When the Gods came down......

When the Gods came down…..
And the demons existed outside not within.


A supernatural force that controls everything and keeps tabs on us and the chaos we create....


Some of us have a natural inclination to believe in God and I don’t want to use the
word blindly but rather inherently feel at ease in trusting. Some on the other hand outright refuse to believe that there could be something out there beyond human comprehension and finally there are those of us that like to sit on the fence and tend to believe in this force possibly because we don’t want to question something we don’t understand, possibly because we are afraid to bring on its wrath by doing so.
But  I do believe ardently that all religions at the end of the day came to fruition to bring forward one message – that there is something out there watching over all of us and if we only find it within us to believe and trust, there is hope for us. But Hinduism is one of those religions that always never separated man from God. God was always given a human form and personality and his many miracles and foibles alike were passed on through folklore. The modern world often scoffs idol worship but I think there is a certain ingenuity in the way these ancient religions brought God closer to us, through these means.
The underlying message seems to be that God is not some cosmic force that we can’t see and touch. He does not live on another planet, nor is he just a source of a light or energy. Not to disregard that in fact he might be all those things as well. But by making him human with emotions, his anger, his dispair, his love and his misgivings, he comes closer to us. Who can turn their back on the endearing pranks of the adolescent Krishna, or the chubby sweetness of Ganesha, the generous hearted Lakshmi who brings prosperity to whatever she touches, or the strong hearted and loyal Hanuman who would take on anything for his king or the cheeky games of Naradhar. The brilliance of  folklore and religious icons is evident in that they have survived all these centuries and still continue to live on today. They are the stories that children grow up with and whether they then grow on to question religious fanaticism and religion in general one can’t deny how much these stories shape our lives and our beliefs and our love for that elusive almighty.
One of the stories that has always touched me is one related to Muraga , the son of lord Shiva. Like we all do at many  instances in our life he questioned authority and he got into a tiff with his mother and father over a piece of fruit. A task was set out to both him and his brother Ganesha and he lost and was denied the fruit. He loses his cool and in a fit of anger gives up all his material belongings and heads off in a huff to the mountain of Palani where he then sets camp as an act of protest. How endearing is that? How can we not relate to this when so many of us have had these moments when we are estranged for whatever reason from our dear ones? There is a song out there "Ennakavi Padinalum" that actually talks about all the emotions he must be going through and trys to abate his childish anger. I can't think of anything more enchanting than the fact that this song reaches out to the almighty himself to rethink his decision and we actually end up feeling sorry for him. Imagine! the one who rules over everything and the song actually urges him to see sense. That's what Hinduism thrives on, bringing the gods down from the heavens so we can reach out and feel their misgivings and triumphs.


This beautiful song was sung by one of my new favourites Aruna Sairam.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExcbNWLBwLE&feature=autoplay&list=FL33QnRxwcH8jatzSgnE4vTA&lf=mh_lolz&playnext=2

Some places and Certain faces

I went on my annual holiday back home to Chennai, India a few weeks ago and wanted to share a few insights from the reprieve. India as always hits you like a ton of bricks the second you step off the plane, the humidity, smell of musty carpets, the noisy chatter. Once out of the airport and your head is soon reeling with the sounds of traffic, neon lights and your body is working overdrive to cope with the heat. India is one of those countries steeped in heritage and tradition but strangely enough not a lot of that is visible at a first glance anymore. One of the fastest growing economies at the moment! and believe you me, it shows. Every direction you turn there are signs of western infiltration, wealth and development. But you get the feeling of chaos and the sense of an old country that had been blissfully lost in meditation  being rudely broken from the trance and thrown head first into the murky waters of economic progress. Hey don’t get me wrong….it fills me with pride that Indians are finally seeing the  light of day  and yes that everyone can now have a mobile phone - and an iphone at that probably,  right from the newspaper delivery boy to the lady who sells flowers at the street corner. But who’s to say what darkness is and that this is light. It’s relative and relativity can be as fickle as the cloud cover over London.
Bring on the idli ,dosa and inner peace! Strange combination indeed but then again this is India we are talking about, the country that gave the rest of the world the sacred treasures of yoga, meditation, and astrology and  the country that was years ahead of its times centuries ago but too nonchalant to even flaunt it, populated to the seams, where road traffic breathes a life of its own, the land of software engineers galore, a spiritual warehouse, a conundrum, a question, possibly the answer....I could go on for a while. Bottom line is she is all that and more and yet in a weird way beautifully so.
Sitting on the sandy shores of the marina beach, I couldn’t help but get the feeling that India was changing beyond recognition and it scared me what she was morphing into. But almost as a comforting sign from the cosmos at every stage, I saw the faces of the people that I used to feel a kinship with - the boisterous  boy selling sundal from his tin box, the cajoling screams of the lady who sells the mulaga bhajis from her stall, the priest at the temple who always manages to remember you, the neighbours and family who come to greet you and insist you must come home for a bite (yeah like your stomach can possibly take anymore food). The people are still the same.....more flashy perhaps but still the same.
The sun was setting and everyone seemed to shut up but for a few seconds to enjoy the scene. It was a truly unique contradiction - on one side of the horizon the wild waves, a glorious sunset and a sense of tranquillity and alignment with nature akin to ancient India and on the other side the lights and sounds of the city that seemed to never sleep, screaming out the sounds of a country kicking and fighting its way into the new world. And it dawned on me then that change is the one thing that never changes and home may not be what you remembered or cling to in your heart yet it is still home and that oneness you feel with the people around you will hopefully always retain the glorious hues of  that setting Indian summer sun no matter where you live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Inci3dF-fQ&feature=related

Beginnings

Remember the fairy tales from childhood where people lived happily ever after? Could there ever be a happily ever after? And if there was wouldn't it in fact be fairly boring?  Just a thought! But on the flip side what we are guaranteed in plenty are new beginnings and that’s what every New year promises to bring – a crossroad – a chance to step back and reassess all  the things we want from the coming days hand in hand with an opportunity to set straight a few mess-ups  from the past.
The resilience of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me. Have you ever bounced on a trampoline ? A truly indulgent experience. No matter how many times you fall the promise of always jumping back  unscathed is what makes it fun . On the contrary the human spirit endeavours to bounce back  even from painful experiences. All the more memorable wouldn't you say?
And each New Year promises exactly that - a glimmer of hope that things will go completely our way and we get everything we want. Yeah and the sun will start rising in the west! Pessimism galore I know! But the optimist in me says it is good to hope all our dreams come true and just resolving to make this ‘our year’  is the first step if at all to getting to where to we want to be.
What about resolutions though? Do they make sense? I have taken one too many resolutions only to see them bite the dust as early as mid January. Eat healthy, exercise more, read more, make that all important career change, more quality time with the family. But why try to set targets that only address the peripherals of what we actually want.
How about these though - just being more happier, one selfless act per week if not every day, or making each day count in some way - leanardo's dialogue of course but considering it came from him the message needs to be spread ;-)
I had a teacher once who you used to keep saying that students need to be like horses that have their eyes framed by eye blocks. The horse is blinded of all distractions other than the road. Of course this worked to a certain extent as a student but I would challenge this now. Life can hardly be lived with eye blocks on. Shutting out what we choose not to see or of no relevance to us would in the end rob us of enriching experiences. One might achieve goals with this single minded approach for sure but what about the journey that gets us there. That needs to count as well surely?
On that note let's hope the cosmos gives us the energy and good sense to see and absorb the experiences in store for us - to cherish all the good and bounce back from any pain.

Picture abhi bi bhaki hai mere dost....so let's keep our eyes open to take it all in.....

Happy New Year everyone....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsb3BdkdlhM&feature=related

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

Sense or Sensibility

Have you ever wondered why sometimes each day  feels like its been churned from the same mould....one big deja vu! From the moment we learn to comprehend we are taught to be sensible, to keep our wits about us, to do the right thing and do it despite everything else. All true and very wise and yes, we do live in a dog-eat-dog world where only the fittest seem to survive but in this constant struggle to be the best we end up burying so many of our sensibilities.
For it is these little nuances of ourselves that defines each day.That one act of kindness, a cheeky prank that brings a smile, a skip in the step when no one's watching, a spontaneous hug, that eccentric shopping splurge. Alas! to lose those sensibilities. Of course we need the scientists and the doctors but what a miserable world it would be without the dreamers and the visionaries. A beautiful painting, a fascinating movie or a soul searing song, aren't they after all expressions of some one's sensibilities? someone throwing caution to the wind and nurturing a passion?
I often remember Wordsworth's profound words "we have no time to stand and stare...."
So the next time you do want to stand and stare and end up feeling guilty about it, Don't! 
Give yourself a break, grant yourself that one luxury and give an otherwise dull day a defining moment, a memory you can lock away forever. As important as our senses are to us our sensibilities set us apart and shouldn't always be given second place. Being sensible doesn't have to mean hiding away all those little quirks does it? Do it your own way and you will be none the loser for it......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeOTYd2mSaE&feature=related 

Autumn Leaves

Each leaf falling with the sorrow of a summer past,
with one last flourish in nature's palette,
woodland creatures curling up for the nights long,
the air wafting with the smell of wood fires and mulled wine,
each dewy morning forewarning a winter cruel and long,
a twinkling Christmas tree, a beacon of  hope,
the call of church bells, carols and festive feasts,
spreading cheer with near and dear,
but oh! the sight of you falling, brown and golden blankets on the sidewalk, memories of glories bygone,
why does the heart yearn so when the autumn leaves begin to fall?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk20o_-LZn8&feature=related

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