I finally know what a raga is!!

Strange as it probably sounds I have started learning classical south Indian music -  karnatic music.It has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Just when you reach a certain age and you come to the conclusion you know a fair deal about the world and its trappings, you are given the chance to realise how little you actually know!and little is an understatement here....
This has been the overwhelming emotion for the past couple of weeks - I know squat all. I was fortunate enough thanks to a few forces on  my side, to meet my guru who has been living with this music all his life. We started off with baby steps of the saptha swaras - Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni . He said he was starting with the Sarali swaras,  mayamalavagowla raga in adhi thalam with shruthi G sharp. Great! good to know.....but what in God's name does that mean? Greek and latin would have sounded friendlier then trust me....
I was amazed and in awe of the vast intricacies that were to be presented soon. There are only 7 swaras but gosh! what wonders can be achieved with them!. For example  a Ri could be a suddha Ri or Ri 2 or even Ri 3 (not sure what they are called - had only few classes before you judge!). These are in fact the positions of each swaram. Hence a ragam is in fact the positional placing of each swaram or in other words Swara Sthanams. Add your beat - thalam and the all important pitch - shruthi to that and there is fianally a whole and lo and behold!!, I might just have come to the end of this story. Pardon the rambling but had to share that piece of new-found wisdom with you.
Osho has mentioned the three M's - mathematics, music or meditation as the founding pillars of any religion. Music is no less a maths from what I have seen and a musician uses logical reasoning no differently to a mathematician. I know in the coming days I will be presented with loads more challenges but hey let's not worry about building bridges even before we need them!
As the very appropriate cliche goes music is definitely a vast ocean. Will I ever learn to swim? Not sure. For now I am happy to just test the waters.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3elIEZlOao

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVkC_eJvnv0

Christmas

Guest Post by my son 

Cards are given to each other
Holly leaves are hung up together
Roaring fire tells a spooky tale
Icy cold nights gives a fright
Stockings hung on the warm fireplace
Television is the thing to watch
Mince pies and turkeys are all eaten
Acting your own school pantomime
Santa Claus is finnally coming to town!!


- Varun

The Edge Of Reason

Standing at the precipice,
Only echoes of pain and despair from the depths below,
Would he fall into a deep nightmare?
Or would he soar lighter than a bird into the heavens?
Would he lose himself to the darkness beyond?
Or find himself in a way he never imagined?
Would he come out in one piece?
Or end up healing from scars forever more?
Was there ever a question of turning back?
Or only the hope that it would be as dreamt a million times?
He had to take the plunge,
He had to go for it ,
to do so was risking the unknown,
to not do so would be never knowing the unknown,
he jumped ,
he fell,
he fell in love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En4aZkij_q4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J4uLflEB40