TAGGED...

Tagging is one of the few concepts of blogsphere which i didnt quite understand....not that there's actually much to it...
What i don't understand is the pleasure of tagging people...Maybe now that I'm tagged myself, I'll finally figure the pleasure people get with this seemingly unremarkable activity...
So thanks Akanksha for tagging me...
Now as per the rules I have to write 8 random facts about myself...

1.)I'm a total CHATTERBOX...thats the first thing anyone says if asked to describe me..I can strike up conversations with absolute strangers as well...and u can find me on the phone a LOT of the time..

2.)I seem to have a million friends and am hardly ever alone...but actually what I love most is SOLITUDE..

3.)Am damn psychotic a lot of the time...Given to absolute randomness...I wonder how people put up with me ;)

4.)I absolutely love to write...I know that's like a d'uh, considering that I blog...but really...i can loose myself anywhere when I'm writing and I get my inspiration in the weirdest places...for instance...the bathroom...bombay's famous BEST buses are one of the all time favorite places...

5.)I absolutely love to paint....its one time when i resent any kind of human interference....My mom's learnt over the years that, I'm a live DO NOT DISTURB sign at such times...

6.)I used to be a total cynic about romance, love and the likes..But eventually and unfortunately, the bug caught up with me...I surprised myself with the seemingly unbounded limits of my new found corniness..lol...

7.)I'm totally addicted to blogging...I spend nearly 2 hrs online everyday..just blogging!!!I am already trying to restrain myself on blogsphere though i have been here for hardly 2 months...

8.)I have really really long hair...It nearly goes down till my knees now...And though i behave quite churlish when my friends and relatives..and even strangers for that matter admire it and fuss over it...I secretly revel in all the attention...I suppose thats quite bad..but whatever a girl's gotta act pricey sometime rite!!

Ok..now thats quite enough about myself....and NOW i get to TAG others!!
So heres the list of people I'm tagging:
Alok
Ankur
Gopal
Sans
Ruma
Nisha
Curryegg
Hershey
Jeya Anand
These in turn have to tag 8 ppl...ok this was not bad...adios ppl..
P.S:But honestly still cant see what the BIG deal about tagging is?? But was good to be tagged once i guess..

MORNING OF MUSIC

Now I have to give some background here..I come from a family which knows how to appreciate music. My dad was very much a part of "Beatlemania" in his day and remembers the lyrics to most of their songs even today. My mother predictably likes Mohammad Rafi and Jagjit Singh and old Hindi film music. And both of them like Hindustani and Carnatic classical music and are regulars at various concerts in Mumbai. And given all of this, I'm the kind of person to who can have Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pt.Bhimsen Joshi and Bunty and Babli on the same play list(sorry but I cant stand the likes of Britney Spears!!) and enjoy them all.

But to be honest I have heard all these at home...and have witnessed only rock concerts, live!(I think I once saw a Jagjit Singh program as well)..

OKAY..NOTE....I said I enjoy all this music...but my knowledge concerning them is close to zilch..So if any facts in the following post are erroneous then I apologize profusely and welcome any corrections..

My parents happened to be going for a concert by Padma Vibhushan Gaanasaraswati Smt.Kishori Amonkar, on 24th June,Sunday at 9.00 am, at Nehru Center(Worli).The show was principally a Charity Concert, organized by the 'Bade Gulam Ali Yadgaar Sabha'.

I have heard a few of her songs before..She is basically a Hindustani classical performer who sings khyal in the Jaipur gharana style. She is currently 76 years of age and is most famous for her brilliant rendition of "baabul moraa".



We awoke in the morning to lashing rain, with grim forecasts on the news for the day ahead. After debating for a while, we decided to go ahead and reach the concert. The roads were not a good sight! It had only been pouring a few hours, but the roads were flooded with water that submerged the car tyres. Slowly, cautiously, weaving our way through fallen trees and flooded roads, with rain only giving us intermittent respite.

When we reached Nehru Center her popularity was reiterated, because the place was teeming with expectant music lovers. We had to reach the conclusion that 'Whether rain or shine Kishori Tai's(an affectionate term for older sister) program cannot be compromised'. Her music seemed to transcend all barriers of age, race, sex and time. Audiences old and young, from different classes of society-right from the 'air kissing' high society ladies to the simple middle class music enthusiasts, waited patiently as the show was delayed by almost an hour.

The rising curtain had a dramatic stillness about it.The compare introduced her and opened the show saying
"Aaj meri prarthna kuch aisi thi,
Aae baarish thodi der ke liye tham ja,
Ki Kishoriji yahan aa sake;
Aek baar woh yahan, aae aise barasna,
Ki woh hame chod ke jaa na saake!"

Kishori tai tuned up her 'swaramandali' and the 'tanpuras'.She seemed to have some trouble with her throat in the first 15 mins, but once her voice opened up, it was like a downpour of melody. Her voice filled up the auditorium like the sound of bells in a temple.The first half was dedicated to a composition called 'Mahadeo' in what i think was the Raag Bhairavi. She gradually built up the registers with amazing variations and aalap sung relentlessly for an hour and then completed the composition in the next half an hour. Ashwini Bedekar, one of the accompanists at the tanpura, supported her in this composition. I apologize as I didn't catch the name of her accompanying artists at the tabla and the harmonium.

Following a ten minute break.The organizers called upon Nana Patekar, who was a part of the audience to felicitate all the artistes with bouquets. He praised her saying "Sur hamare kaan mein atak gaye lekin tere gale mein bas gaye isiliye tu yahan aur hum wahan baithe hai!" She then spoke a few words in Marathi, through which she gave a heartfelt message, the gist of which she summarized herself in english, her last statement being "Children come back to the sublimity of classical music!".

The second composition was a beautiful rendering of "Devebhyo", followed by "Pavan Batariya" which I'm quite sure was in Raag Alaiya Bilaval. Here her other disciple at the tanpura was supporting her, a young girl with a lovely voice. On further inquiry she turned out to be Tejashree Amonkar, Kisohiriji's Grand daughter, genetically blessed with a beautiful voice and polished under the tutelage of her illustrious grandmother. She obviously doesn't hold candle to Kishori Tai yet, but I personally feel that classical music lovers should look out for her in the coming years.

Finally she sang "Ghat Ghat Mein Panchee Bolta" a doha by Sant Kabeer. This was the part of the performance that i most enjoyed. A noteworthy feature of her rendition was that she gave full play to both antaraa's, ending with a very evocative recital of all the lines strung together. A great finale to a memorable morning!

I hummed all the way back home in considerably reduced rainfall and rather clear roads. I cant remember when i last enjoyed a morning more!

ENTRANCED BY RAINS

I seem to be unable to write anything except stuff to do with rains...
Every time i pick up my pen..thats the only subject i can spew words on...
Its like all other subjects have refused to flow through it....
Every one of my words sounds like an expectation to me...hoping that the rains will absolve me of all my sins and dissolve all my misery...leaving me clean, pure and simply happy..
Neway...so here goes...just a few lines to that end...

When the skies cry for us,
We feel a sense of relief,
Which transmutes any sadness
We may be feeling into a
Pure Unbounded Joy,
Which only simple things can give us,
The water cleanses,
The fragrance of wetness transports,
The sense of lush greenery satiates,
My soul finally feels liberated,
As if nature is consoling me,
And caressing me into an entirely
different realm,
Of Joy...Pure Unbounded Joy.

FOR ALL THOSE FOOLS WHO LOVE...sigh..!

Yesterday was one of those uncharacteristically rainy evenings, when u want to sit by your window and simply stare at the rain pouring down...
But it was not one of those days when the rain made me ecstatically happy..it just made me inexplicably confused..A mixture of emotions whirring through my mind..
But i sat still, turning 'nothing in particular' over in my head...
when i remembered this snippet i had once written so i thought i'll put it up...

When it rains,
It feels as the skies are
Crying and rejoicing for
Us all
All those fools who love
My heart feels like
Its in a whirlpool of emotion
Soaring up to the heavens
And flung down to hell
Both at the same time
Thats what i've realized
Love feels like
That i can be happy
Even while my heart is breaking....

Pune..

Getting away from Bombay was what was uppermost in my mind when i planned my trip. Pune proved itself to be the most convenient destination as I had plenty of friends to meet and its just a 3 and a half hour bus journey...I was all excited..this being the first time i was traveling without parental accompaniment..

The trip started on a good note, considering my friend managed discounted fares on a morning bus to Pune...We traveled in comfort in a Raj Travels ,Volvo...Rather uneventful journey..(barring the fact that my normally sane friend complained "But the movie isint over!!!" for a movie as dumb as 'Hulchul', when we were about to disembark!)

My 2 days was basically characterized by good food and great company..2 wheeler seems to be the ONLY way to travel in pune..So with both my friend and her(considering i cant ride a bike!) 2 wheeler at my disposal began my tour.We started with the area she lives in..Boat Club area( as it houses the Royal Connaught Boat Club).. one of the poshest residential areas in pune.

First day was devoted to discovering eating joints...
We spent some time at a mall at East Square..Since we were being treated we had to consider pricing, distance et al..I figured the eating scene in Pune is waaay better than Bombay..
Its more economical, with as good if not slightly better variety and with acceptable quantity and quality. We decided on Malacca Spice in Koregaon Park area(thats near the Osho Ashram). One of the originally quaint places...South East Asian cuisine..Candle Light dining area...Paintings on sale...A portrait artist...the works...Good service and even better food..
We ended up with 5 dishes between the 6 of us, 3 being non-vegetarian and a bottle of Red Wine all for Rs.950..(not complaining at all!!)
And the bakeries just yum!! A quest for a birthday cake revealed this fact..Baker's Basket..Khayani's...Just Baked...the list never ends..

Next morning I spent in catching up with most of the people I know in Pune..And after lunch we headed for shopping(girls are allowed to indulge once in a way)..That covered Koregaon Park(for oshos of course), F.C road, Junglee Maharaj Road etc. My friend studies in COEP so i obviously got a guided tour of that as well( with special repeated mentions to the chimney of the only functional boiler!) and their Boat Club(where Raegatta is held every year)...I thought that BC was anice place to relax..and it amazing when its within ur college campus..

To kill some time before heading for Prabhat colony..we had a dekko at Shambhaji Garden, one of the famous albeit less visited places in pune...I like the view of the Mulla Muttha river you get from all the sites along its banks(including BC and Shambhaji Park).

We then headed for Hanuman Tekdi...which was the most brilliant thing I saw in Pune..Tekdi in marathi means hillock..this one ran along a hitherto stone quarry and offered a beautiful bird's eye view of Pune. A place for people to walk..for lovers to romance...children to play...friends to hang out and loners to revel...We had to leave just before dark because apparantly the place is infested with muggers after dark.

I had dinner with one of my aunt's friends and 2 of my own at the Pizza Hut at Deccan. She then took me back to her house at Swaar Gate via Chavni(or Camp area) and M.G.Road..
I had to unforunately leave for Bombay the next morning but with a happy heart because of a good to days and also that my mind was longing to be back in the pace of Bombay..
So my summarization of Pune is..
A nice city...Lots of greeney and natural beauty( with all the gadhs and tekdis)..
No consideration for traffic rules whatsoever...
A moderate pace of life..
The "City of Tekdi's" and "A Mini Metro"

Rains..with freedom...at long last

My month long exams are finally done...
In the throes of my most important papers and the weather becoming increasingly oppressive, I'd been praying for respite. I've been waiting for the rains so long and so hard, I'm sure I beat the Indian farmer at it this time round!
Finally...It rained about 10 days back...
And baarish ka pehla side effect????
>>My mind obviously flew completely off my studies!!
I simply wanted to rush out and get drenched..but couldn't take the risk of falling ill in the middle of exams...I was trapped but my mind and soul was flying trying to capture the essence of the beautiful rapturous rain!!
Phrases were running amok in my head...but they were all in hindi...when i tried to translate they were simply sounding absurd and too ostentatious...the words were loosing their essence and meaning...
so decided to write in hindi itself...I beg pardon of all those people who may get offended by the malaprop of any term...
So here goes:
Station ke bahar pakode ki khushboo aaye,
Chapre ke neeche garam masaaledaar chai!

Phurrr se baarish hui shuru,
Dhunde toh dekha, chatri nahi laaye!

Jhijak ke do minute soche,
Phir bedhadaas paani mein nahaaye!

Woh geeli mitti ki khushboo, Woh garam bhutte ka swaad,
Without fail dilade barsaat ki yaad!

Kapde ho gaye kharab, Naale se badboo aaye,
Phir bhi yeh baarish maan ko bhaa jaaye!


Khao chowpatty pe bhaaji pau, Naarial paani ko mat bhulao,
Samandar kinaare baarish ka alag hi anubhav!

Ghar pe coffee aur kitaab, Bahar garajti kadakti barsaat,
Aise bhi, kuch apne dil ko lubhaaye!

Alag rangon mein, Alag dhangon se,
Jaise bhi ho...
Baarish mein mazaa toh sabko aaye!

-Sneha