Sunil Koshy

This is one guy who has been my soul mate at Unisys. We bonded together with the adhesive called "Music". An excellent singer, excellent human being and typical eccentric character like me who loved listening to music and appreciating beauty (even more than me?). He found his Fish Curry and Rice elsewhere. So, Sunil is moving on. I am going to miss one more soul who can talk, think, breathe, eat and sleep music. There are lots of other morons who can't even talk about music are with me and I think will be there for long.

It's been almost more than a year since I know Sunil who left Intel for the sake of learning music (that's why I told you that he is an eccentric fellow). The passion he has for music is driving him to lot of places and people.

Sunil - I remember your love for Sonu Nigam, Hariharan, Yesudas, Rafi and lots of Malayalam singers... Hope you will stand in line with them some day.

Compilers.... Well only keep in touch with them. Just use them as your walking stick. Let music be your crutches.... All the best friend... Hope to meet in the world of music... Adieu

Read, Write & Listen

Seriously waiting for the month of June to come in and go off. My MA exams would be over.
Lots of books to read, lots of writing to be done (too many translation work is pending), too much of music to be heard. Not sure when I will complete that.

Books - I have around 8 books to be read. Short stories, biographies, and so on.

Music - Need to hear lots of music starting from classical music to caribbean music and for a change Pink Floyd's wall (hey you out there in the cold, getting lonely getting old, can you feel me..). Also have not heard Chris Rhea's Road to Hell for ages. Another song which I have been searching is Leonard Cohen's Dance me to the end of Love. Not sure where is it available, how I can get it. Need to hear the haunting Whitney's "I will always love you" and Phil Collins.
Can I be part of Sunaad again? That's one on my "Wish List". Let us see.

Writing - Quite a few documentation on tourism studies is pending for translation fro English to Kannada. This is a long term commitment. I have been missing out on this and getting remotely cursed from Rose and Vidya at Equations. This requires a full time dedication as the original is of that solid quality and my translations need to atleast match if not exceed their quality.

Life with Bhargavi - Need to spend more quality time with Bhargavi.

4 Days &.....

Why is it that what we do is what we are "supposed" to do? Strange question though....

Sometimes we do what we are not "supposed" to do. This "supposed" is something which most of the time is dictated by some one who is no way related to us.....

It's ok, the musings will never end....

Last 5 days has been hectic.....

26th March evening, my rehearsals for World Theatre Day

27th March - Ugaadi festival with nice heavy lunch and good sleep plus evening sang for one hour, around 10 songs picked up from plays from 70s to 90s. Exotic experience singing songs from the plays which have been trendsetters. Be it, Hayavadana, Jokumaraswamy, Ma Nishada, Nagamandala, sattavara Neralu, and so on.... By the way, the theatre songs are always sung with our eyes open unlike our film music which I freak out closing my eyes. what a contradictory life we lead? But, it's fun.

28th March - Spent day finalizing my internal assignments which I had to submit to the university for my MA. Evening, Deeksha's dance class. Deeksha is turning out to be a good dancer and putting in lot of effort. I can see that.

29th March - Sunday. A lazy day again. Deeksha's dance class. Had junk food on demand from Deeksha....

30th March - Traveled to Mysore to university to submit my assignments. Those morons have not even given my first year marks card. I had to shout at them, escalate it to Registrar, what the hell ya? This is something which I seriously do not understand. The work which they are "supposed" to do for which they are paid, they are not even doing that. Finally, they said that they have already sent it to my residence address, only to find out that my marks card was still with them very much.

No idea when will these (*&^.... learn to be prompt in terms of sending things like marks sheet and certificates. They have deadlines only for the fees from us students and no deadline from their side !!! Feel like #^&*(@ .... forget about it.. no point in talking about them. It's a waste of time.

Overall, quite fruitful 4 days (ate lot of fruits as well). So many things to do and so little time. I am still amazed at people who just remain like wooden logs and say that they do not have anything to do.

Ugaadi

The festival of Bevu and Bella (Neem and Jaggery).

Tomorrow is the festival of Ugadi. This is the new year as per Hindu calendar.

Generally what difference it makes in today's world? We are so much used to the english calendar that even on 1st January, people go to temple and offer their prayers for a successful year ahead. That's quite strange. I still do not understand on how to interpret this. People just need reasons to go to temples.

The plus point of this festival is with its symbols. On this day, people consume both neem and jaggery as a symbol of accepting both tough times as well as happier times with same level of tolerance. While neem represents the tough times, jaggery represents happier times (I still not able to understand that why sweet should be always for happiness. Why can't there be any other taste? Why not tangy? Somebody who is reading this just shouted in their mind... stupid)

But do people really carry that sense of commitment and responsibility during that year? We just freak out when tough times comes and just fly in the air as if some propeller has been kept under us during happier times. It's a clash of symbol vs. reality. Again it's all in the mindset.

Of course, the major plus point is nice lunch with Holige.... hurray... I will try freaking out on food...

But, somewhere, the festivals are loosing their value in the current shrinking world... (Is it shrinking or expanding???). No one cares for the actual meanings of the festivals which were defined based on the society at that point of time. Well certain symbolic representations still make sense like Ugadi and Sankranti and of course, Deepavali. But does it apply to real life in true sense? Need to ponder over it...

If at all anyone reading this, please leave your comments and pamper me.....

It's a long weekend.

Asaawari & Tilak Kaamod

Very powerful raagas.... I realized it after listening to Tara Kini and Aditi Upadhya singing the alaaps of Asaawari & Tilak Kaamod respectively in the album "Raag Katha" from Sunaad....

man, what a singing .... We fellows can't even dream of singing like them. Such fantastic raagas. Particularly, I felt Aditi singing any Raaga is out of this world. I am happy and proud of the fact that I was her Shaagird for few months by being a member of Sunaad.

Asaaawari.... when you want to be alone in the midst of this stupid world, just listen to Asaawari. You will feel that there is no one in this big bad world. It's just you and asaawari. Tara, thanks a ton for rendering such fantastic alaap. You gave me a new insight into this raaga.

Tilak Kaamod.... another raaga with all total shuddh notes. Extremely brilliant and lights up your mood and transports you into another world and with Aditi Upadhya singing them, it's... not sure how to explain it. You should listen to her singing. You will be blown off.... I can bet.

Thanks Aditi for making me getting glued to the raagas and explaining how drupad is (I still remember you explaining dhrupad in a graphic format) In fact, after listening to Aditi, my perspective towards Hindustani classical music changed totally. Also thanks to Aditi, she allowed me to stay at her parents home at Mumbai for a day during a performance at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mumbai. I got a lifetime opportunity to meet up with Pt. Dinkar Kaikini, one of the doyens of Hindustani classical music. This is one moment which I will never be able to forget and will always keep it as a treasure in my life. I spent around 5 hours with Panditji talking about music and he signed on his CDs for me.

Tara.... Another Guru in my life who created crave for Hindustani classical music. Excellent singer, excellent organizer, task master and extremely warm human being. Tara also works in theatre. Proud of coming in touch with Tara and of course, Sunaad.

Deeksha

The little cutie pie for me and Bhargavi.....

Very often Bhargavi complains that Deeksha is totally like me, unpredictable, eccentric.... I am happy for that.

Deeksha is 11 years now (or 12 years???. This dirty mathematics kills me in this). Passionately learning Kuchipudi for last 5 years (or 6 years??) with Vyjayanthi Kashi. Considered as one of the best students for Vyjayanthi, it's not the case in terms of academics. Even at school, Deeksha is known more for extra curriculum than studies. Any school event, for dance and music, Deeksha is always the first candidate. Of course, what's there in the bookish education? Just marks....

Deeksha wants to be an RJ (people must be thinking what the heck is this when everyone wants to become a doctor or an engineer?). She wants to be a dancer, she wants to be an artiste. Of course, there is an element of crime from my side that since she was 6 years, I kept on telling that being in these professions is fun and especially being a journalist / RJ / Artiste, you are paid for what you love, unlike us who are paid for what we are not passionate about. She is a keen listener for music and observes every aspect of a song like me (hurray.... finally my efforts are paying off.....). She is a chatter box like me (grrrrrrrrrr..........). She is getting stressed out with CBSE syllabus and is looking out for something simple so that she can focus on her dance, music and other visual arts. Still trying to find out a way for her.

Is it not a crime from the parents that they force their children to get into professions which they could not get in? Now, where does that lead me to?

Bhargavi

13 March, 1994 - I met Bhargavi for the first time.

08 December 1994 - Bhargavi steps into my life

Since then, she has been part and parcel of my life. She has offered her shoulder lot of my pains in my life and still going strong as rock. She was totally unaware of the eccentricities she would face by coming into my life. I must say that she needs one solid round applause for being with me. Till today, she is a person who speaks less and I think we at home, have taken advantage of it, which is not correct. She has been through thick and thin of my life's journey for last 14 years (is it 15 years?). Till today, Bhargavi has been the best friend to me. Strangely, lot of pain caused to her is because of me. Not sure how to be a good husband. I think I should try to be a good friend to her more than being a good husband.

Utopia

Are we aiming at living in a utopian world? Sir Thomas More defines utopia as a seemingly perfect socio-politico-legal system. While, he talks about the utopian society, I was thinking of the utopian mind within ourselves. Are we utopian within ourselves? No need to touch the heart and say. straight and blind, I can say I am not at least.

We may think of being utopians. But we cannot be "that" ideal definition. We have lot of viciousness within us which we cannot kill. We have lot of illegal things in our mind which we cannot penalize. It's very strange. Whether one likes it or not, that's true.

While coming to office today, I was watching people's behavior on the road, driving. Everyone wants to irritate everyone so that they can go ahead and feel a sadistic happiness. What are we up to? They do not care whether they are creating trouble for others who are driving behind them. What they are focussed is that they want the clear road ahead for them. I don't care if I drive slow and the guy behind my vehicle gets into trouble and gets irritated. That's the attitude. Is this what we think? While we want a total perfect utopian world for us, what we are not realizing is that we are part of that world and we need to sit up and correct our act.

I am still trying to understand how I can be a part of solving this problem? Is it sounding like a small ant shouting against a hill ? Well, in utopian world, even the smallest of the shoutings should create an impact. Will it or will it not? Will it or will it not? Will it or will it not? Will it or will it not?..............

The Helium Man sinks

At around 6+ PM today, I was watchin sun sinking slowly into clouds (why do we always think that sun is sinking? Sun will never sink... it's only the earth which rotates. It's always blame on others... we stupid human beings...)

Myself along with Srikanth and Mallika were watching from the 8th floor of Purva Premiere on Residency Road (that's where I sit, right next to the window of the floor) earth rotating slowly and suddenly sun must have got the reminder from his MS Outlook, he just disappeared. From huge round orange plate, he became a thinnnnnnnnest orange thread and vanished away.

Me thinks.... it's for the sake of human beings to waste electricity, this helium man disappears so that they lilght the lamps mourning his "everyday death"

Time to pack off for the rehearsals for World Theatre Day programs on 27th March.... This time singing in full throat, the songs from Nagamandala, a play by Shankar Nag and wow man what an experience it was working with him in this play.....

Sun never sets at heart for people like this. Just remembered that I wrote somewhere that Kishore Kumar wanted to go back to his village in Khandwa and watch the sun setting. Sadly, he was not not able to (that's what I heard)....

Very strange human mind, the chain of memories and each link is of different shape, size, texture and weight.....

How you think?

By the way, in which language do you think?

One of my friend looked totally confused when I asked this question... She replied, it depends on the the situation I am in. Very interesting answer.... Did she reply to me after thinking in the language in which she spoke to me?

There are more chances of one thinking in their mother tounge (surprisingly, why do we call it "toungue"?) and the brain translates them in the form of words one want to express .... Strange na...??

When I talk, I think in Kannada first, even when I am talking to a person in English. The thought process gets converted into English when it is spoken. So, raw material is what you think. Finished product is what you speak. We add polish, varnish, paint and all other stuffs to the finished product so that it looks good for others.... In reality, it is not what we think is what we speak. Such hypocracy?

AMEN....

Aaoge Jab Tum o saajna

Whole day, I was listening to Rashid Khan's Aaoge jab Tum o saajna from the fillm Jab we met. True that music transports you to a different world and if you need any proof of that, listen to this number. Extremely soothing, takes off your tensions. Of course brilliant composition and rendition. Trying to see whether there are any songs are there which can come closer to this song offlate. I just love the line "naina tere kajrare hai, nainon pe hum dil haarein hain"

Masha Allah....

Saawariya is one film which I loved. Every other person whom I know and who have "attempted" to see the film, joked it as "BLUE FILM" since the entire film runs with the back drop of Blue at large, accompanied by green and also Sanjay Leela Bansali's favorite color black. I felt that was a deliberate attempt. Music by Monty Sharma is out of this world and folks should listen to the rhythm sections managed by Taufique Qureshi. Amazingly brilliant. Why are people fighting with each other? Let them listen to music like this. They will realize that music is one language which can overtake any language and any genre

A Day After

People keep cribbing a lot about everything (including me).....
Are people cynical about everything? What makes them cynical? Is the situation is truly cynical or just that the human beings love to be cynical?

Tons of data analysis leads to nowhere... that's what happened. Excel sheets, macros, pivot tables, charts, every single method is pouring out the same thing. Then why to present so many things which says the same thing?

Deeksha is alsmost done with her exams... why there are exams? Shouldn't it be the case where you just complete the course and get the certificate? If you are capable, the you will use the knowledge what you have gained. How do one find whether they are capable? Definitely not on the answer sheets where one mugs up everything and phewks everything in 3 hours.... c'mon, there must be better way to find the capability of a student. Isn't it?

Just came back.....

After the hybernation of around 2 years. I am back to this space. That's always been the case.
I came back to the "studying for exams" space after a span of 20 years
I came back to the space of friends after 9 years through linkedin....
That's how life is.... somewhere you stumble upon something and you realize that you have not been there for long.
I happen to stumble upon Revati Upadhya's blogs and that inspired me to get back to the blogging world.
Thanks Revati for bringing me back to blogging (was I there ever?)