Nothing but music

My 25th article since starting this blog and have been pondering for days now that this one had to be special. I'm not too big on anniversaries but wanted to make this article special for some reason. Don't ask why? Just one of those crazy things I guess.
And then it hit me why not talk about the one thing that will be with me all my life. Through all the smiles and the tears. Always a song there to be a friend for the day. Where do I start and where do I stop? So much out there that has inspired. Like the first time I heard Michael Jackson's  Billy Jean and realised that this was no ordinary singer. His voice is so undefinable that one can only hope that of sort magic can be recaptured again. Or what about all those illayaraja songs I grew up with in the 80s. Wow! such soul stirring melodies. Humming those songs on the way to school , tuning into watch those rare chances when they came on TV - remember the likes of olliyum oliyum and chitrahaar, mind you this was in yesteryear with no internet. And then when I discovered hindi and bollywood, the floodgates really opened then. All those feel-good movies from the khans when every 15 minutes they would break out into song. Wedding dhamaka songs, love songs, hip shakers believe it or not I loved them all.
Oh don't even get me started on all the boy bands I was hooked on, they defined my teenage years, songs of everlasting love, yeah just what every girl needs at that age. Boyzone, Backstreet boys,Take that.......I grew up listening to you guys and you get some credit/blame for the way I turned out.
And then one of the best things that ever happened to music - AR Rahman. Critics always had something to say about him but then crtics always do don't they? His music opened up a new era and people realised that this was no ordinary backstreet kid toying with a keyboard - the first rays of sun bursting through the treetops at dawn - there I had to throw in some poetry, job done. Music no longer remained instrumental and became more a mish mash of sounds blended cleverly. He has the power to set your feet tapping and touch your soul all in one go.
Music is so much more open-minded now and there is an appreciation for all sorts of talent and sounds. Some of it works and others not so much but the efforts must go on surely. And what am I into now?  have discovered ghazals and sufi based numbers and yet another chapter. But that must be what makes it special - a song for every mood, every emotion, every moment of evey day. And what you liked yesteday may not what you're into today. The music changes with you and yet lives within you. Let the music in and you've found a friend for life.......

For Michael
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUrqFkR7QlI

For Illayaraja
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlot5sIH6xk

For bollywood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32tNhs2Vk8U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyiIcEmO4BQ&feature=fvsr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgwYPwUjAtA

For the boybands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_Rut4qm33g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fndeDfaWCg&ob=av2e

For ARR - one of his best
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmCSBadJcw4

My latest ones -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqIBUZCVtco&feature=BFa&list=FL33QnRxwcH8jatzSgnE4vTA&lf=mh_lolz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAOamM7wMIc&feature=BFa&list=FL33QnRxwcH8jatzSgnE4vTA&lf=mh_lolz

Living it up with scraped knees

Steaming mud pies in the mid noon sun,
dusty bare feet that never seemed to want to stop,
longing to reach for the sky on a swing,
hide and seek, tag, treasure island
was there anything we couldn't take on?
Feeling the wrinkles on his hand while sitting on grandpa's lap,
stories and songs from grandma,
treats from the family.
Long long summer holidays that never should have ended,
bruises and scrapes learning to ride the bike,
the magic of movies and first heroes,
starring at the stars on the terrace shaded by coconut trees.
Butterflies and stomach churns on the first day back at school,
homework and tests,
sharing with friends, knowing others exist crazier than you,
feeling the first pangs of a crush, pretending to hate them anyway,
Saturday trips to the beach,
fighting over ice cream,mullaga bhajis,samosas,chat and whatnot,
guilt free junk food never tasted better.
Cricket, teasing and punching you bro,
just talking and more talking with you sis,
Searching for love, pride and approval in your eyes mom & dad,
so many laughs, so many tears,
so many victories, so many failures,
the first bittersweet taste of life's medicines.
Living it up.... alas! at breakneck speed,
Each day a precious gem stringed together to make a whole,
oh grant me a single wish to go back for but a day.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2okBwE8jjys&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqDTZJYf5bM

Milagu Rasam for the Soul 2

He was sure he was lost. He had been trekking for hours now. He and some friends had decided to explore the mountains starting at dawn. He had separated from the group to take some pictures and now it had been almost three hours of wandering around mountain tracks with nothing but the birds and bees for company.
The most blissful of days , the autumn sun warm and  pleasant. A gentle breeze and the beautiful  colours of fall all around, reds, browns, yellows and maybe even a few golds. He was willing himself not to panic having lost signal on his mobile with only a  bottle of water and few mars bars to keep going. Almost at the very top of a mountain track now ,he knew that he was definitely way of course.
Suddenly a gushing and gurgling, the unmistakable sound of water. A glimmer of hope – he could follow the stream to see if that led somewhere. He pushed past some bushes to a clearing and saw the most breathtaking of scenes in from of him.The trees and bushes had formed a clearing almost as if somehow they knew to obstruct such a  view would be a sin. There were mountains towering around in every direction and the stream turned out to be a roaring torrent of  water falling down the mountain’s edge to the valley beyond. He was so high up the clouds formed a fog around him. But the thing that held his gaze was a girl standing at the very edge taking pictures of the waterfall. Yippee he wasn’t alone! She was the strangest sight though. He could have sworn she had almost every colour of the rainbow on her. The worst dress he had ever seen. She was equally shocked to see him. He exclaimed how relieved he was to see her and she listened intently as he explained his predicament. She said that she knew the way back although it was still a few hours back to civilization. She took the lead, he followed.
Dusk had set in and the buzzing of the mosquitoes was getting louder, shadows merging into the darkness of the trees. Eerie was an understatement but he didn’t care anymore. She entranced him completely, the wisdom in her comforting eyes in paradox to the innocent lines of her face. She didn’t speak much English but seemed to understand it well. A faraway country, a strange culture and differing mindsets but a kinship in those kind eyes, urging him to tell everything. And he did, everything, how his friends had to drag him on this  trip, his problems at work, the months of depression that had preceded, his trouble getting back to the living after his dad had passed. The strange aura about her comforted his troubled soul and this was one journey he didn’t want to end.
The lights of the campsite were visible now but this was one time the darkness held more comfort. He had to hold onto to very moment. She said she was leaving early the next day and that they should keep in touch. Should he ask for an address? He couldn’t bring himself to ask for more and neither could she.
Sometimes one had to lose their way to find it, in more ways than one. Some relationships last a lifetime, some  over in the blink of an eye. Does that make them any less profound?  He woke up oddly healed knowing there would be more journeys and more lost ways.
Would there always be an angel in the colours of the rainbow to show him the way?
He was going to wait and see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni3ceognNHI

I Do

I went to a friend's wedding recently and must admit it was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. Lots of love and laughter in the air.
The day every girl dreams off and the day probably every guy dreads. Made me think about all the weddings I had attended.
When I was kid I remember the months of anticipation and excitement building up to the big day when there was a wedding in the family. Planning outfits and days of shopping galore. Yes, those were the days when weddings were family get-togethers more than anything, people congregating days in advance and each day one big haze of rich food, endless rituals, petty squabbles and of course the togetherness.The house becoming one big playground with cousins from all over.
The pressures of modern life have made that impossible now but the emotion hasn't been lost thankfully. Be it a Church wedding or one in a temple, a romantic wedding at sunset on the beach or one filled with the whole clan in a more traditional setting, a wedding where two people who hardly know each other embark on a journey of discovery or one where two people very much  in love tie the knot forever, the overriding emotion is that of commitment. Committing to love and cherish, in thick and thin.
The union of two people for a lifetime. Ain't a joke by any one's standards but nothing to run away from either. With ever rising divorce rates what needs to be remembered is that everyone at the end of the day only looks for acceptance and respect from their spouse.
Future generations may question the sanity of this institution and maybe rightfully so but what needs to be remembered is that it may not work for everyone but when it does work the rewards speak for themselves. The sharing, bringing up kids, watching them grow, seeing you in them, sharing those proud moments, growing old together. That's one risk worth taking for sure.
So that one day filled with tears, blessings, confused emotions, fear, anticipation and laughter is just the beginning remember not the end.
So here's a toast to you friend for those two magical words you uttered "I do".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK98ixu8CVQ&feature=related

The sound of rain

I was introduced to Anoushka Shankar's work today and can't stop raving about it since. What an amazing talent! It's sheer joy to see modern Indians embrace classical music and elevate it to  new heights. The combination of her passionate work and her alluring dusky looks is definitely something of a trance. If there is a place called heaven then surely this is the kind of music the gods must be listening to.

My mom described sitar music as the sound of rain and I couldn't agree more. When feeling down and out, the sound of water can do wonders but now the divine strumming of the sitar have made that pale in comparison and who better to deliver that than a very talented enchantress.

Believe me when I say you wont't regret this click.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_HT-d8W1_M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_5plCs7I5g

10 years on....

and I still get goose bumps when I think about it. September 11, 2001, I was flying to India. In my third trimester with my son our plane had been one of the last ones to take off from Heathrow before the world changed forever.


While growing up I have lived in several places owing to dad's work but like any Indian of that time, always dreamed that someday I would go to America. And one of the most vivid elements of those dreams was the New York skyline and most of all the twin towers. Mere structures of steel and iron, it's what they symbolised that we lost that dreadful day  - freedom. We were rudely awaken from the dream, such acts can't happen in the modern world.  A new reality dawned on us that yes we had to understand what was happening and  No burying our head in the sand  was not going to work anymore.
Thousands of lives were lost that day and none of those people had a clue what hit them. The enemy was unknown, the cause plagiarised and what good came from it?  The reaction that reverberated was even more befuddling - more wars and lost causes. Diplomacy and politics are lost on me but as Joe Bloggs I know something is wrong with the whole system. There must be another way to make this work. We are all humans at the end of the day, the same tears, the same laughs, surely that can be driven home.
When we look back on these 10 years, what strikes out is that terror once sown into our minds only festers and multiplies. And no amount of wars or vivid scenes of retribution can heal a wound. If at all anything only peace can ease a troubled soul.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xB4dbdNSXY

Venus and somewhere very very very far from venus

Why can't we ever see eye to eye with them? Why do we rarely seem to make sense to each other?
Here are a few insights to help out for both sides -


For him


1. Whenever she asks how she's looking words like OK, nice and good are simply not enough, always and I repeat always superlatives is what she's looking for.
2. When she starts nagging you at the end of the day even if you don't have a clue what she is worked up about, for god's sake put away the laptop, iPhone and game consoles and any such paraphernalia...she is probably just tired and whats you to acknowledge what a great job she is doing.
3. She rarely wants expensive gifts for birthdays and anniversaries....the fact that you remembered to make it special is what counts. A cup of coffee and your undivided attention could rock her world.
4. Her idea of an holiday is always just taking it slow and spending time together, recapturing the magic....it definitely is not walking around a strange city with a map in hand dragged from one tourist attraction to another.
5. When she has cooked something for you wait for her to comment on it first....she does have taste buds surprisingly and will accept if something is not great. Being the first to comment and especially saying things like "My mother was amazing at making...." is what a dead man walking would do. If a death wish is what you want who am I to stop you....Hahaha don't say I didn't warn you though.


For her


1. When he starts talking animatedly about politics, cars, gadgetry or the like just nod along. He is only talking what he knows best to impress you. Humour him.
2. They do not and never will understand the word shopping and the concept of window shopping is a sin in their bible. They are happy to get it over with in the first shop and within half an hour of starting out. Never take him shopping - you are sparing yourself a lot of heartache.
3. The person who coined the saying "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach" was a genius in my opinion. Yes and I emphasise this is true in almost all cases, anything you want, cook him a slap-up meal and you will be smiling at the end of it.
4. Don't give him too hard a time about wet towels on the bed, or toilet seats left up, he knows you don't like it. He is only doing it to wind you up. Don't react and you have probably driven home a stronger message.
5.  When he can painfully sit through rom-coms with you, make an effort to sit through football/cricket matches. And discussing about saving money, the economy or investments always earns  a few brownie points.


Although I do have to acknowledge that each person is individualistic and each relationship unique. So not all points may apply but breaking kitchenware, pulling out our hair or for that matter each others is not the answer. After all we are from Venus and they must be definitely from some place very very far from there. Accepting our differences and probably laughing at ourselves for it is the only way out.

Dreams in the air

Lazing on the sand,
the sound of the waves,
a patchwork of colours,
sandcastles, children screaming, deckchairs, sunhats, the anticipation
the drone of the commentator in the distance,
thousands of eyes scanning the horizon.
small at first but getting closer,
 a deafening roar and you stream past,
a tail of smoke in your wake,
dipping, diving, soaring and gliding,
up, down and over again,
you gave the biggest heart ever
why did you have to go and break it than?
flights of wonder don't ever touch ground.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yJ2HEDJvQA

Population Conundrum

On one hand a natural instinct to procreate, to nurture and care for our own, to leave our footprint in some way.
On the flip side a planet crying out for help, being plundered every second, so many species disappearing.
I remember a time when I would walk down streets of my hometown and they would be clutter free and peaceful. But just a decade later I see tremendous development everywhere no doubt, but not at a sustainable rate. Huge apartment blocks, overflowing streets, infrastructure struggling to bear the burden. Will there be enough food for all these people, drinking water, or for that matter clean air.
I don't know.....we all want to leave with the reassurance that our children and their children can live as we did.
No signs of reassurance though, what with  rising food prices, water being squeezed out from every source, lakes and ponds drying up, landfills piling up, exorbitant fuel prices, climate change, rising unemployment, growing poverty - the list seems endless. All gloom and doom yes, but possibly something we can decelerate if not halt.
None of us have the right to preach but the question is an impending one and there are no easy answers. But realising there is a question is often the first step to addressing it......


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qiwM7ad-xQ

Artistic and commercial?

- I know, unbelievable but true. Ever since movies like 'Subramaniapuram' hit our screens, a whole breed of movies were encouraged to follow suit and have pushed the boundaries of our imagination. Based on rural themes, the simplicity of thought and purity of action portrayed in the characters strikes a chord.
Have you ever swam under a pump set in a village on a stifling summer day when the ice cold water feels sublime? Have you ever felt a oneness with complete strangers, cramped on the back of a tractor filled to the brim, everyone screaming to duck from the thorns of the overhanging branchs? I have - used to do that in my mother's village for the tamil festival, Pongal, a long time ago in a world that's sadly been left behind when the rest of us moved ahead with breakneck speed. For all our iphones, laptops and urban savvy trappings, there is still a simpleton waiting patiently within each of us to come out and man does he lap up these 'new age' movies.

The lead roles are usually played by people characterised physically in the worst possible way, but by the end of the movie you are left refactoring your definition of beauty. Beauty is definitely skin deep and there is a humanness in all of us to see past the exterior to the truth and honesty inside. I applaud directors like Sasikumar and Suseenthiran for not underestimating the masses...keep at it gentlemen - I'm a big fan


The movie 'Azhagar Swami kuthirai'  from director Susi was bang on the money in this regard and I simply loved it.
Here's a beautiful song from that movie.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_IG4m5TDzY&feature=related