Song for the deaf

There are some folks, you see. They can read, yet can't read. They can talk, yet can't talk. They can hear, yet can't hear. They can write, yet can't write. They give themselves some reasons (read excuses) for being so. And then there are fools who write reams and reams in hope they'll be read by these, some day. They talk incessantly in a hope to be heard. Nothing works. One can melt a stone, but a heart.. no way! When that realization dawns upon, here's how it flows as a song..

Though the lyrics are exceptional here, I'd still like to choose Jaidev's music above it. It's a classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_pFjnrk2oU

Incredible weekend!

There's something incredible happening to me, for past few months. Having had watched Jayathi-Kumaresh perform in the Bangalore Literature festival, I was wishing that they could perform sometime soon, in Hyderabad. Though not Jayanthi, Ganesh-Kumaresh duo along with Ustad Shujat Khan rocked Ravindra Bharathi in last December. No matter whose concert I go to, if there's a Tabla, I yearn for Zakir Hussain. No sooner did I start yearning for him, he performed with Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. Against all hopes, I was hoping, if there could be one more chance of watching Sachin Tendulkar playing in the whites, and here he was, against Australia! (He may have sucked for those who measure him in runs, but for me, he's always rocks.) And couple of weeks back, when I came to know that Pt. HariPrasad Chaurasia will be performing in the city, I had no doubts that my luck is on all time high.

I missed the live concert of Pt.Chaurasia in my city, couple of years ago. I was all tempted to go to Bangalore, where he performed twice in a very short span in recent times, but I couldn't. This time, I was making sure that come what may, I would attend his concert. And yes, all that I was dreaming about was to see him perform live.

Pt. Bhimsen Joshi National Festival of Music and Dance was a 3 day event, where Pt.Chaurasia's concert was the culminating event. On the 2nd day of the festival, there was an announcement that a special documentary on Pt.Chaurasia would be screened in Prasads and interested candidates can collect invitation passes from the organizers, which I did.

Yesterday, I was there in Prasads by 9:45am. As we were asked to wait outside the screen, I was sipping an iced tea and busy reading the posters, when he walked in. Recognizing him, I managed to mutter "Namaste!". I heard him saying back "Namaskaar(am)". K.Vishwanath followed a few minutes later. When the doors were opened, I walked him and choose a random seat. He was there, next to me! Talking and joking around, as if all of us knew each other from a long time. I was a bunch of nerves to have him next to me. The documentary started and ended, but I still had to pinch myself that I was so close to him.

The organizers were upset that Hyderabad crowd doesn't turn up for such events. I wasn't in complaining mood as I was having it all for myself. K.Vishwanath gently reminded that there needn't be worries about thin audience by quoting, 'gangi govu paalu". I wonder, if that's the case.

The screening of the documentary was followed by road-naming ceremony at Ramkote Chaurasta. There was no way I could miss that. The roads are old, but they have new names now. One is called Ustad Bismillah Khan's road and the Pt. Bhimsen Joshi road. By the time I next go there, I wonder if the boards would still be there and if the aam-aadmi would care to call those roads by these new names. For me, it would always stands out in memory for following reasons: 1) Pt. Chaurasia clapping his hands like a kid demanding something, and asking the press snap Vishwanath and him together. 2) Unable to stand for long, K.Vishwanath happily settled under a tree. Behind him, was a sugar-cane juice seller running his business as usual! 3) Pt.Chaurasia led all others to cross the road. He waved his hand gesturing the approaching bus to slow down. The RTC drivers didn't care.

In another city, there could have been a complete traffic jam. Hyderabad is the way it is!

Then, in the evening, there was his concert. I can happily exchange all the above, for an extra 15min performance of his. His bansuri is such a bliss. He is such a blessed soul. He played for about an hour, it was already late into the night by then. He wasn't like a master demonstrating his prowess. He was more like a friend, he needs to be pleaded to get going, who then asks "kya sunoge aap log?", followed by "mein bajaaoongaa, aap raag ka naam boliye!", when in his groove, "aaj itna accha tabla aur tanpura ka saat mila hai, jee chahtaa hai raat bhar bhajaataa hi rahoon!", and ended by saying, "ab toh jaana hai.. nahi toh kahenge, khane ka dukaan band ho jaayenge!"- hinting it's already too late.

Because of the old age, he sat in a chair in the concert. His walk is definitely like a child's walk. His hands were constantly shaking all through the day, but still managed to handle the flute well. For a moment, I was reminded of Mullapudi gaaru. Why is that age has to catch up with everybody? Why can't be few be an exception? I don't know. But I knew, I am blessed. (There was Shobana too, performing yesterday. She is such a darling, anyway! )

A friend of mine keeps commenting that my reading or writing or this newly built interest in Indian classical music or any such activity (note: but not my job!), are my escape routes, that I'm running away from something, instead of confronting it. So be it! It's just common sense to leave those streets where people see you, recognize you to just turn their back and move on to the streets where you're a nobody, but where you're given, if not credit, at least a benefit of doubt. 

It's about Test Cricket!

Before anything else, I'd like to write down "Why Ramchandra Guha must stop writing?". That's because he has written more than enough crap and that he can't really impart something onto others, unless he himself posses it.

Moving onto pleasant things: India has gotten it's 4-0!

I'd like to accredit the win as a whole to Dhoni. Though I don't appreciate the way the pitches were made for this series and that of England's, I still think he has played his cards really well. Yes, the contributions came from everybody, but if not for the confidence he has given to them, these new folks haven't made the most of the opportunities. I'd love to know if it was a warning or pat on the back that M. Vijay received before his innings in Hyderabad. Whatever was the way, that was some way! Dhoni, as many say, could have played his politics, gotten rid of some despite their potential and got in some others irrespective of their talents, but what matters is the win, which he did.

This series gonna be memorable for me for couple of reasons: 1) That I had watched live 3 days  out of 3.5 day Test match at Hyderabad. I was part of the delirious crowd which chanted "Sachin" all day through. Being from a test-cricket-starved city, it was such a joy to be part of 30k crowd and witness some good cricket.

2) Regrets that I couldn't make it either to Delhi or Chennai. The Chennai plans were more concrete, despite how intensely I dislike the city, until a ill-timed illness ruined it for me. If not for a stringent deadline at office, I'd have been blogging this from a lounge in Delhi Airport. Sigh! That's loads of regret to shoulder, as I still carry a bag of it for having missed the Bangalore test match when Australia were touring India in 2010.

Gone are the days when I used to pray hard for an Indian team success. I'm really not bothered if they win or not. So, this series win doesn't move me the way it used to. I still love watching test cricket though. Now, I look forward to the back-to-back Ashes. And for time being, I hope New Zealand pull it off against England in next two days. Good luck Kiwis!

Nope, no going green.

Frankly speaking, this should have gone into my friend's inbox, who started an interesting discussion the other day: Why I refuse to be online on my gchat?

He got convinced with my arguments, a bit too early to my liking. Untold and folded, many of my thoughts are still rehearsing to make themselves presentable at any slightest occasion. That's a drain of energy. To get ready, thoughts take much longer than the most presentable women.

There were days when I was online almost 24x7. Almost! There were times when at least a ten windows would be opened on my screen. It's not that I was intimidated by the online world. In fact, I thrived on it. Even today, without any hesitation and with some smug satisfaction, I can say that I've taken the most of the best that came my way and got away with the worst, which is always in the package deal!

Then, what was that went wrong? I'm not too sure. I would need some psycho-analytic help here. But I guess, the "take-yourself-seriously" part of the setup, didn't work with the otherwise very serious persona of me. I hate the vanity involved it. Irony is the vanity is happening right now.. as I write this. I write as if all of you all are desperate to know why I think what I think, and I'm helping you with this post!

Blogs I followed initially, were creative, if not anything else. Except for Jabberwock and Middlestage, most others have gone into a hiding. What's left is incessant ranting of day-to-day personal woes, spreading negativity and pessimism about life. All that I read now is about books or sports, purely non-fiction!

I've been sick of micro-blogging from day one. I can't get a better metaphor than this: To have a social networking account with some active users in your stream, is to have a head like Edward Cullen's - like it or not, you get to hear so much of crap happening in your vicinity. Isn't one thinking head not enough to screw lives, that we've to real-estate to many more thinking heads?

Above all, I just can't stand it when a blogging space becomes a way to track me. For example, if I'd scheduled some 50 posts at regular intervals for next 4-5 years, most of the folks who follow(?) this blog, think I'm alive and doing good enough to post a blog - even if I'm done and dusted at this moment. That's a fact. It's sick when people are more worried about your blog's inactivity or inaccessibility than yours.

Chats and mails are more personal, you think. In reality, like everybody else's, their fate is never known. Agree or not, online world is an escape world to many. When life busies you, you've no obligation whatsoever to the people you meet here. When there's nothing much on the top of your mind though, ping whomever you see in green or red or, if too desperate, grey. You'd have the fate to lay blame upon, in real world, if you run into someone you wouldn't want to. In the cyber-world, I don't know who else could be blamed  when you ping against your own will. Or how would you react to a ping that you know would eventually lead into a dreadful drama? Call them wise or otherwise, some are hell-bent on committing suicide, but they make sure you get hanged for it.

Did I write this to justify my stand? Or to throw tantrums at a few? Or to mock the entire setup?  Or just to vent out my frustration? It could be all, it could be none. All depends on who's gonna read this, interpret in what way and react / respond which way. That's beyond me, so I needn't do the calculation.

All said and done, I'd still say internet is the best place for two or more minds (strictly minds!) to interact and flourish. Without it, life would have been too dull. Well, that doesn't mean, it needn't have to be controlled.

Poem

Gulzar saab had asked me (no, not in my dreams!) why is this my favourite song. I answered in his own words, "dil ki baatein naa poocho.. dil toh aata rahegaa". The visuals that next unfolded, his deepening smile, slight nod of his head approving my answer - that was a poem to me. Can't explain it. Can only experience it.

The fairy tale of my life..

The fairy tale of my life is coming to it's end, line by line, word by word.

He is a hero, no story teller could afford to imagine. He was always beyond imagination of the wildest of imaginations. He seemed ordinary like you and me. Nothing of him suggested that he'd be beyond our comprehension. Even the script as it was unfolding looked too simple. Only when you looked back at it from a point, you'd have noticed what an incredible journey you were on, along with him. Suddenly, we were at loss of words.

Alas! Everything is fun only till it's fun. Once the fun ceased, he became ordinary for us. Wasting no time, we were asking for his head. We didn't realize how our very own reaction towards him answers one of the ever eluding questions we've had of him. "How can anyone be so loved and still not take it to his head?" Like salty waters, ours was salty love for him. He swam across the oceans of our love and survived,  but what you and I conveniently forgot is, how tired and thirsty he could be.

Luckily, time is doing a big brother here. It's been telling him, "Enough of play! Get back and take rest." Slowly, but surely, he'd be leaving.

So, as the fairy tale of my life is coming to and end, all I can wish and hope and pray is that the ending should be no different from the norms, that he should live happily ever after. Amen!

Seeing Rahul Dravid in flesh and blood..

I've been to Bangalore to watch the India vs New Zealand test match. Though it wasn't test cricket of supreme quality, thanks to some spirited performances by the Kiwis, I thoroughly enjoyed whatever keen contests that happened. From the pavilion stand, I watched Indians on the victory podium. And many more than that.

But the highlight of the last day was when Rahul Dravid quietly walked into our stand and sat couple of seats behind me. I was so engrossed in the game that I didn't really bother the hush behind me. When I finally did turn back, there he was! The gentleman! Or the highest compliment you can play to a man - he is "the complete man", going Raymond's way.

I almost had a minor heart attack watching my hero at a hand's distance. I could have chased him down to get an autograph, which he might have obliged without much fuss. I chose not to. An autograph might have helped boast about it in my circles. But no, that's not what I want.  Having seen him up and close, I now wanna dream - openly and wildly - that I someday would catch up with him for coffee and over it, discuss tons and tons of books. Or may be, interview him for pustakam! Or may be loan from him the entire Cardus collection.(given he has them!)

Looking forward to that day, Rahul. Until then, thanks for everything!