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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

How would you reflect being called a Feminist?

Well, I wouldn’t mind as long as my views are heard and I am content with placing my point across.
There was this usual irksome statement that I heard yest which pushed me to blog this. "Hey dont cry like a gurl!" WTH does that mean? How do I even counter, there is even a movie carrying this "Boys dont cry" which features a gurl getting converted 'coz she wants to be treated a "boy".

"Look there, this lady in the car has blocked the traffic". "Comeon gurl, give way, do not walk on the road". "No wonder shes in for this post, she used her charms and not her brain."- Why do the index fingers easily point to a gurl at every case, in every site?

If we put on weight, it is coz we are lazy to work out. If the guys do, the blame shift is on the fast food place down the street and their heavily loaded job schedule which doesn’t let them take time off to gym.

And why juggle with numbers, giving 33% ,40% seats/reservations. Btw, what rights do the givers have? We are no minority to take permission from them, to get a concession from them. A lady being a home-maker can well balance work at an outside firm; Girls outdo boys in many competitive examinations, at variety sports, workplace, arts etc.
This being the case y still discriminate?
A tall gurl is often blamed by her parents for not being able to match a guy's height during marriage-hunt. If the guy is tall, the term used is "Handsome".
If a gurl concentrates on her career, she is termed "work-o-holic" ;if its a guy- “he is smart and career oriented”. A gurl wishes to go to the distant states for further studies- people would declare she s escaping marriage with creative stories unfolding. If a guy wishes to continue his studies, people call him studious, intelligent and goal-oriented.

People speak of feminists’ acts, discrimination laws with pride, but nothing seems to change this fractured society.
It would do lot good not to hear statements like “You can’t do it, you are a gurl”! “Why don’t you give time to the family, let him concentrate on his career”! “It is better you relocate, he can’t think of changing his job now”!
Keeping away from these sweeping declarations would help gurls get out of the chilly home climate and think of a warm world outside. Reservation for women is just a distasteful remedy; the need of the hour is to remove the discrimination from the minds than from the roots.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Charukeshi

I had no topic to blog till a friend shared a "Charukeshi" piece sung by Unnikrishnan. I am any day biased to Unni’s renditions, but keeping that aside too it is indeed a beautiful presentation.

Can’t believe one can elaborate on such a raga to this vast extent. Charukeshi, the 26th ragam of “Carnatic Sampoorna melakartha” scheme is a recent import to Hindustani music.
Chatushruthi rishabham, anthara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatham, kaishiki nishadham frame its scale.
(Aa: S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S ,Av:S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S)
Uttaraanga(first 4 notes S,R,G,M) is Shankarabharana’s import . Madhyama, panchama and Daivatha are accorded dominant notes in Charukeshi.

A ragam which is known to incite emotions of grief and devotion is handled with vigor in the kalpana swara sancharam by Unni. A 35 minute rendition of "Adamodi galadhe" is a brilliant package of the needed Nidhanam in aalapanai, expected vegham in swara kalpana and a clear, placid rendition of the krithi.
The alapanai gliding through the notes gives a sorrow appeal which is the emotion of the Raga. In the krithi section he displays the virtuosity but within the boundary of Thyagaraja’s composed work. Swarakalpana in “Chaduvulanni” is as gleaming as it could be. The final swara hides in it a variety of combinations,tisra sancharams, janti-swara usages,a beautiful korapu and a simple yet powerful mukthaya. The swara sancharam in 3 octaves , reaching daivatha in the higher octave takes us to a musical crescendo and only speaks for Unni’s unswerving dedication .

It’s impossible for such a rendition without mental and emotional commitment. The sophisticated patterns leave behind an unsophisticated expression - soothing to the ears.

One needn't get into the intricacies and technical complications of the theory of the ragam or lyrics. It is true music beyond the precincts of words and technicalities.

Must listen for any mind that craves for true music:
http://www.sangeethamshare.org/manjunath/Carnatic/Audio/032-UnnikrishNan-VOcal-Augusta_GA-2007/

Revathi Sridharan

Monday, October 12, 2009

Just Like that

Sorry about the recent inactivity in my posts. Have been trying to work on a deeper subject which may be little uninteresting for a customary blog. Shall drop a link when it reaches a logical completion.

I am here with no specific topic in mind...Just brooding over how quickly time has passed by."Deepavali celebration,Rangoli competetion, floor decoration – Come on guys hurry up –cheer up to celebrate the festival" - The usual mail from HR at office got me to think we are already close to the year end. The memories of wishing the dear and near ones for last year Deepavali and New Year are still fresh...Infact I have my LAST YEAR'S action items list to wish a few people unticked yet.

It feels as if the months are just flying by me. Understandable if one is so busy that they have so much to accomplish, but not as much time....I wouldn’t say I have no plans on my cards, have enough aspirations, but not to an extent that I go buying for time from everyone I meet . . . The year has been eventful on personal front…”eventful” is the word, I don’t really mean good or favorable.….Not sure! When I sit back to think what has been done this year...I can only say I have successfully spent the days...doing what? I dunno !!!My "Wanting-TO-DO" list is never ending and my "TO-DO" list never begins.

Work, music, fun, friends, recreation, hog properly and then diet for a week, feel good about people complimenting you that you have put-off, blogging on Wednesdays, slogging on Thursdays-as a friend rightly termed - frames MY life. But it isn’t just that. I wouldn’t want to get philosophical and say "I have come here on purpose and to know who I am and what I am destined to do as a spiritual being"...Nor would I want to shrug it aside saying "I don’t have a purpose in life, God has forgotten to give me one"!!!.
Well, a life I expect of mine is to enjoy and appreciate what I like doing and share the same with a greater crowd. A little service to the needy, a soothing ear to the let-down , a comforting shoulder to the depressed soul, service and attention to the needy elderly....Even if we start this with our family and friends, life would be more satisfying than a life revolving around gadgets we invent and buying a life with the money we mint! Just wishing that the days ahead would give me more purposeful life than that’s gone by. Signing off with a hope that my next year post would run through pages with the things on my Wish-List accomplished :)

"The butterfly counts not months but moments,
and has time enough." ~R.Tagore

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Music – a background score to academic focus

Foreword

We accept without conjecturing a tad that belting out songs in the shower makes us feel good. Strumming out a few chords, humming a lively song or even karaoke night does give man a certain kick out of life be it to de-stress, feel good or just celebrate a good occasion. Insentience, we have already adapted to music in different surroundings like gyms, spas (I wouldn’t be surprised if music will keep us company in elevators too in little time), public events, poojas and even in our own homes.
Egging on music at all epochs, in all chairs, we still fall short in giving it an academic credit. The music festivals and concerts are fortuitous reminders that music continues to be a way of life, a main stream for a section of people as against the customary consideration of music being a past time, part time or just a background score.

We brag of having an affluent musical ethnicity. We allege that in India, Music as a concept is long recognized and patronized. It’s high time we wake up to realize that while winning a couple of Oscars is a hail mark, the need of the hour is to herald a steadfast model of Music education and evolve a milieu to facilitate music academics and degrees in India (than letting students fly to the far States for a music degree and research - though this fraction is so meager to deserve a mention).

What is holding us back?

The problem is solely one of logistics, priorities, economic necessity, attitude and support. What we emphasize on our broods is a comprehension of a few bar-tested subjects, test-taking skills and a meritorious certificate to place them in a celebrated communal firm. Chase the trend - “the no. of Google hits”. Hearting on our state’s statistics, the number of music colleges in Karnataka in 2009 will print us a figure less than 10(I am austerely referring to the ones that offer a valid degree in music).On the flipside, the state embraces 141 engineering colleges and 33 medical colleges. 20,000 Engineering students per year mark off from Bangalore alone contributing a huge might to the 3-4 lakhs assortment in India. Not a surprise, we have a fine cut of people unwaged consequential to the H1 Visas. One can be “yet another” graduate Engineer running from pillar to post in this spell of recession, but shouldn’t be a Music graduate. Fighting against the odds, wading against the whims of others who try to hold him back and finally making it into a music college would brand him an average kid!

Have an untailored natter with a person working in R&D; he would convince you that he is all set to devise technology. Why Technology? To seek solutions to deal with problems caused by the rapid pace and to cater to a more comfortable living .Call on a student of medicine, he would aspect his medical research to people’s comfort and to keep the populace away from diseases and mental worries. Why is an exception to music? Why can’t music be seen as a quarter of medicine (we are not ignorant of its therapeutic side), as a technology-skill placating people; as something more than just a backdrop score, medium of leisure, a material of fame/name/money. Given an academic status to music, we can possibly anticipate more schools and colleges in this roadway. More parents would be convinced to prop up their wards to take music as main stream .It is our biased mind that accepts only a certain academic tributaries as scholastic and ignores the rest. As a support to our prejudiced minds, no enough schools to nourish the uncared talents, no adequate encouragement from family/society and finally the little lot who choose the path less traveled are branded dull heads.

Our world offers a plentiful and rich reward for traders of Engineering and medicine; there is an equally rich attempt to distinguish other professions from their counterparts. The takings that a Doctor, an Engineer, a Government employee is grossed when offered to a Musician, it would tweet a revolution. Music is a passion for many .But what drives people? More importantly, why? Money and confidence to earn a living. Money bestows buoyancy; self-assurance leads to identity. It’s about making a difference, self-discovery till we breathe last. When music is given a stature of a dependable career, more people will dare a bold step; drive music from passion to profession; make it a way of life; esteem it more than a vocation and venture further into its research.

Way forward

We should begin by vetting it like a standard entrepreneurial undertaking. "Music is not different from any other business” (The knack is to be with the operative world while maintaining the passion). We should first resolve a souk for it, and then we will see the profit from it. From passion to profession, from a hobby to business, from entertainment to research; from a background score to therapy and from mundane possessions to bliss – Music needs to trek this long journey.

To wrap up, I admit a bias in my approach. I have a clear preference for music over other arts; Part of my preference is personal than evaluation. This appeal however stands spot on with all art forms left unattended and not given a deserving status that they naturally demand.

Revathi Sridharan

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Taking life as it comes

This post is a sequel enduring with my present state of mind. The topic of ‘how people take/accept life’ has always left me bamboozled. A close relative dropped in this evening and his approach to life puzzled me beyond question .He was sharing that he deals with life as it comes within the framework of his knowledge, capabilities and spirit. While on one end, I was surprised by his practical, rational, self-accepting spirit towards life, my mind started wandering around the other kind of people, the most “frequent” kind; People who are never pleased with anything good that life brings and always look ahead for more and more. Soon we are born, we start dreaming, our people start dreaming for us. Its a struggle where everyday we manage to live to tell the tale to others. And the next day, we would but be a step closer towards our grave. There is an element of competition; of aspiration inherent in every venture we undertake whether it is music, education, profession, business, marriage. We always seek to outsmart the people around us. We envision life to be of certain “brand” and when we fall short of our expectations and the expectations that people situate for us , a stance of negativism begins to creep in and life becomes painful and difficult to deal with.

Not to discourage the readers who have high levels of sanguinity and expectations from life. Dealing with life the way it comes doesn’t depict a life without goals. It just means that we remain more practical and less cutthroat when it comes to comparison with a peer. There should remain a spirit of competition, an element of struggle, but the yardstick being our own capabilities a day prior and the struggle to outdo our yesterday’s abilities and be a better “we” tomorrow. If I can code an assembly which is atleast 5% more optimized than my yesterday’s work, I am a better “me” today. If I can riaz for fifteen mins more than yest, I can consider myself a better singer than what I was yesterday. Easily said than done! Once we start accepting life without staying in a stuck state of mind and not judging everything that comes in way, we would be stepping in the right and easy trail. Everything needn’t be judged or interfered.The earlier we comprehend that life is a package of surprises both positives and negatives, we would know that it does not matter how well we plan or live our life, we will find our-self learning thru it everyday.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The game of fame

Is this the price we pay for having born as humans? Even a crow sighs “How I wish I was a cuckoo and people sing my praises” – narrates the legend. When animals with limited senses can chase desire, how can humans be spared of hounding behind wants? The echoing retort of anybody today would be to become famous. The TV shows, Big Brother, Rakhi’s Swayamwar all orbit around fame, celebrity. Do we need to be famous to be ourselves? Do we need to glimpse through others’ eyes to see what we are and keep ours half-shut? Do we have to discover ourselves from what is being written in black and white on newspapers? Should we fancy our persona from our pictures on the cover pages of top magazines? Should we value our worth with the number of hits on Google? In today’s life, monetary dreams have become far bleaker compared to a future envisioned with fame. Should we realize our capacity through mere publicity?

Knowledge is to be shared. Talent is to be shown. A musician’s music is to reach a greater audience; an artist’s work is to be displayed in a crowd; a philosopher’s words are to be captured in pages; But, but all these with an intent of educating, benefiting, enlightening more people than be satisfied with the self. With this superior intent comes the flattering offer “fame”. It isn’t easy to turn it away. Fame is good; it paves way to connect to more people; network with a BIGGER group, share and exchange ideas; helps break boundaries. Here ends its kindness. Fame concretes a wall around us, limits our dealings to a class of people-a class that our mind recognizes and fancies. Gives glamour and takes away health; Makes us contemplate additional on it(fame) than the trait-flair that showered us the fame. More hype and less hope; Makes us speculate more on stranger’s comments and heed less our well-wisher’s expressions; Our senses are drilled by the critic’s opinions. We are gifted a life- a life that we accept and embrace – a life that appears ornate, vivid on reviews, TV – but what really goes behind the smiling, “happy” faces ? A complete, agreeable, contented life? Not quite true!

As everything does, fame too is entitled with these two evenly arresting faces of the coin.
The good and “not so good” .While the former gives the artist an arena to strap up his talent, the latter conceals him in a shell of gluttony. In actuality, the worthy and genuine talents would know what to cuddle to.
A life furnished with all that is needed for fulfillment of a day buys more happiness than desperately clinging onto fame.
It does so much good to live distinctive than leading a life of fame.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A Covet to keep-up classicism in Music

Foreword
“Nabhi-Hruth-Khanta-Rasana-naasaadhula-entho-shobhillu-saptaswara” - preached our musical Guru Saint Thyagaraja meaning “Praise/Sing the divine forms of the musical notes which radiate in the navel (“naabhi”), heart (“hruth”), neck (“kanTha”), tongue (“rasana”) and nose (“naasaadhula”) of the human body.” Those were the days when music was regarded divine; when music was considered to descend from mind and heart; music was then meant to be expressed by the soul and fulfilled through the heart. But today we are in the “synth” musical era. Do we call it a breakthrough or disgrace?

Film music model
There used to be a time when songs like Alaipaayude Kanna, Jagadhoddharana were purred by each kid in every house in contrast to the "hale paatre", "kaadal pisaasu", "tale baachkolo bai muchkolo" of these days. Charity begins at home, so does the taste or choice of music. I am not here to attest - Film Music is bad and anything else is good! Songs like Manasa sancharare, Bhagyada lakshmi baramma, Brochevaarevarura have been popularized through films and are a great hit of their times. Many oeuvres that have shown up in movies though not full-core classical, have been extremely soulful, melodious like “naguva nayana madhura mouna”,“Surmayee Ankhiyon Mein”(Sadma),songs featured in “Amruthavarshini” and oodles more. I am just frenzy about the jarring music, contemptible lyrics, tuneless pieces, prose-like libretto, and the synth-music - all that make up most of the movie music this day. This brand of music is swaying now to a degree that we have forgotten the very roots of music – “Classical music”.I sincerely wish the term remains familiar atleast. And when I state “Classical music”, I am referring to the mainstream music rooted in the tradition; not being predisposed to any one kind -South Indian classical (Carnatic), Western classical, Hindustani or Jazz.

New-fangled and synthetic music styles make most of the film music these days and the very concept of music has become so faint under the modern shield that such a transgression from the divine music to the now-music has passed by almost unobserved. Music, to the new generation is what comes in movies. I often see myself spending more time with people explaining how Classical music is different from film music...so to say, Film music has become a yardstick to which other musical forms are matched up to. Ragas are identified not with their names or their association to a familiar kriti but their similarity with a filmi number. Doesn’t it sound similar to "malare mounama" would be the question instead of isn’t this in raga “darbari kanada”. Does a musical piece get qualified only if it finds a place in a movie or is coupled to a video album? It’s a drift these days that film actors compose and sing their own songs. They shall be unconditionally accepted if they are genuinely multitalented .Does it appear so? Do we not just accept them because they are more acknowledged through the media than the less-known commendable musicians?

Music- an art of articulation
The meaning a musical piece attempts to convey is undeniably a personal expression of the composer's artistic intent; Music composing through synthesizers has made composers’ life easy; but does this music emote the expected expressions? The music of these days is more oriented towards celebrity. Anything that captivates the audience is music today – Does this music slope classically? Does it sound lyrically acceptable? Is it soulful? Is it emotionally strapping? Is it technically MUSIC? - Are these areas attended to? Film music need not be all the time classical music. It would be a sweeping statement to say film music should share ideas of language, emotionality, structure and format with concert music. It isn’t quite possible incessantly, for music in films is more context based. My rationale in bringing together the two topics – classical music and films is with a selfish drive; to make use of the charisma of films to popularize classical music under its banner. Classical music is definitely an art which has survived centuries and doesn’t need films to come for its rescue; but there is unquestionably a distinction between just surviving and being widely understood, accepted and acknowledged.

Music and Film industry
These days, watching films has become a passionate chore, so it would be easier to promote and grant a fine exposure to classical music if it can be accommodated in films. It is to be accepted that classical music demands musically tuned minds; let us at the least get a chance to tune the minds. It wouldn’t be as easy a meal to digest as some simple lyrical forms that we see in most movies. But what we need is a means to reach people and educate them what real music is about. Once they get a grab and perceptive, they will start asking for more. Don’t we find searing item numbers in every movie these days? No serious film maker can resist them. Every filmmaker slivers-in an item number, even if doesn’t fit in the flow of the film and this has become a whim in the film industry .When we can situate item numbers well in movies, why do we fail proffering a place for classical numbers? We have seen trends changing over years- musical trends, choreography tones and filmmaking styles. Film music is aired on TV channels and always gets its share of audiences’response. Can’t we make use of this changing trend to introduce classical music in a phased manner? It may take time to get acknowledged though.

Of classical music and musicians
We have had examples of Classical musicians playing excerpts from film music including our violin maestro Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan. Why not we chase this approach; introduce one classical piece in every film .Thus classical music will be more revealed; Non-film music makers/composers also will get the needed recognition. It is a pity that Classical music artists receive very little appreciation and reward as against their Film counterparts. A playback singer who would have sung 5 songs in films would be more well-known than a classical artiste even after performing hundreds of stage concerts. The classical artists revel in the admiration of the crowd when their concert is on. And once the applause dies down, the curtains are lowered and the reality many classical musicians face is a struggle to make a living. Doesn’t our culture demand us to encourage and reward the worthy deserving Musical talents and help maintain our Classical music, the music of our roots?

Lessons from the past and the way forward

Movie Shankarabharanam led to the revival of Indian classical music in cinemas. The movie opens with the tag-line "Sisurvetti pasurvetti, vetti gana rasam phanihi” meaning Music is enjoyed equally by babies, animals and even snakes. The making of the movie was with an expectation that the audience would appreciate the effort in reaching to them the essence of Indian classical music. The success of this film was paramount that it triggered a sequence of other music-based movies like Thyagayya ,Meghasandesam, aanandabhairavi, sindhu-bhairavi, Saagara Sangamam, Sruthi Layalu, Swarna Kamalam, Swathi Kiranam.
The trend continues. People across ages will accept classical music and such movies even in these days of pop-music provided the movie-makers feature such class-movies without much discontinuity - you don't think about something when you no longer see it.... To top it, if such movies can be cast with public favored hero-ins and heroes, they cannot miss being monster hits; Annamayya featuring Sneha and Nagarjun is a must mention in this context. On repeatedly creating such movies, people with no or little taste of classicism will start appreciating and advocating such ventures. Acceptance is the end product of any repeated act; believing in optimism!

On a concluding note
Many musicians these days can create imperative music. They can create exhilaration and enhance the film sequence. But it is not mere excitement but the soulful stirring that frames true music. Soulful music awakens the heart. Such soulful music cannot be composed by lifeless computers, synthesizers. Good music making is a long-winded struggle that not many can easily master.

We are evolving…But what are we doing in the name of evolution? There's certainly a case for us being more intelligent, but what we're really doing is judging against what our musical ancestors have specialized in. Today’s music is quick music - written with computer skills, composed through synthesizers in contrast to the long-schooled, theory-footed, experience-driven music learnt over years of training. I’ve always reflected any form of art is trickier than we think.

At the end, the truth, of course, is people respond differently to different music. Nobody would cry their tears out listening to a so-called item number. But, when the classical musicians come out calling with a Raga at its depth, whether the emotion they induce is joy or pain, one can be rest assured to not just get a taste of it, but experience the emotions blossoming hundred-fold.

It will do good if this article is read as an ingenuous crave to preserve classicism in Music than a blue murder.

Revathi Sridharan

Monday, August 3, 2009

A peaceful vacation in the lap of nature

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It took us swerving off the normal tourist trace into uncharted corners. Away from the head-reeling traffic, machined foodstuffs, fast-swelling cities the serene landscapes of North East made a great vacation. In the lap of nature, most pleasurable climate, vivid flora, uncomplicated people with inviting smile, the raw environ – what better a change can one expect?
A long planned vacation with my family to North East. I don’t remember when it was last did my father avail his LTC.I no longer fall under his LTC umbrella as the Govt thinks I am big a girl to take care of my own expenses. We started off on our journey, we –appa, amma, brother, periappa and me. Having spent enough hours surfing for the places of our visit on the net, we did have some expectation from the trip picturing charming tourist spots which could awe one's senses.
The journey commenced.
Day 1:
B’lore – Calcutta – Bagdogra (flight)
Bagdogra – Siliguri (alongside river Teesta) - Gangtok (Mini bus)
The airports of Calcutta and Bagdogra are no close to even the old Govt offices. Bagdogra is understandable owing to not much travelers’ stopover. It is just an air-gateway to North East India; but Calcutta cannot be an exemption knowing the kind of busy airport it makes.
We were received by our Tour Manager Mr Harish Rao of Vikram Travels, a typical Mangalorean in an alien land.
The drive from Bagdogra to Gangtok was beyond earthly imagination. The route stretches along a chain of cris-cross Mountains. Alongside, the river Teesta (originating from China) roars down all the way as one drives up to Gangtok. The frothy and cavorting Teesta gave us company all through our drive to Gangtok. Gangtok is an amiable town cuddled up in the Himalayan foot hills.
The mountain peaks all around are decorated by the misty clouds and the valleys garland them. The Buddha collectibles, Tibetan jewellery and short petite people dressed in richly woven textiles are a sight to see. It was around 7:00 pm when we reached Gangtok and it was raining then. Hot chapattis and Sabzi made our dinner followed by a cozy night stay at the same place - Hotel Highway.
Day 2:
Tsomgo lake (12,400ft ASL)
Baba Mandir (14,700ft ASL)
Hanuman Tok
A wakeup call at 6:00 am with nice hot tea followed by poori-baaji for breakfast made our morning easy. We started off on our Day 2nd program. The first place in the list was Baba Mandir. The drive to Baba mandir above Gangtok is along mystical environs, through the clouds, surrounded by stunning green valleys.
Baba mandir is built after the Indian Soldier (sepoy) Harbhajan Singh of Punjab regiment who was drowned in a fast flowing stream and went missing. The army troops failed to locate him and his weapons. For the army, it is a belief that unless the soldier’s weapons are found, he is alive. So the search for Singh went on, on for days. One fine night, the Singh showed up in the dreams of his comrade sepoy Pritam Singh and hinted him the location of his sunken(under ice)weapons .Legend also has the say that the Singh would warn the Indian army about the attacks at the border in advance. The Singh is known for his adherence to discipline and as a tribute to this great soul a shrine is built in his honor and army folks salute him with due respects. A camp bed, polished boots, army uniform are geared up at the shrine everyday in the belief that Harbhajan is still alive serving the Indian army. The Singh’s family is given salary drawn in his name till recently, till his retirement date. He may be drawing pension now on :) .Indian Govt is munificent you see ;).There is an idol of SaiBaba kept in the shrine, hence the name Baba mandir.
Stories apart….It is a beautiful place to visit. The shrine is near the Nathu-La pass (Indo-China gateway), the route more commonly acknowledged by the name “Silk route”. The drive is extremely scenic .It was the blossom period for the rare yellow flowers which can be seen only at heights more than 10000ft. As told by the localites a particular variety of drooping yellow flowers when smelt is unsafe and may cause dizziness too - No second thoughts they were a way too attractive. The route is prone to landslides. BRO (Border Road Org) is doing a great job in clearing up the path and maintaining the route usable all the time without much inconvenience.
There is a small memorial opposite to this shrine where we can get ourselves certified for having visited The Watershed memorial, Sherathang. All of us took the certificates with pride, did little shopping in the local store there and got on to our vehicles. (Sumo)
On the way back to Gangtok, we halted for lunch at a small hut. Fortunate to get a taste of typical Chinese food - noodles and fried rice (The mummies and daddies in the trip did not fancy it though). Heading back, we got down at Tsomgo lake – a lake formed entirely by glaciers. It's cool, placid water complements with the scenic beauty around. Also known as Changu Lake, Tsomgo Lake is regarded very sacred lake by the local Buddhists and the Hindus, no boating, no dipping or any kind of water sport is entertained here except for the fun of enjoying Yak Ride near the lake. Not a big one, but a rarity to find such a beautiful lake at such heights.
On a bifurcation road of the Gangtok-Nathula Highway, is a temple devoted to Hanuman-Hanuman Tok. The temple is beautifully maintained in partial collaboration with the Indian Army at Gangtok; it can be easily gauged by the neatness and beauty of the tok. The local Army makes the most devotees to Hanuman. When we visited the temple, we could see a group of sepoys framing the Bhajan group. Our family sat to chant Hanuman Chalisa. It was so refreshing to bestow our prayers to Lord Hanuman at such great height. The feeling was totally different, as though amidst the clouds. The Himalayan range presents a panoramic picture from the Tok. We can get a bird’s eye view of the beautiful town of Gangtok from Hanuman Tok.
These places marked our day and we were not left with many hours in our pocket than to just get back to our rooms and rest.
We headed back to the hotel and halted there for the night. Worth mentioning was our driver’s company throughout the journey. Minmoy, a Sherpa by birth was so engaging with his tuneful company, playing Mukesh, Rafi, Kishore hits and humming along. I still can’t forget his drooping eyes dancing and smiling to his hum in the vehicle’s rear mirror.
Day 3:
Darjeeling
Padmaja Naidu Zoo
Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
Tea estate
Started off to Darjeeling in the morning. The queen of hills is bordered by Sikkim in the north, Nepal in the west and Bhutan in the east. We reached Darjeeling by noon 2:00, perfect for the lunch time. Stay at Hotel Princess. The local restaurant “Hasty Tasty” was the only decent Veg restaurant near our hotel; it took them a while to serve us-a group of 25 people. After lunch, we headed to Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) in a private vehicle engaged by our Tour guide.
The zoo boasted of having the Siberian tiger, Himalayan black bear, red panda, snow leopard and many other animal and bird species. But we weren’t lucky enough to see them all. The most commonly seen animals there were the deer, leopard and fox species. The HMI has a museum housing a historic collection of mountaineering equipments, Himalayan conquest legends, the route maps taken by the old mountaineers to reach the peak, their success stories etc. The institute situated on a small hill top is a pilgrimage for all mountaineering enthusiasts.
We continued our drive to a tea estate near-by and enjoyed the Darjeeling tea prepared out of raw tea leaves of the same estate unlike the normal tea primed from tea dust; halted a while for photos.
Back to hotel, had good dinner and played a round of rummy. We played almost till 12:00 in the night and wishfully hit the bed as we had to rise up by 3:00 the next morning to sight the Sunrise at Tiger hills.
Day 4:
Tiger hills
Batasia loop
Buddhist monastery
Pashupatinagar
Mirik
Headed to Tiger Hills at 3:30 am, the place renowned for the sunrise view over Khangchendzonga (Kanchenjunga) and the eastern Himalayas. The first rays of the sun shot ahead and shed light upon the twin peaks of Kanchenjunga and gradually painted the whole of its snow body visible. The wait was a little restless for the curiosity to get a glimpse of the snow clad Kanchenjunga was taking us over. Though the time of our visit was cloudy, we were fluky enough to get a glorious sight of the snow-clad beauty at 5:10 am-the sunrise time for the day. No camera of any high resolution can arrest this beauty. We experienced heaven. No paints, no colors would match the rich dye of the mountain range and the sunrise. Nature was at its best; beauty at its paramount! We quenched our thirst with the most glorious sunrise followed by a flavorsome hot Darjeeling tea and headed down to Batasia loop and the War memorial.
Batasia loop is an engineering marvel. The railway line here makes a 360 degree turn to get a panoramic view of Kanchenjunga. We could just get enough lucky to enjoy the scenic beauty at the place and wonder at its Engineering; missed out on the toy-train ride. There were a few localites at this place advertising Darjeeling clothes and accessories .We all clad ourselves in those exquisite dresses and posed for a few good shoots. The toy train and Batasia loop are a few striking examples of the British influence on Darjeeling. Way back to the hotel, we visited a Buddhist monastery, admired the fine-looking paintings captured a few photos.
Back to hotel “Hasty Tasty” for breakfast .We started off in our mini bus to Mirik.
We drove via Pashupatinagar – a well known shopping street on Indo-Nepal border. Shopping malls in Pashupatinagar are known for their wide variety of electronic goods, winter clothing, cosmetic-creams etc. A word of caution here: Buy only the goods which you can make sure like the clothes, creams, shoes .We went for pen drives tempted by their relatively cheaper rates, but were totally disappointed to learn that none of them were working right. Sweaters, shoes, winter wear, cosmetics make a good buy here. From this market, Mirik is 4 kms distant.
Mirik is a lesser known hill-station not much visited by all tourists except for those who go with package tourism. We stayed at a hill-resort “Sadbhavana”. The landscaped gardens, small beautiful tourist cottages, pleasant weather surrounding the Sumendu Lake are the attractions of Mirik.
Not many tourist vehicles to take us around. Our Tour manager hired us a local 4-wheeler (Santro Zing) to visit a monastery atop a small hill.
The lake is the main attraction in Mirik and there is a 5 Km path around it. A walk around the lake took us through the dense forest of pine, cardamom - absolutely captivated our heart. Amidst the forest is a small Durga temple - the local deity (GramDevtha). One can enjoy boating in the lake. To complement the cool serene atmosphere, horse riding is facilitated around the lake. Beware of leeches in the lake area (Appa carried one all the way to the hotel).That’s about Mirik.
There isn’t much to say about this place; but lots to experience and take back home (Am not talking of leeches :)). Unlike our Ooty, Kodai, the place is not so commercialized and still holds in it a sense of originality and freshness.
Day 5:
Mirik - Bagdogra (Mini bus)
Bagdogra - Calcutta - B’lore (flight)
Our vacation had come to an end. We had a lazy rise and started back on our journey after morning breakfast at Mirik. The drive back to Bagdogra over a long, rutted road nudged us to reality. Our tour manager was capable enough to entertain us till we reached the airport at Bagdogra with his puzzles, jokes and wit-lines.
We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation programmed by Vikram travels. We were particularly pleased by the services provided by them. Our tour guide Mr Harish Rao made our trip more memorable with his timely corny jokes. We are all back home with lovely memories imprinted in our hearts, still lurching in the heady scent of tea leaves, steamy momos, sight-blurring mist, Sikkimese masks ,Buddhist figurines.
Time of visit: July end
Mode: flight till Bagdogra And bus, sumo, cars - as the roads demand
Climate: pleasant
Food: Good vegetarian food (customized to suit travelers from South India –Thanks to Vikram travels)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The unheard ,yet heard

There have been enough forums, discussions, elaborate documentations on the vital aspects of Carnatic music viz raga, shruthi, laya, bhava etc .But nowhere do we see a mention of “silence”. Forget the mention; people don’t even recognize silence as a compelling musical parameter. Some people may even laugh at this whole concept as to what is there to speak about something which is universally measured void of any sound.

Let us see the common connotation and role of silence and later get to musical silence .Silence between words can help the other party to comprehend, appreciate; take a moment to think and reflect. Silence is dangerously contagious and can hush people. Silence at work is appreciated as it gives peace of mind and personal space.
Unforeseen silence (when we expect response from somebody) could be very loud. When there is earsplitting atmosphere, an agreeable pleasing tone might set in the mood of silence. Silence is a mark of respect and is followed in many religious acts and ceremonial customs.

Having said this, can we now call silence as “Absence of sound”? If it is absence of sound, why do we then say silence is loud? Or is silence “Presence of pleasant sound amidst noise”? Dint we just think silence is absence of sound?

So it looks like silence can blend with everything .It can be attributed to music, sound, noise, absence of noise, absence of sound .With music, it becomes a musical parameter; with speech it adds to the meaning (expression), with noise it is pleasing.
This talks about the heterogeneity of silence.

Dr T.V.Sairam, in his Music Therapy training at Nada quotes beautifully that
“The birth of language was preceded by the birth of music; music by sounds emanating through vocal chords and the sounds by – hold your breath – silence. It is the silence, which causes the sound, the music and the music, the language.”

Musical silence helps the artiste to slurp the essence of shruthi emanating from the drone (tambura). The little silence between musical phrases ensures that the shruthi is heard and is followed throughout the singing. Silence between musical passages gives better focus to the musician to come up with more ingenious patterns in the coming phrases .Timed silences form great rhythmic patterns. Silence adds to melody. Take for instance the beautiful jaavali in Behag “nirupamaana saamini naa nilayamunaku rammanave” .A timed silence at the end of this line would mean so much…It gives time to comprehend the beautiful libretto meaning “I invite the purest form of worship to my mind’s abode”. Silent pauses are smart ways to take the audience with our music. We give them time to understand what we sing/play, get them to feel our expression and carry them with our course.

Small silences stir up curiosity in the listener. It keeps the audience awake to our music given the fact that they are unaware of what comes after the pause.

As eternal students of music, we all know that the tambura or what we call the drone instrument aids us with the aadhara shadjam and the panchamam. There are yet other swaras in this group of 12 swaras(am not including the redundant ones like the Shatshruti Rishabham which is Sadharana Gandharam).We would be surprised to know that these swaras are not produced by strumming the tambura ,yet the music we sing/play would/should have all these notes sitting in their appropriate chairs and in case they don’t our music wouldn’t be called “shruthi-bound”. Isn’t this little strange? When we go out of the designated frequencies for the notes “sa” and “pa” it is easily perceived that we are not with shruthi ‘coz we have the reference frequencies emanating from tambura and this is quite understandable too.

Lets get into the details (I know that the subject we are discussing over is silence…I will get back to it in a while…For now, I will go with the flow) .We define shruthi with two variables a and b with b > a (a= shadjamam and b=panchamam)

b/a = 1.5
i.e., panchamam(Pa) is 1.5 times shadjamam(Sa)…Since “Sa” is taken as reference to measure other variables, it is called aadhara shadjamam.When we go with the concept of octaves,”Pa” is between “Sa” and “Sa(hi)”…

“sa” – “pa” – “Sa(hi)” would then be a – 1.5a – 2a.

The variables in between i.e., swaras,”Ri”,”Ga”,”Ma”,”Dha”,”Ni” with their 2-3 variants occupy the space margined by a and 2a.Let these variables be denoted as “x” times a. So far good.
Getting back to our tambura, its strumming produces only the three frequencies “a”,”1.5a” and “2a”;yet the other swaras are to be shruthi bound. How do we comprehend this? While getting introduced to the other swaras, our ear listens and the brain carefully gauges the distance of this particular swara from reference “sa” and places it in the mind table. It’s as effortless as the eyes gauging the distance of the object to pick up from and directing the hand to go for it. Yeah,I am back to our central topic silence. Silent hiatus is good between musical passages to get a hold on the aadhara swarams (sa-pa) and register their frequencies so that the brain gets time to wire the distances to other frequencies (other swaras).

In this modern life, true silence is something we are deprived of. Having spoken enough on silence, I confess that musical silence is the most beautiful form of meditation I have known. As I get my tambura to intone, I enjoy the shruthi - the pleasant silence amidst noise around and within-the clatters in my mind .Even as I stop strumming, she continues to sing sa-pa-sa softly only to my ears saying I am still around you just have to feel me .As I close my eyes to appreciate her more, I see the gift of melody and hear the song of my heart. Silence –the perfect music, the music I can relate to!

As I sit to write this, I can hear silence around me. As the night dawns on me, I hear silence getting louder; I cherish this very moment for I can hear sound which some people think doesn’t exist; I realize that if you want to see something, you can see. If you want to hear something, you can hear. The articulation is all in the mind!

Revathi Sridharan

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I wish I could speak

(Story submitted to seismo)

In her pink skirt, frivolously blushing cheeks, her brown curls pinned up not to scare the blue eyed innocence Neethu looked as if she was just dropped from the beaming paradise. Her graceful frame, virile beauty, the purity of her heart, her perfect life, her compassion, sweetness in her speech, her serenity and unblemished smile would often get her hear “Some fella s gonna be lucky in few years”.

Neethu was one of the best green fingered members of her age anybody could think of. She could get anything to grow with gentle wheedling and lot of love.
“For my daughter's 18th birthday, I got her a diamond necklace” - exclaimed Renuka, the irksome neighbor of Neethu. Unlike most of us, the little darling did not expect an extravagant gift; for her, a Birthday gift was to be a source of joy and not a pain in the pocket. To her pleasant astonishment, she received a packet of Hibiscus seeds from her mother as a Birthday gift. Neethu jumped in delight. She ran towards the garden in the backyard which was her first home and planted the seeds with an immaculate smile . Neethu had always treated foliage her good friends, now her ardor demanded to see her best friend, the new Hibiscus, grow up soon and gorgeous to make her finest match.

Neethu got habitual to walking down to the garden everyday to see if the hibiscus sapling showed up her face.
 
Day five, nearing her favorite spot in the garden, a friend of her stops by and thanks Neethu for her timely help for the examination without which she would have failed miserably. After a relaxed chat with the friend, Neethu heads to the place where she planted the seeds; She gets a bolt from the blue as she sees a little green seedling screening her face bleakly. Neethu dances in pleasure, hugs her mother and thankfully cries for giving her her-best-friend (hereafter called Hibhy). While Neethu forgets herself in glee, the little hibiscus which would have over-heard Neethu’s conversation with her friend by the garden-side overwhelms in joy on its first exposure to speech; Hibhy remarks at this beautiful communiqué; “I wish I could tell Neethu a million thanks for giving me this life; I wish I could speak”!(~Hibby)

One night following the roar of thunder and lightning cutting through the sky, full of concern, Neethu runs to the garden to shade her little friend. With each flash of lightning, she would get closer to the plantlet covering it with all her might. Moved by her generosity and selflessness, Hibhy craves to tell her friend how much she means to her. She wishes she could hug Neethu and tell her what she is to her life? Hibhy murmurs (to herself) I wish I could speak!

Hibhy becomes Neethu’s best friend. Neethu would talk to her every day on her friends, family and interests and spare a greater share of her time with Hibhy.

She looks like a full moon on earth-whispers (to herself) Hibhy on getting a glimpse of Neethu the next morning. Neethu gets her the manure, gives her hope to grow, a lot of love and all that is required for Hibhy to sprout profusely and stand firm. Neethu smells of a caring mother more than a friend now; as she turns and heads back home from the garden Hibhy notices a thorn on her path. She wishes she could shout her throat out and stop Neethu from hurting her foot. Sad but Neethu runs over the thorn and bloods her soft foot. Hibhy cries in pain~I wish I could speak!
Days pass by, years fly; much to everybody’s wishes, the little princess gets her dream guy; leaves her home and the friend-of-life Hibhy carrying with her memories treasured over years. With Neethu waving at her, Hibhy whispers (to herself) –
I wish I could speak; I wish I could tell my friend that she is the most beautiful woman on earth - a sun among stars; I wish I could embrace her firmly and reflect the warmth she has given me; I wish I could send her million thanks for all that she has done to me; I wish I could speak!

It was about a week after Neethu’s departure from her mother’s house, Hibhy was seen less perky than ever. How little did anybody in the house know that no sooner would they have to accept a strange phenomenon causing them to wither out? Hibhy shriveled out. And when the news reached Neethu, she rushes to the garden and cries aloud “Hibhy, why did you have to speak so tough”
 
Hibhy finally spoke – but it was too late. She had to take all pains to get her words across to her best friend.

Dear friends, do not let life hold you back from speaking about something or clearing the air if need be. Speak to people who matter to you and to whom you matter. When we are gifted with a wonderful tool “speech” unlike Hibhy why shy away and not use it to its worth? Speak before it gets too late for taking life granted costs yet another life.

~Revathi

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Lay your sleeping head!!!



If we dig deep the origin of diverse genres of music, we will observe that each of it stalked out from a certain situation. Game music which is the talk of the day is based on this situational music. From the times of Super Mario to the now trend Counterstrike –all use music in interactive settings. Music played in the health spas, poojas, marriages have specific variants to suit the situation and ambience. Daniel J Levitin, the musicologist and author of “This is your brain on Music” quotes that the foremost origin of music dates back to Darwin himself who believed that Music had been the situational mode of communiqué in all human and paleohuman mating rituals.
Situational music makes use of the context of space or event to define characteristics of music and how people relate to it. Some musical works are created to allow contemplation and long periods of sustained listening. A classic exemplar to this simple criterion of situational music is Lullaby. It was originally designed as a composition intended to respite a child. A typical mind’s eye portrayal of the nativity of lullaby genre would be a person holding and swaying a baby, cajoling it in a sweet gentle tone; more of a monotone and mechanical than attention gathering.

Be it the telugu laali paatalu, tamizh thaalatu, kannada jojo haadu, hindi loriyan, the English versions of “Brahms’ Lullaby” all dole out the same rationale.
Ever wondered why lullabies quiet infants to sleep? Their constitution holds the key.
These musical pieces are constructed repetitive in nature. Since they form recurring rhyming patters, the brain will not have to exert much to recognize the sound and assimilate the pattern. The brain tunes to the lullaby track. The brain is convinced on its part that it is aware of what is being played at the milieu and this could probably induce nap since the brain is at rest. It is best proven by playing a song repeatedly, neednt be essentially of lullaby-nature to a child (preferably at bed time). The familiarity to the song affirms the above said logic and puts the baby to sleep.
“lu lu” “la la” “laa li” “jo jo” form the rich text of the lullaby vocabulary, the two syllable sounds which infacts can easily relate to. The use of this kind of music is so demanding that almost every mother across the prefectures would have composed/ learnt at least one lullaby for her child. The intention behind lullabies to lull child to slumber demands soothing gentle ragas, softly paced and are usual sung with many melismas.
Indian lullabies in ragas like Nelambari ,senchuruti have been scientifically proven to have received conditioned response .The swaras in these ragas are structured beautifully with melismatic techniques to induce a hypnotic trance in the listener. So the above said concept of repetitive nature alone doesn’t suffice, but a soothing tune/tone in lullaby is preferred to promote sleep over hard rock and tough beats.
Lullaby has many other benefits to offer too .At the age of infancy the innocent minds cannot capture and appreciate the libretto of the lullaby. But as familiarity breeds, the little minds would seek to get deep into the niceties of the music they are acquainted with. This is where lullaby works as a civilizing interface between the veteran parents and the naive children. One can instill their cultural values, narrate the child traditional stories through lullabies. Also through this simple music genre, sound recognition in children develops well.

At the end of the day, the question still remains unanswered .Though we have happily coined out the term “situational music”-It still remains an unsolved mystery “Did situation define music, or did music transform the situation?

If you do not agree,question!!!!


Hinduism is not a faith or religion but a way of life.Our practices have their foundation based on scientific spirituality. We can see a mention in the ancient Hindu literature(Eesaavaasya Upanishad) that our idea of spirituality and science are very closely integrated.
Why do we light a lamp? Why do we do Namaste? Why do we chant Aum kara? Why do we draw Rangoli?
All these obvious questions should not be dubbed aside as practices being superstitious or baseless; instead be scientifically reasoned out.

Rangoli - the artistic form of sand painting is drawn to appease Gods and Goddesses. Specially at the time of the festival of Diwali, Rangoli is drawn to conciliate Goddess Lakshmi, who is considered to be the Goddess of Wealth by the Hindus. Those of us who seek scientific rationale for this spiritual practice shall delve a little more to comprehend.

The original and ancient form of painting a Rangoli was by means of pure rice flour. It was not just a reason to abide by Dharma where the insects like ants and the rest living in the soil were fed but also prevented those insects from entering the home. Not just this, but the physical movements that this type of arts demanded helped the ladies to maintain fitness and prevented the growing pot belly! The beautiful pictures hidden behind these Rangolis provided a gate-way to present the talent and creative imaginations of the house ladies who had very limited exposure in those days.

The above reckoning made sense in those days where we had sand entrances to homes; ladies were given very little or no avenues to showcase their talent .But why do we have to paint Rangoli in these cemented days?

In this busy mechanical world when we cannot take time for physical fitness, Rangoli can help a great deal to force us make time to exercise our body; Marking of these artistic patterns would desist thieves from entering homes since Rangoli would ensure the presence of people at homes. This artistic form has attracted a host of Foreigners too. A lot of concentration and practice is necessary to develop this art. Drawing Rangolis helps to improve mental discipline and concentration;
On the lighter side, Rangolis form a fine decorative number for homes.