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Monday, September 27, 2010

Carnatic music - Is it only for a few ? - A random thought

People claim that Carnatic music is more popular among the aged population than the trendy ones. They shore up their tirade by quoting that Carnatic music is mostly based on divinity and religion and that says it all. This puts up a question - Can an atheist enjoy Carnatic music? Is Carnatic music meant only for a creamy class of people? Is it meant for the matured and the aged minds alone?

The forefathers of Carnatic music undoubtedly took to the path of Music to realize God. While God realization was the ultimate goal, they enjoyed the trail as much as the destination. Music (singing as an exercise) encompasses Holistic breathing and chakra stabilization - Healthy mind, healthy body and Healthy body, healthy mind. This lit their journey driven by a body, pink in health and a white peaceful mind. Religion and divinity were then the two topics aspected to a good living. Any new venture was then to either embrace or oppose these. The musical ancestors combined the elements of Bhakthi and Music passionately. The initial endeavors paid off well. More people were attracted towards this artistic form. This heralded a new era to the preachers of other dimensions like philosophy, jingoism etc. Capturing the underlying rule, the raga and the bhava, on the whole the medium – MUSIC imprisoned the crowd-following and not the orientation, be it spiritual, patriotic or religion. Music then was taken as a podium to unite people for a single cause. Carnatic music can hence be said to have originated from the spiritual and religious milieu. But it dint stagnate there, it gradually crossed the boundaries.

It’s the strengths that makes Carnatic music, Music oriented and not situation bound.
Simple and expressive, intricate and challenging: The range of melodic and rhythmic ideas that Carnatic music offers can be employed in a simple, appealing way or in a subtle structure as well. Saint Thyagaraja’s early compositions, Divya nama sankeerthanams make easier meal compared to Dikshithar’s Navagraha, Navavarana krithis. While that serves the religious and theist populace, lighter compositions like the javalis, challenging nadais in thillanas and Pallavi(RTP) have the ability to hold tight the younger generation.

Carnatic music thus offers a wide scope to quench the desire for expansion, be it in the lyrical, melodic or the rhythmic direction. Ragas and swaras are bound to no God, no religion. They just belong to the language of music, the religion of music. A phrase with no words absolutely can be remarkably intellectual compared to a composition laden with words.

Why is it then people still associate Music to God and divinity? In my idea, the depth of expression and directness that Carnatic music offers can probably be not compared to anything mortal or easily known. Carnatic music dwells in the soul, lights the inward journey and hands an easy path to converse with the mind.

Bhakthi, divinity, devotion, theism are topics not comfortable for many these days owing to the growing diverse tastes, beliefs and rationales of people. The contemporary ideas could probably make the younger crowd stay away from core Carnatic music and embrace new-fangled music. Let the ideas of philosophy and religion not dilute the traditional art forms. Human life wouldn’t be complete if the aesthetic angle is ignored and the young minds have to be exposed to such beautiful artistic forms early in life. Spirituality and religion can be late comers but not art.

A fitting conclusion to this post would be to recollect Sri TM Krishna's words from one of his Marghazhi utsavam's concert. He said Music is divine, and anything that’s being sung is divine and slopes on Bhakthi, with Bhakthi meaning deep focus on a theme, not necessarily God. And if he sings a composition on love or even just about a stone, its all in the name of BHAKTHI.

PS: Do not mind my bias to this art form. Intention is not to neglect the rest.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Visit Later

"It has been a while since I got time to sit back and recollect the green chapters of my life. Shahrukh's fan club bunking classes for his first day first show, chitchat with Leena by the college compound, lastbenchers' gossips..."Listen, you got to concentrate. You have to complete the code review by End Of the Day”, heard Hamsa saying to herself.

"The team has spent on him sending him to many trainings in and outside the company. He has got no better. He thinks he can write bit-banging code. But only he can understand, not even the compiler which has to optimize it." retorted Hamsa a little louder this time that she heard it hitting her own ears; that’s when she realized she was indeed loud.

Masters, PhD, marriage, kids, and career got in way. Moving in pursuit of her dreams, Hamsa had lost track of the path that had led her to who she was today. If at all a time machine were to be employed to track the rush hour performance of her busy life, it would start emoting like a human and cry to death.

Heeding to her mind's voice Hamsa got immersed in her review work till she came across a comment by the author in the code. "Naveen: Visit this function later. But do visit. It is important to fix this". She sternly added a review comment to the developer saying, this function is left unattended. "Visit later" just means it isn’t immediate, but you need to close such remarks before you come to the reviewer. Hamsa, though was a good techie, was never so strong in her words. Today her mind was elsewhere, it was pre-occupied.


Though the line dint mean a deal for her in the code, it took her back by years.
Her memories traveled back, back by 7-8 years and landed on the wooden bench of a corner dark room of her college. Hamsa used to spend more time at college than home. A popular student in her small college, Hamsa was acing her courses well. Having lost her father early in life, she had the best influence and protection of one of her lecturers which kept her strong and spirited. Mr. Rathore was a lecturer of a class. Though the subject he handled was Computer Architecture, he taught more on life than on the subject. He often urged students to discuss life and was sure each had a good bit to share. Some of his colleagues passed snide comments on Mr. Rathore, but he never was troubled as long as the students were him with. Hamsa had not come across a lecturer of his kind till then and never later, in her Post Graduate and Doctoral courses. If she were a successful person academically and in her career today, it was partly due to her commitment and majorly due to Mr. Rathore's shade. He would push for students to study more, not for a job or for the money, but for knowledge. His thirst for knowledge was insatiable. Though Hamsa was a grade A student, her inclination towards Rathore's subject would get her a grade above A in it if there was one. Rathore was passionate about what he taught and he passed on the same to his students. Hamsa wished to do her higher studies under Rathore and specialize in his subject.

Hamsa graduated in flying colors and her merit fetched her admissions in distant graded Universities. But she insisted on continuing in the small college under her much preferred lecturer Rathore. He tries his part to convince her to embrace bigger and better opportunities. Hamsa doesn’t easily get swayed. He then says something that makes Hamsa agree, though diffidently, "Leave now, visit later, but do visit. This college and I shall be happy to welcome you as our professor.”

Hamsa comes back in time. This time she lands inside a sleek, modern, architectural glass structure, sitting on a sophisticated computer chair with the world's slimmest and top brand laptop in front of her, doing the code review. It’s difficult to say no to fancy life, big money. But Hamsa decides to trail back the path which led her here. She convinces her partner and children to go back to the little corner town and lead a simple yet meaningful life.

She finally returns to her village just to hear from Mr. Rathore "Thanks for the comeback. I knew this would happen before my retiring from the college and you marked my retirement day. You shall handle my subject here forth".