharged as much as two weeks earlier than babies who aren't serenaded.

For all those who still believe these are just miracles and have no scientific base, here is a simple yet meaningful quote:
“Music is sound and sound is a composition of waves. Waves are a form of energy and energy can do anything”

Ref: Dr.T.V.Sairam's research on Raga therapy, NADA
Harvard studies: HowYourBrainis.
Daniel Levitin : This is your brain on music

Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Hardwork is the mother of good luck

Work is worship. Work done with our heart and soul wholly in it making full use of the available time is hard work.
Hard work is the mother of good luck. If a person, we know, gets thro’ his examination, say IAS, we invariably declare that he is crowned with luck. But, we fail to understand the sleepless nights he had spent and the mid-night oil he had burnt before he met with his success.

Robert Bruce did not win the war just by chance nor did Alexander annex a major part of Europe and India because luck favoured him .What amount of labour and perseverance went in unnoticed before their final success is anybody’s guess.

It is not just because of luck that a tiny creature like ant builds a big ant hill or honey bees their cities of wax. A farmer cannot reap a high yield just because he sows the seeds. Columbus did not reach America because he knew that Earth is round or because winds were favourable.Seeing all these, we wonder how deftly and dexterously they did work. But it is not difficult to guess what amount of practice and hard work is needed to reach that state of perfection.

To believe that luck or good fortune are at the root of success, is in a way escapism. If luck alone is to lead us to success, there is no need to work at all. We can simply wait for luck to come and garland us. Our philosophy which recognizes the hand of fate behind our successes and failures declares that on no account should we refuse to do our duty. Our duty is to think that work is sacred and that it has to done with our hearts and souls wholly in it. We should remember that nothing solid and substantial can be achieved without hard, sincere and honest work because “Faint hearts can never win fair ladies and wishes can never make beggars ride on horses”

In this competitive world nothing is really achieved without hardwork.Like quick money, quick success is also quick to vanish. Success begotten in such a fashion is hardly enjoyable. Only such success is enjoyable which is earned thro’earnest work.

Hard work makes a person self reliant. It infuses in him, a sense of pride, of faith, a spirit of self confidence and self respect. Loyally supporting the physical fitness of an individual, hardwork builds a person’s character rich, profound and complex. Thus a person’s success could be attributed to his hard work as it makes him reckless in services, unceasing in activities, merciless in attacks, profound and versatile in wisdom.

Consider these two cases of history. When Lincoln was alone with politics in white house, in those dark days of civil wars, what would have happened to the Union but for his hard work and powerful will to save it. Consider again the great zeal of Winston Churchill which played a decisive role in 2nd world war. What would have happened to England and Europe, now enjoying prosperity, but for the man’s powerful will who declared, he had nothing else to offer except blood, tears and sweat.

In general, if we see the lives of those, who were once in a very bad shape, and were later found to rise thro’ the shambles, we shall discover, in every single case, it was their hard work which brought about their transformation and rise.
Thus, given the hard work and earnestness, man makes everything out of nothing as it were. In the absence of these, all his endowments, qualities and talents land in nothing.

The heights great men reached and kept were not achieved by sudden flight.They, while their companions slept, were boiling upward in the night with all their might.

There is no single person on this earth who would not like to achieve something great and earn fame. But the path leading to success is not strewn with lilies and roses; often it is full of stones and thorns. A lot of courage and conviction is needed to undertake this uphill journey. But for a hard worker, nothing is impossible-the Himalayas are not too high to climb, the moon is not too far to reach.

With a firm conviction in the values we hold near and dear, we should proceed undaunted by the hurdles. We too can do what others have done. Our ideal is the spirit.Behold! Nothing else exists except HARD WORK-The celebrated thought of the world.

Monday, April 24, 2006
Life is a skill

"If you don't have much going wrong with your life, then you don't have much going on in your life." It's really easy to let life act on you – to fall asleep to life. Some people lose decades this way.Life is not to get bogged down by some mistakes made by you the previous day.

I really wonder how many of us take some quality time at the end of everyday to think what all happened the whole day?what lesson did life teach us?Think about what are your most closely held values. Think about what lessons you've learnt from the previous day. What good is in making a mistake if you don't learn from it?Be creative in making mistakes, but do learn from it!!
Yes, learning is a continuous process in life.But this doesnt mean that one has to get too serious with life.There is no need to take tension as long as we handle things with complete attention.Life is all to live.Have maximum fun today for you may never know how would tomorrow be!!Whats the use in saving wealth,pleasure,joy for tomorrow which is so uncertain.Past is a cancelled cheque, future is a promissary note,Present is the only cash in hand.You want to buy something, do it today, u wanna show your love to someone, do it right away for things might not remain same after sometime.Life is a skill.And like any other skill you just have to set the ground rules and practice them everyday as if there is no tomorrow."The more you give to life, the more it reurns to you".Have fun.

Friday, April 07, 2006
All about dreams

Dreams – An essential, personal part of U

We may use words to disguise our thoughts. We may leave things unsaid or even lie. We may use a lot of words and fail to get our point across, but to anyone who can read our dreams the body ‘speaks’ simply and clearly.Understanding our own and other people’s dreams requires us to be both an observer and an interpreter. We must watch closely since what we are looking for may not be obvious, but unspectacular signals.

Modern psychology, in its turn, has pondered this problem of dreams and their possible interpretation. The investigations have led to many strange-by-ways and this scientific approach has taken the subject far away from tales and fables.How many of us can patiently stay for the beautiful night to get ourselves plunged in sweet dreams? On the other hand, there are people who keep themselves awake, the whole night, just to remain away from the dreadful dreams that torture them.

Then what are dreams? An inspiration? An omen? A foreteller, or perhaps a warning?
- These are the probable questions that have pondered and haunted mankind for several untold centuries.

A dream is an unconscious psychological phenomenon occurring during paradoxial slumber. There are two types of sleep; slow sleep and fast or paradoxial sleep. They can be distinguished by the simultaneous registration of active currents of the brain, the muscles and eye movements.Slow sleep always precedes fast sleep in a moving cycle, which occurs four to six times a night. Fast sleep is deeper than slow sleep and yet the sleeper experiences at the time a cerebral action. The muscles become paralysed and the sleeper is completely isolated from the outside world. At that precise moment, he dreams. A dream is made up from a series of scenes in which we play a role, either as actor or spectator.
A dream can be a source of inspiration. If some dreams reach so deep down within us, some others remain forgotten.We can remember a dream only if we are awakened during the paradoxical sleep phase which coincides with the dream. But, if we are awakened, say 10 minutes later after this stage, we will remember it no more.

A dream is a particular kind of “thought” which occurs in a brain, which is asleep. Many people are deeply affected by dreams they have had during the night. They are delighted by them, heartened, downcast or perhaps terrified.Certain mental illness can originate from a dream, which lives permanently in a person’s mind and soon turns into an obsession.It is for sure, that dreams often do have an important influence on ideas or behaviour, active or emotional. So analysis of dream is of paramount importance. It is a fact that many dreams focus on something which may occur in reality. The dream, which is born in an unconscious state of mind hides in it, a mass of information, which would be impossible for us to scan at a conscious level.So some dreams enable us to get things into focus and help to understand ourselves better and at the same time to understand our inner-selves. They are like an “internal mirror”. Granted this mirror may well make a lot of people shudder.

Our dreams are independent of our will and of our sense of moral responsibility. We have no control over them, but can only watch them unfold. Certain situation from which we would normally recoil in horror occur in our dreams without our feeling of the least qualm of conscience.When we are asleep, our conscience, our reasoning and our vigilance cease to exist because our cerebral cortex is asleep. Our cerebral cortex is that active part of the brain which is the seat of will and the conscience.

“The interpretation of dreams is the high road that leads to the unconscious”. In order to analyse dreams, it is of prime importance to understand the mechanism that produces them. We have heard many people say “there’s something in me, which I cannot analyse but which drives me to do and think things that bear no relation to my conscious will and desire”.It is an unconscious force that drives him. It is obscure and invisible, which can be analysed only by means of psychological treatment.
Our unconsciousness mainly consists of our memories, our instincts, our habits, our fads and our quirks. The unconscious region is situated deep within us, in certain nerve centres situated at the base of the brain. The unconsciousness is neither moral nor immoral. It is what it is. Hence the dream, which stems out from the unconsciousness, is equally independent and speaks out just frankly.

A dream which features an automobile, be it a train or a car, signifies a psychological change, a journey towards new achievements, fresh inner-horizons and so on.
A dream featuring a bank signifies a concentration of inner-energy (generally it depicts one’s ego).
A dream focussing a bridge is very auspicious for a bridge is something solid which enables us to crossover a dangerous area. But, if the bridge collapses, it means that our inner resources don’t seem very dependable to help to overcome the obstacles.
Thus, dreams can be analysed. But in dream-analysis, one must be very careful in interpreting the language of dreams, for, in a dream, thoughts and ideas appear in some form of disguise. This is because sleep lulls the brain but does not put it out of action all together. There is still a certain degree of consciousness, and therefore of censorship. This subtle merge of conscious with the unconscious results in the appearance of thoughts and ideas in a complex disguised form in dreams.

In order to interpret a dream correctly, one should know the person concerned very thoroughly. Interpreting one’s own dreams is not an exemption to this criterion. It necessitates knowing oneself. And this is much more difficult than is generally imagined.
Knowing oneself is a question of analysing him, of getting him under his shell and of letting him see himself as he really is!
So in order to analyse your dreams, you should take very careful note of your dreams, down to their smallest detail. Then, account them to an experienced interpreter of dreams. Get him to analyse them. The interpreter may be you as well.The state of your inner-self will then be brought to light with the greatest possible benefit to you. You will then thank your dreams for revealing your true self to you.

As I have already mentioned dreams and their analysis will have a strong influence on one’s ideas and behaviour. So before you sit to analyse your dreams, analyse your own self. Decide upon whether you are mentally strong enough to receive unexpected, strange unspectacular signals that might essentially be a very personal part of you of which, your own interest demands some understanding.

Your spirit is the goal. Behold. Nothing else exists.
Let me give you some instances that might help you in analysing your dreams with ease.

Dream No 1

“I am going along a road, I suddenly notice that I am wearing those buckled shoes which I used to wear during my school days. I am walking along and the road is becoming more and more narrow. Then, an old man comes in and instructs me to throw away my tiny shoes”.
On enquiry, the dreamer is found to be a young man of 26. His parents are looking for a girl for his marriage. But he feels that he is still young to bear the responsibility of a family man. He is unconsciously hovering between two desires- to remain a petted child tied to his mother, or to play his role as an adult.
The road goes narrow, i.e. the situation has arrived which will block his progress as a child.
He then receives the order to throw away his childhood shoes, which implies that he can no longer carry his childish behaviour.

Dream No 2 - Journey

To dream that we are setting of on a journey implies that we are progressing towards new ideas.

Dream No 3 - God

To dream of God is an unusual thing, which can influence the whole course of the dreamer’s life. God is symbolised by all the things that suggest perfection, radiation, bounty etc.

Dream No 4 - Garden

Garden in dreams depicts one’s inner state of health. It also symbolises the bent of our mind towards our goal.

Dream No 5- Mountain

A mountain in dreams picturizes that phase of our life, which is strewn with stones and thorns – DIFFICULTY. Our climbing of that mountain represents our ability to manage difficult situations in life.

Friday, April 07, 2006
Music

MUSIC

Bliss
Solace
Contentment
A media for God realization
A source of entertainment
? ? ? …….

Yes, Music is everything – Music is universal.

The world of today is filled with tension from which we need relief. This can be got by listening to enchanting MUSIC – the gift from the heaven, which has descended down. It is said that in view of the progressive decline of human powers and the consequent need for easier path, the path of Music is devised for the present age. The sphere of music has proved a tendency to evolve simpler media of enjoyment and relaxation.

MUSIC can be precisely defined as the science or art of pleasing. The essence of music is hidden in each and every act of nature. The murmuring of the stream, sound of wind, chirping of birds, fall of rain, the rustling of leaves – all these natural sounds are music- true music.

Of the many things man is afraid of, loneliness is most common. He seeks company in order to escape from the fear of loneliness. But what is that he seeks in the company of others? Understanding? Fellow-feeling? Interaction? All these and perhaps many more. Not only a good company, good music can do all these and much more too.

“When we are alone, it drives out our loneliness; when our heart is heavy, it makes it light and wipes our tears”.

“Love for music is a sensation, which can never be put on hold. The more we listen, the more it grows nearer and dearer”. To go deeper into the technical aspects, the sphere of music can be analyzed under several wings, the most popular being karnatic, Hindustani, western and folklore. If we take karnatic music, it has a classical touch which is backed by a store-house of krithis (based on raga, taala and laya) rendered by great musicians. A few meaningful words are involved to throw an edding flood of music by the artists. This gives immense pleasure for those who deliver these krithis and also for those who listen to them. Love for music is natural for any being, and can be enjoyed most by a mind which knows its intricacies.

One cannot work continuously without a pause or a gap. This break from the routine need not be a period of absolute rest, but must be a change from the routine, a change which will push aside fatigue and refresh the mind. Music has much to offer in this direction.

Music, on its part has remained a media of refreshment and relaxation. Music is not only a media of enjoyment but is educative too. It can some times even complement a good book, for it has a touch of reality.

True music is

o a cure for many diseases
o a solution for many problems
o a media which strengthens life, which is rich in happiness and strong through desires.

True music makes a person self-reliant. It infuses in him, a sense of pride, of faith, a spirit of self-confidence and self-respect. In a nutshell, listening / learning true music moulds a person’s character, rich- profound.

“The knowledge of music, O mind leads to bliss of union with the Lord” – are the words straight from the mouth of the great musician and saint Sri Thyagaraja.

No aspiration of ours can be fulfilled without the grace of the almighty. In this material world, man should do good deeds and keep his mind and heart pure, in order to reach God. In classical music, the devotional elements combine effectively to inspire even the atheist to fall under the banner of Divinity.

There is no treasure equal to contentment and no virtue equal to fortitude. And true music is an ensemble of both.
This life here upon Earth, has a great meaning and deep significance. Eating, drinking, sleeping, a little laughter, much weeping – is this all life? Life is divine. The goal of life is God-realization. Human birth is precious. Life is short, time is flying; utilize this birth to attain God. And the easiest, simplest, elementary path for the attainment of divinity is the path of MUSIC.

Not all can become great musicians. But all can have a heart to enjoy and appreciate the essence of true music.

We receive so..oo.oo much of peace and pleasure from MUSIC. But, what are we paying in return? At least try to popularize and patronize music. This article is being written in view of supporting and enhancing the fragrance of Real Music. Hope the readers will appreciate the effort.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Mind is a terrible thing to be wasted

Mind is a terrible thing to be wasted.

Doing some monotonous work is as good as wasting mind ;there is nothing creative for the mind to think about or work on.I have a feeling that 90% of the Software Engineers feel so at some time or other.

I see that my parents who have been working for over 25 years in the same organization have more enthusiasm in their work than me who has been in the Software Industry for the last 1 yr and more .I dont blame the industry; but thats how it is.One day I go to office with all enthu thinking about the solution to a bug keen on fixing it.Once fixed till some other challenge comes up, life would be so monotonous and boring that everything would seem grey.

I read quite often in dailys and magazines about a software Engineer turning into a farmer or rearing animals, thats basically doing something that is close to his heart than doing something that would garland him with lots of notes.It needs great guts to do something like that.I bet those guys who changed their proffession would have made enough money that they would be ready to spend the rest of their life doing something their heart likes to do.Show me one person who would say NO to money.Everyone wants quick money and thats what the Software Industry gives.Just a few lines of code copy-pasted would fetch u really quick and flowing money.
Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.This is the irony.

Friday, May 26, 2006
Does beauty mean charm?

Being on the covers of top European fashion magazines is not just the definition of being beautiful.
Truth is beauty Beauty is truth
I wish a world that would be truly beautiful
and beautifully true...

I often wonder how would one define beauty!Is is just skin deep?Is beauty a perception of eyes?Or does beauty lie in one's mind?
Beauty is not just skin deep.Beauty is not an external attribute. Beneath the skin we are
all the same, and yet all different.Our bodies are all composed of the same constituents, but each person is indeed different from another.You make yourself different from others by your qualities that you imbibe in you,by your virtues and by your mannerisms and yes, this defines beauty and not just the skin or the additional make-up that would last for a few hours.If beauty is to be skin deep, then why is it that a person who might look extraordinally attractive one-day appear seemingly dull yet another day.

Charm is deceptive.Beauty is an attribute that gives pleasure to the senses.A person is beautiful if he/she can leave an imprint on your "mind and senses" through his/her deeds.

Whatever is in any way beautiful has its source of beauty in itself, and is complete in itself; Beauty is an art of balancing proportionally all the attributes so that one cannot add or subtract or change whithout impairing the harmony of the whole.All charmful things disapper but beautiful things remain in memory.

All of us are God's beauties. God has made each of us beautiful by making us unique from others.Lets all appreciate and enjoy true beauty and not just be carried away by charm.

Saturday, May 27, 2006
Man is too wise a species for this world

What he destroys, he cannot replace, nor can nature, never at this speed. It has taken millions of years for nature to stock up the present supply of natural wealth, but for him, it takes only a few centuries to run thro’ them. Yes, I am indeed praising the greatest homosapian, man for his deeds with nature.
Man is a social, optimistic being. He expects the best out of everything. He not only adapts himself to his environment, but also makes suitable changes in order to make his living more comfortable. As a pillager and predator, he surpasses all other species for he has the ability to comprehend and power of thinking. But, his thinking and creative abilities stand nowhere in front of “unthinking destruction”.

To say, environmentalist is a person who seeks to preserve the natural environment. As days pass, their numbers are increasing and on the other hand, equally or even faster, the environmental hazards are reaching their peak. Many meetings are held to address the concerns; unfortunately every meeting just ends up with eating!

Deforestation programmes are gearing up in such speeds that the entire world is turned into a barren land, a mere desert. There will be no need for our future generation to go to distant Rajasthan to get a desert view.

The major portion of the physical environment is greenery. This is the natural home for several species. Deforestation has made the species homeless. If deforestation continues at this rate, even the most common pets like cats and dogs will soon be in the circumference of extinction and will be seen only in stories and fables.

GREEN, the very colour is a symbol of good health. Green is cool to our eyes.Colour green is of symbolic importance in which ever field we consider. For instance, our national flag has the significant colour green which stands for life and prosperity. Take our busy roads where the signal controls the crazy vehicles; here again green permits us to proceed safely.

“No bird fouls its own nest” but the doubly wise man excels in this obnoxious practice.
Our environment definitely needs to be protected from the cruel hands of man who is almost on the verge of collapsing his world built by his own tiring efforts. Is this not true?

Nature has a great stock of resources. Every child who gets crushed in this busy schedule needs a change, may be, he might find it playing amidst the nature. A child’s ear catches the music of nature. The murmuring of a stream, the sound of frogs croaking by the river bank, the rustling of trees in the forest, all these natural sounds are music, true music. Hence the originality of the environment is to be preserved.
For a poet, the natural environment is of great inspiration. A musician might tune new notes while singing amidst the green environment.

We are responsible to bring back life to our environment. We need to cease environmental hazards with our ceaseless work. By environmental protection, we mean our own protection. Today what is needed is the establishment of high moral values and revitalization of the sense of dedication to our environment. Nothing can cripple our environment if we, people stand united under its banner and remain true to ourselves

Thursday, June 01, 2006
The green side of life

The power to get through hardships in life resides within us.But one needs to plug in to the source and knock the door to get into the interior of oneself.

Life is not a cake walk all the time.
Something you find is right may seem hard to other.Life is a chain where the interdependancy among people is the main reason that would play with your moods.

There would be a day when we would feel like jumping just because sombody would have sung our praises.Yet another day life seems to sink due to something that somebody would have told you or due to the guilt you would feel for not being positive to someone.Is it a right thing to get bogged down in it thinking its the hard phase of life or try to get out of it?A wise man would come out of it coz he is what he thinks.A man is made up of his thoughts.Very little is needed to make a happy life;it is all within yourself,in your way of thinking.

“we are what we think.
all that we are, arises with our thoughts.
with our thoughts we make the world.
speak or act with a pure mind and happiness will follow youas your shadow, unshakable.”

Saturday, June 10, 2006
My lazy saturday!

The strident note of my mobile ring woke me up (early) in the morning at 9.30 :).Saturdays have never been like this. My routine would be to go to my Guru's place for music rehearsals by 7.30. Today thanks to my Guru; he had a different engagement and that let me lazily sleep till 9.30.I rubbed my eyes drowsily and took half an hour’s time for my regular routine; by then my mom had kept my coffee mug ready. The hot brewed coffee tasted extremely good than usual coz I had good enough time to enjoy my cup.
The day begun and I spent most of it sleeping. It was a most wanted break; Mom, dad and bro were at home and it was a long time since four of us spent time together. We talked about anything and everything; about my bro’s engineering seat status, family gossips, Unnikrishnan’s music, the long pending plan for going for a SWIFT and what not. In the noon, the three of them went for casual shopping and I stopped myself as I did not feel active enough to roam. Surprised to see my bro come home buying me a kurta. His affectionate thought collected tears in my eyes. Mom noticed that and quickly turned everyone’s attention to a tv show and we all got into the proper weekend mood, lazily lying on the sofa, watching tv.
By then it was 7 in the evening;had a stroll with mom in the lanes of ISRO layout commenting on the houses under construction. The major attraction of the day was Vijay TV’s Airtel super singer show.I almost got into the tv and watched the show without a wink. Sometimes I think I should try such talent shows, but my classical music and traditional background doesn’t permit me. I would prefer climbing up the classical ladder giving sabha katcheries than earning fame thro tv shows. I was never such a fan of Srinivas till I watched this show(he in one of the judges ).The song which he taught to the group of 10 contestants he mentored was so catchy that I cant refrain myself from humming the tune all the way.
The night is slowly surrounding me and I am waiting to hit the bed. I came upto my comp and suddenly remembered a friend suggesting me to treat blog as a personal diary and just not stuff it with philosophy. Thanks! I loved the idea and it really gives a lot of pleasure to write down the events of the day and read thro’ them leisurely.Yes,blog is of course a personal space and is not just to scribble some thoughts and theories.
Good night!Sweet dreams

Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Baathen bool jaathe hain,yaadhen yaadh aathe hain!

Those colourful greeting cards,handwritten wishes blurred my eyes.I just found the old bag of greeting cards' collection from deep within the racks of my wardrobe.Wow!waves of memories caused ripples in my calm peaceful mind.
I had a craze of collecting greeting cards and one would be surprised to know that I have the collection right from my fourth year.I could see the lovely wishes from all my friends and relatives and all I could feel was so good of earning quite many hearts.What more can one ask for!!
The current e-card culture put a full-stop to collection as I had no add-ons.

Precious memories linger
Year after year,they just grow deeper
Deep in our hearts remain as treasure
For, a moment lasts only for a second,but memories last forever!

gnyavagam varudhe,gnyavagam varudhe,gnyavagam varudhe........