Thursday, May 20, 2010
I hear the tinkle of drop, listen to the honey of koel,
Touch the white of jasmine...
Yet the gray of gloom looms, as I wait for dusk,
to dawn upon me, with the rhythm and notes of the monsoon...
Monday, January 29, 2007
Hindustani classical music – of syllables, notes and literature.
Naad is sound. Anaahat naad and Aahat naad are the 2 forms of naad, where Anaahat is the sound of the divinity which is unstruck, and Aahat naad is every other sound that’s created by striking, and perhaps is a human effort to be divine!
The power of sound, by itself, is understated because we hardly are inspired by the mere presence of it. When in touch with sound singularly, that is in silence, in an empty room or in meditation, we tend to find the acoustics powerful. A miniscule speck of sound proves its gravid significance. Naad is musical when such sounds are organized and are prevented from becoming noise.
Music, being the lifeblood of art and classical art at that, is comprised of naad in its various forms. Instrumental music is the manipulation of naad in its purest avatar and there’s no mix-up of sounds with words and vocalized poetry. Once naad is vocalized, there has to be, the third dimension of words and oral pronunciations, besides Sur and Taal.
Language of music – the alphabet
All the music of the world is born out of seven notes or the Saptak. Each swar or note comes with a distinct intonation as well as pronunciation. For instance, the note Sa is sung with an aakar or an ‘aa’ effect, Re has aykar and so on. When the notes are played on any instrument, say, the strings of a Sitar or the strains of a Flute or a Shehnai, the effect is different. However, the notes are the same, and the swars play like mere tunes!
Now, when the notes are sung, the nomenclature plays its part. With the vowel following the consonant to make it a musical letter in S(aa), R(ay), G(a), M(a), P(a), Dh(a), N(i), there’s the genesis of a whole new dimension of naming the notes. These notes, sung in complimenting groups or the swar-samudaya, with the backing of the rhythmic cycle called Taal, and within the bounds of a raga, are known as Sargam. Sargam, strictly the privilege of the vocal territory, when played on an instrument, becomes a ‘dhun’ or literally a tune.
Orchestrating with the voice
Let’s picture it in this way – swars are souls and vocalizing them means rendering them a body, and christening them as Sa, Re Ga, Ma and so on.
In any language, 2 or more letters are put together to form words. In a fashion similar to that, in the language of vocal music, 2 or more naads are brought together to form words – sometimes to create a certain musical picture and sometimes plain imitations of the sounds of instruments. These sounds may not have any meaning all by themselves, but when sung in styles like the Taraana and the trivat, the listener can feel the orchestrative impact and the concept being delivered.
The taraana consists of syllables like tanana, yalalee and the likes. Taraana is sung in medium and fast tempo and is void of any bhaava or expression. It’s sung solely to display the prowess of the performer. The naads here are close to instruments often sounding like the strains of the Sitar and the Veena. On the other hand, Trivat closely resembles the sounds of the Tabla, Mridangam and the Pakhavaj. The syllables used in trivat are dha, kdandha, takdeem and the works. The orchestrative effects of the naads created while singing is spell-binding.
The third dimension - lyric
When naad demands life – ras and bhaava, the need for poetry arises. Poetry in Hindustani classical music has its own standing, at times quite indispensable and at other times, one can do away with it. The most popular ancient style of rendering in Hindustani vocal music is that of the Dhrupad, that comprises the raag-vistaar and the aalap or the elucidation of the raga in slow, medium and fast tempos. These are sung in rhythmic beats, and syllables like retanana are used. Following the aalap is the verse that mostly describes Krishna’s divinity, and has the bhakti ras or devotional expression as the central theme. Dhamaar is a style based on the same lines as the dhrupad, but the poetry generally describes Krishna’s childhood and the days of his youth.
The modern styles of singing in Hindustani music are the khyal-gayaki and the semi-classical Thumris and Daadras. Khyal-gayaki consists of a bandish or a pair of couplets. These, indubitably, are of poetic value but the raag-vistaar holds the pinnacle of importance here. Words and lyrics hold a place of honor in Thumri, Daadra, Bhajan, Ghazal et al. Khyal is the most widely rendered style in Hindustani classical music. It was popularized by the mughal emperors of the 17th-18th centuries, and the legacy continues even today.
The couplet in khyal is followed by aalap- the expression and annotation of the notes of the raga by the performer, and taan – the fast paced singing of the notes that gives scope for the performer to display his vocal skills.
Thumri and Daadra are light classical forms in which the performer has ample freedom in terms of experimenting with the raga, sometimes even mixing other ragas into it. These are basically lyric-oriented verses where the lines describe Krishna’s divine love for Radha, and strongly maintaining love and longing as the theme.
Music, per se, has a powerful life generating impact, and there have been innumerable writings on the same. On a similar note, breathing life into strummed and strained naads on instruments is to vocalize the naads – be it in the form of poetic aesthetics, or simple reverberations of a pleasant kind and sometimes strong and characteristically bold.
The power of sound, by itself, is understated because we hardly are inspired by the mere presence of it. When in touch with sound singularly, that is in silence, in an empty room or in meditation, we tend to find the acoustics powerful. A miniscule speck of sound proves its gravid significance. Naad is musical when such sounds are organized and are prevented from becoming noise.
Music, being the lifeblood of art and classical art at that, is comprised of naad in its various forms. Instrumental music is the manipulation of naad in its purest avatar and there’s no mix-up of sounds with words and vocalized poetry. Once naad is vocalized, there has to be, the third dimension of words and oral pronunciations, besides Sur and Taal.
Language of music – the alphabet
All the music of the world is born out of seven notes or the Saptak. Each swar or note comes with a distinct intonation as well as pronunciation. For instance, the note Sa is sung with an aakar or an ‘aa’ effect, Re has aykar and so on. When the notes are played on any instrument, say, the strings of a Sitar or the strains of a Flute or a Shehnai, the effect is different. However, the notes are the same, and the swars play like mere tunes!
Now, when the notes are sung, the nomenclature plays its part. With the vowel following the consonant to make it a musical letter in S(aa), R(ay), G(a), M(a), P(a), Dh(a), N(i), there’s the genesis of a whole new dimension of naming the notes. These notes, sung in complimenting groups or the swar-samudaya, with the backing of the rhythmic cycle called Taal, and within the bounds of a raga, are known as Sargam. Sargam, strictly the privilege of the vocal territory, when played on an instrument, becomes a ‘dhun’ or literally a tune.
Orchestrating with the voice
Let’s picture it in this way – swars are souls and vocalizing them means rendering them a body, and christening them as Sa, Re Ga, Ma and so on.
In any language, 2 or more letters are put together to form words. In a fashion similar to that, in the language of vocal music, 2 or more naads are brought together to form words – sometimes to create a certain musical picture and sometimes plain imitations of the sounds of instruments. These sounds may not have any meaning all by themselves, but when sung in styles like the Taraana and the trivat, the listener can feel the orchestrative impact and the concept being delivered.
The taraana consists of syllables like tanana, yalalee and the likes. Taraana is sung in medium and fast tempo and is void of any bhaava or expression. It’s sung solely to display the prowess of the performer. The naads here are close to instruments often sounding like the strains of the Sitar and the Veena. On the other hand, Trivat closely resembles the sounds of the Tabla, Mridangam and the Pakhavaj. The syllables used in trivat are dha, kdandha, takdeem and the works. The orchestrative effects of the naads created while singing is spell-binding.
The third dimension - lyric
When naad demands life – ras and bhaava, the need for poetry arises. Poetry in Hindustani classical music has its own standing, at times quite indispensable and at other times, one can do away with it. The most popular ancient style of rendering in Hindustani vocal music is that of the Dhrupad, that comprises the raag-vistaar and the aalap or the elucidation of the raga in slow, medium and fast tempos. These are sung in rhythmic beats, and syllables like retanana are used. Following the aalap is the verse that mostly describes Krishna’s divinity, and has the bhakti ras or devotional expression as the central theme. Dhamaar is a style based on the same lines as the dhrupad, but the poetry generally describes Krishna’s childhood and the days of his youth.
The modern styles of singing in Hindustani music are the khyal-gayaki and the semi-classical Thumris and Daadras. Khyal-gayaki consists of a bandish or a pair of couplets. These, indubitably, are of poetic value but the raag-vistaar holds the pinnacle of importance here. Words and lyrics hold a place of honor in Thumri, Daadra, Bhajan, Ghazal et al. Khyal is the most widely rendered style in Hindustani classical music. It was popularized by the mughal emperors of the 17th-18th centuries, and the legacy continues even today.
The couplet in khyal is followed by aalap- the expression and annotation of the notes of the raga by the performer, and taan – the fast paced singing of the notes that gives scope for the performer to display his vocal skills.
Thumri and Daadra are light classical forms in which the performer has ample freedom in terms of experimenting with the raga, sometimes even mixing other ragas into it. These are basically lyric-oriented verses where the lines describe Krishna’s divine love for Radha, and strongly maintaining love and longing as the theme.
Music, per se, has a powerful life generating impact, and there have been innumerable writings on the same. On a similar note, breathing life into strummed and strained naads on instruments is to vocalize the naads – be it in the form of poetic aesthetics, or simple reverberations of a pleasant kind and sometimes strong and characteristically bold.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
the strike black mail!
Of late there have been so many strikes in our country...by unions, by individuals, by organisations...
Madame Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan's on an indefinite hunger strike for the cause of the displacement of the people of Narmada valley due to the dam surrection..
SBI staff union and the ancillaries were on a 5 day strike.
And now an internet forward is doing the rounds. read on.
" Usually don't forward stuff. But this one's worth it. *** One of us have shown courage. Protest against 49.5% reservation in colleges-AMIT KUMAR GARG, 2nd Year Aero IITB on indefinitely long hunger strike. & if still not heard AMIT will exercise self immolation (burn himself) in front of Main Building IITB. Wake up my friends and contribute by forwarding this message "
Wake up?? hello??!!! What do we wake up to? Some guy getting all furious about the Govt's decisions and trying out all nautanki of a hunger strike? Alright. I must confess we are all furious. But I really dont think a hunger strike is a solution in any which way! And our guy has threatened self immolation if not "heard". I think self immolation is the worst form of coercion, and that itself is a crime.
Ms. Medha Patkar is one one of the most revered and proactive women in India, today. She has been a constant activist of the NBA and has worked for the cause giving her all into it. She has been working for the cause of the people along the Narmada valley selflessly and we all appreciate her motives. But when she called an indefinite hunger strike, it came as a blow. No, am not against a hunger strike as such, but my question is why should she be the only one doing it? Its not for her that she's fighting the govt regarding the narmada issue, but all the people who've been displaced because of govt action. I stongly feel that this could have been a revolution of sorts, had she enrolled all the people she was working for along the narmada. Fine, she'll go on a hunger strike, but her people are going to eat to their hearts' content? This in no way is going to affect the govt lemme tell u. Okay madam is on a hunger strike. So what?
When are we going to wake upto her? When she dies of hunger?
Similar is the case of ourman from IITB fasting indefinitely for the cause against reservations. We all are upset about it, and with due respects all the sc/bc/obc quota, we do believe, we must have an equal opportunity in any field and such reservatiions are clearly defying the same.
This IITB guy, being young and having that kind of energy, could have enrolled scores of his peers into his concern, and it could have been a major transformation of a protest into a revolution. And such things as self-immolation are the worst examples of black mail and coercion and only show how weak we could get if the demands are not met.
If one feels so strongly about an issue and nothing is being done about it, do it yourself. Not black mailing the authorities in ways such as this, but by creating an awareness and by snow-balling it into a major revolution that enrols even the authorities that we question today.
Madame Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan's on an indefinite hunger strike for the cause of the displacement of the people of Narmada valley due to the dam surrection..
SBI staff union and the ancillaries were on a 5 day strike.
And now an internet forward is doing the rounds. read on.
" Usually don't forward stuff. But this one's worth it. *** One of us have shown courage. Protest against 49.5% reservation in colleges-AMIT KUMAR GARG, 2nd Year Aero IITB on indefinitely long hunger strike. & if still not heard AMIT will exercise self immolation (burn himself) in front of Main Building IITB. Wake up my friends and contribute by forwarding this message "
Wake up?? hello??!!! What do we wake up to? Some guy getting all furious about the Govt's decisions and trying out all nautanki of a hunger strike? Alright. I must confess we are all furious. But I really dont think a hunger strike is a solution in any which way! And our guy has threatened self immolation if not "heard". I think self immolation is the worst form of coercion, and that itself is a crime.
Ms. Medha Patkar is one one of the most revered and proactive women in India, today. She has been a constant activist of the NBA and has worked for the cause giving her all into it. She has been working for the cause of the people along the Narmada valley selflessly and we all appreciate her motives. But when she called an indefinite hunger strike, it came as a blow. No, am not against a hunger strike as such, but my question is why should she be the only one doing it? Its not for her that she's fighting the govt regarding the narmada issue, but all the people who've been displaced because of govt action. I stongly feel that this could have been a revolution of sorts, had she enrolled all the people she was working for along the narmada. Fine, she'll go on a hunger strike, but her people are going to eat to their hearts' content? This in no way is going to affect the govt lemme tell u. Okay madam is on a hunger strike. So what?
When are we going to wake upto her? When she dies of hunger?
Similar is the case of ourman from IITB fasting indefinitely for the cause against reservations. We all are upset about it, and with due respects all the sc/bc/obc quota, we do believe, we must have an equal opportunity in any field and such reservatiions are clearly defying the same.
This IITB guy, being young and having that kind of energy, could have enrolled scores of his peers into his concern, and it could have been a major transformation of a protest into a revolution. And such things as self-immolation are the worst examples of black mail and coercion and only show how weak we could get if the demands are not met.
If one feels so strongly about an issue and nothing is being done about it, do it yourself. Not black mailing the authorities in ways such as this, but by creating an awareness and by snow-balling it into a major revolution that enrols even the authorities that we question today.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Simba And Me
Animals never caught my fancy, in particular, dogs never did. When Sai got her Odie, a (so-called) magnificent golden labrador, she was on cloud nine, the happiest soul on the planet. Odie, to me was cute as a chubby four month old, but as she grew, looked scarier by the minute! Sai would tell me how people admired Odie and how "pretty" her eyes were. I thought, "pretty??"!! she scares the daylights out of me! How can a dog, man! a dog for heavens' sake look pretty?!
Odie would try to make friends with me whenever I visited Sai's for a session of combined studies or a lazy afternoon chat. Odie would never look pretty or cute. To me she was one scary dog looking at me to pounce, given a chance.
Yesterday, we were all at Chaitu's for another of our group-study sessions, that usually comprise three-fourths of study (no, really!) and one-fourth of good humor. we make a great bunch of merry-makers, trust me. That evening as we sat busy with mundane chatter, Chaitu walked in with this really cute little pup. It was grey with a few black patches, fur so thick and soft, and the eyes! the eyes shone like a baby's. A human baby's. And for someone like me with so much affinity towards babies, and mind you, its mostly mutual! those little black eyes looked at me in the most innocent and childlike way and it was reaching out to me. It was amazing. And the way it simply slipped into my grasp, made me feel almost motherly! Yes, that was exactly the feeling. I think it's all in the way it looked at me and reacted to me. He was called Simba. Yes, Simba the little King! King, in his own right he was. He ruled my feelings with those little sparkling eyes, the touch. Simba tossed and turned as I carried him warm and safe in my arms. He'd yawn once in a while and believe me, there's no sight like that. His little flat tongue would go all stiff and teeth the size of tiny gingelly seeds, but fangs quite sharp! It was the cutest thing I'd seen in ages.
I'd go introduce the Gang to Simba - "Say hi to Lamboo uncle!!", "Say hello Maddy aunty!" ha ha ha It was sheer fun! They teased him asking, "where's daddy?" and things like "here's harry mummy!" awesome fun we had.
I played with him all evening and came to know he was for sale. I promised myself the gift called Simba. He's gotta be mine. My baby. could a pup make me feel this way? Everybody was surprised. But then, things dont really happen the way I want them to. With me, well, its the case almost always. It had to happen this time too. Simba would not be my baby. For reasons, some unknown, some left unsaid, Simba would always be on my mind and in my memories as the first dog that moved me so much.
The Tomboy that I get called, or Harini alias "deemed boy", needs a redefining. At least after i met Simba...
Odie would try to make friends with me whenever I visited Sai's for a session of combined studies or a lazy afternoon chat. Odie would never look pretty or cute. To me she was one scary dog looking at me to pounce, given a chance.
Yesterday, we were all at Chaitu's for another of our group-study sessions, that usually comprise three-fourths of study (no, really!) and one-fourth of good humor. we make a great bunch of merry-makers, trust me. That evening as we sat busy with mundane chatter, Chaitu walked in with this really cute little pup. It was grey with a few black patches, fur so thick and soft, and the eyes! the eyes shone like a baby's. A human baby's. And for someone like me with so much affinity towards babies, and mind you, its mostly mutual! those little black eyes looked at me in the most innocent and childlike way and it was reaching out to me. It was amazing. And the way it simply slipped into my grasp, made me feel almost motherly! Yes, that was exactly the feeling. I think it's all in the way it looked at me and reacted to me. He was called Simba. Yes, Simba the little King! King, in his own right he was. He ruled my feelings with those little sparkling eyes, the touch. Simba tossed and turned as I carried him warm and safe in my arms. He'd yawn once in a while and believe me, there's no sight like that. His little flat tongue would go all stiff and teeth the size of tiny gingelly seeds, but fangs quite sharp! It was the cutest thing I'd seen in ages.
I'd go introduce the Gang to Simba - "Say hi to Lamboo uncle!!", "Say hello Maddy aunty!" ha ha ha It was sheer fun! They teased him asking, "where's daddy?" and things like "here's harry mummy!" awesome fun we had.
I played with him all evening and came to know he was for sale. I promised myself the gift called Simba. He's gotta be mine. My baby. could a pup make me feel this way? Everybody was surprised. But then, things dont really happen the way I want them to. With me, well, its the case almost always. It had to happen this time too. Simba would not be my baby. For reasons, some unknown, some left unsaid, Simba would always be on my mind and in my memories as the first dog that moved me so much.
The Tomboy that I get called, or Harini alias "deemed boy", needs a redefining. At least after i met Simba...
Thursday, February 09, 2006
hmm...
today was eventful...saw rang de basanti for the third time and i actually survived the three and a half hours unscathed! well thanks to the gang they kept me awake and laughing even through the 'cry' parts of the movie... this bunch of wannabe CAs is lotsa fun lemme tell u...
then it was my (advance)birthday treat...we were 14 of us and we were fighting over which place to go...tiwari bros was my take coz i love the food and its nice on the pocket too(haha after all who was paying?) but that wasnt nice enough for these fellows and we finally zeroed in on some stupid shanti sagar(what?)...the name was deceptive and neither was there any shanti whatsoever at the bistro nor was it cheap(didnt the name sound tht way?)...
so we guys anyway had a party and had a blast...baba was there with her bro and raku joined us too..
maddy and shrek were nicknamed perimaa peripaa respectively by viggu and they called him tata and me paati... it was hilarious...
annu had a blast with the two women prats and sahu giving him company before and after the intermission in the movie respectively and at lunch too...
was good fun and am sure i'll miss these times...well all of us will....
then it was time for music class and buddy, i slept through it....i mean i was almost sleep-singing..haha it was unreal...at the end of the class i couldnt recall what raag it was that we sang!!
will have to make up for it.
then it was my (advance)birthday treat...we were 14 of us and we were fighting over which place to go...tiwari bros was my take coz i love the food and its nice on the pocket too(haha after all who was paying?) but that wasnt nice enough for these fellows and we finally zeroed in on some stupid shanti sagar(what?)...the name was deceptive and neither was there any shanti whatsoever at the bistro nor was it cheap(didnt the name sound tht way?)...
so we guys anyway had a party and had a blast...baba was there with her bro and raku joined us too..
maddy and shrek were nicknamed perimaa peripaa respectively by viggu and they called him tata and me paati... it was hilarious...
annu had a blast with the two women prats and sahu giving him company before and after the intermission in the movie respectively and at lunch too...
was good fun and am sure i'll miss these times...well all of us will....
then it was time for music class and buddy, i slept through it....i mean i was almost sleep-singing..haha it was unreal...at the end of the class i couldnt recall what raag it was that we sang!!
will have to make up for it.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
am on a fast!!
Today the Eighth day of the Second month of the Two Thousand and Sixth year after death of Christ, am fasting. well, the occasion, Bhishma Ekadasi. Read on to know more about the occasion...
Observance of Bhishma Ekadasi is a special event at the shrine of Annavaram in Andhraparadesh. It was on this day Bhishma, the grand old man of Kauravas, attained Moksha in the Kurukshetra war. A day prior to it he initiated Yudhishtira to the most effective "Mantra" called "Vishnu Sahasra Naama." It is about the chanting of Lord Vishnu's thousand names. No less a person than Adi Shankara, the leading exponent of Advaita philosophy, wrote a commentary to "Vishnu Sahasra Naama" as he did on other scriptures. That is the reason why the "Satyanarayana Vratam" which is specially linked to Vishnu Sahasra Naama, is performed on Bhishma Ekadasi day. At the Annavaram shrine this Vratam is performed with great eclat and sanctity. Pilgrims in their thousands throng this shrine on Bhishma Ekadasi and participate in the Vratam.
I have been initiated into fasting for the day by my father. Was the first time I ever ventured into fasting for anything whatsoever. But a certain friend's determination to take up extreme dedication and discipline set me thinking...
This might not be in anyway religious or otherwise. Its simply to have a faith in something or someone who is more powerful than you. There He is, time and again reminding you of his presence and power. I simply had this urge to surrender to the supreme force in my own little way and have a faith...
"Karmanyevaadhikaraste
Maa phaleshu kadachana"
Observance of Bhishma Ekadasi is a special event at the shrine of Annavaram in Andhraparadesh. It was on this day Bhishma, the grand old man of Kauravas, attained Moksha in the Kurukshetra war. A day prior to it he initiated Yudhishtira to the most effective "Mantra" called "Vishnu Sahasra Naama." It is about the chanting of Lord Vishnu's thousand names. No less a person than Adi Shankara, the leading exponent of Advaita philosophy, wrote a commentary to "Vishnu Sahasra Naama" as he did on other scriptures. That is the reason why the "Satyanarayana Vratam" which is specially linked to Vishnu Sahasra Naama, is performed on Bhishma Ekadasi day. At the Annavaram shrine this Vratam is performed with great eclat and sanctity. Pilgrims in their thousands throng this shrine on Bhishma Ekadasi and participate in the Vratam.
I have been initiated into fasting for the day by my father. Was the first time I ever ventured into fasting for anything whatsoever. But a certain friend's determination to take up extreme dedication and discipline set me thinking...
This might not be in anyway religious or otherwise. Its simply to have a faith in something or someone who is more powerful than you. There He is, time and again reminding you of his presence and power. I simply had this urge to surrender to the supreme force in my own little way and have a faith...
"Karmanyevaadhikaraste
Maa phaleshu kadachana"
CAtch 22
...people, i dunno how it is out there in the US or the UK or any country for tht matter but i know in my India, becoming a Chartered Accountant is a frustrating, demoralising and an energy draining ordeal tht many of my colleagues would agree with. Am a victim myself so am using this as a rant floor so i can let myself out. Please people, cry with me! haha okay! Lemme tell u what. Am going to write my intermediate exams for the fourth time..BLOODY FOURTH TIME!!! While my bum chums a.k.a chaddi yar have become CAs. They r Chartered Accountants today! And with all due respects i'd also like to add tht i took some classes for and taught a few of my buds n they qualify while i dont! My friends r lookin at me, my colleagues r looking at me, my prospective wannabe husband(s) ;-) r looking at me...and my evaluator?guess wat! HA! my evaluator is not even looking!!That makes me go "HELLOOOO!!! someone grace my paper by actually EVALUATING it please??" like am tired now n i can actually start teaching! Hell!! writing the same exams may after november after may after november, i think i have gathered enough content n "experience" haha saywhat!(wink!!wink!!).. anyway guess all i need now is some more luck n god's grace, or is it the evaluator's?!
